Former CEO suing Yakima Valley Community Foundation [Yakima Herald-Republic, Wash.]

Oct. 11--YAKIMA, Wash. -- John Colgan, former chief executive of the nonprofit Yakima Valley Community Foundation, is suing the organization, saying he was wrongfully terminated after he stood up to board members over what he considered a hostile work environment.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by local attorney J.J. Sandlin, alleges that in the year and a half before Colgan retired from the foundation in 2011, several board members made racist comments and looked the other way when Colgan reported certain policy violations.

At the time, Colgan's departure was presented as a retirement, and several board and community members complimented his leadership. But Colgan, 64, says that he was in fact forced out as retaliation when he sought to hold board members accountable for their behavior.

The culture of retaliation "went on until finally, Mr. Colgan recognized that his tenure as CEO, no matter what kind of performance he had, was going to be terminated," Sandlin said at a news conference Wednesday morning.

Current foundation board members and the chief executive had no comment Wednesday afternoon.

"At this point, we haven't received the papers; we are not aware of any litigation that's actually been filed. We will be happy to comment on the allegations when we have had a chance to see them and review them," CEO Linda Moore said.

Among Colgan's principal complaints are what he said were racist comments by former board chairman Dennis Green, who allegedly referred to President Obama as "Kunta Kinte." Colgan, the lawsuit states, interpreted the remark as a derogatory reference to the central character in the 1970s Alex Haley novel "Roots," about an African man who was sold into slavery in the 1700s.

Green, who runs a Yakima insurance business, said he hasn't seen the lawsuit but dismissed any claims. "He has nothing to sue me for, actually," Green said.

The lawsuit says Colgan also tried to confront board members about an allegedly fraudulent transaction involving a board member. The lawsuit alleges a legal document was altered, causing the foundation "to lose substantial sums of administrative fees." The lawsuit alleges the alteration ended up costing the foundation approximately $225,000.

Colgan alleges that when he challenged board members about the racial comments and the transaction, they refused to listen or take corrective steps.

Sandlin has not disclosed the exact amount of damages he is seeking on behalf of Colgan and his wife, Monica, also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, but said they are "significant" and total more than $1 million.

That figure includes the loss of medical coverage, emotional distress and attorney's fees, the lawsuit says. Monica Colgan suffers from multiple sclerosis and needs adequate medical coverage, which the

lawsuit contends she lost when her husband left the job.

The Yakima Valley Community Foundation was created in 2003 by the sale of Providence Yakima Medical Center to Health Management Associates, which now manages Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center and Toppenish Community Hospital.

Colgan served as CEO from fall of 2004 until February 2011.

In that time, the foundation's assets grew from about $6 million to about $50 million.

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