Four more members of Tacoma LGBTQ center’s board resign, alleging internal conflicts
A week after The News Tribune reported the Rainbow Center’s board president resigned alleging a toxic work environment, four more members of the board of Tacoma’s LGBTQ resource center have also submitted their letters of resignation.
In interviews with The News Tribune last week, three ex-board members said although they initially joined to make a difference in the community, personal vendettas and disagreements on the board made it difficult to continue working in their volunteer positions.
On Oct. 14 four Rainbow Center Board of Directors members, Taj English, Lauren Angelo, Tovah Denaro and Paige Moorhead, submitted their resignations. The resignations came three weeks after the board voted to re-establish its seven members following the recommendation of a community panel. The Rainbow Center announced Wednesday it was seeking community members to serve on a new Community Advisory Panel, which will choose the first three new members of the board. Applications can be submitted online and the deadline to apply is Oct. 23 at 6 p.m., according to the announcement.
In an emailed statement to the community Friday, the Rainbow Center acknowledged the resignation of the four board members prior to the the planned board refresh, saying “The resigning members made individual choices to step down after collectively participating in the vote for a total board refresh … based on personal and professional reasons.”
“We are grateful for their dedication and contributions, which have played a significant role in advancing the mission of Rainbow Center. Their leadership and commitment to the organization have been appreciated,” the center said in the statement. “We anticipate that the Community Advisory Panel will start interviewing potential board members in early November, and we expect to announce the first three board members by early December. One of the new board’s initial responsibilities will be selecting a permanent Executive Director.”
English, Angelo and Denaro told The News Tribune they would not be reapplying to the board in the future. In emails to The News Tribune on Friday, treasurer Jco Coffelt said they also would not be reapplying to the board. Vice president Jason Hixenbaugh told The News Tribune Friday he had not decided if he would apply to be considered for the new board of directors.
The Rainbow Center, 2215 Pacific Ave., provides direct services to about 1,000 people and serves nearly 4,000 in Tacoma each year, according to the organization’s website. In addition to offering a community space downtown with a library, the center provides advocacy and educational services, as well as holds social events, including Tacoma Pride and an annual Gayla.
The resignation of four of the organization’s seven board members, in addition to its board president, is the latest personnel shakeup for the nonprofit. As previously reported by The News Tribune, the center closed in February for about a month following the resignation of executive director Quincy Tyson and the resignation of most of its staff. Five of those staff told The News Tribune they left due to a toxic workplace environment and because they believed the Rainbow Center wasn’t living up to its mission to serve the most marginalized people in society.
At the time then-board president and interim executive director Jayla Watje told The News Tribune she couldn’t discuss specific personnel matters, but said the board “takes any concerns seriously and follows thorough procedures to address them.”
Those who remain on the board until its refresh include Hixenbaugh, who is taking over as president in the interim, Coffelt and board member Ollie Uebelhor. Mary Eversole has been interim executive director of Rainbow Center since February.
Personal vendettas, internal drama undermined goals, ex-members say
English told The News Tribune Wednesday she served on the board for about a year before submitting her letter of resignation Monday. As a Black queer woman, English said she wanted to bring a valuable perspective to the board when she joined, but ultimately “stopped thinking I could be an effective participant” when some members became more focused on “personal vendettas” and “mov[ing] forward their own position in the community versus thinking about the community as a whole and what we needed.”
“It has been an honor to work alongside those that were dedicated to the [Rainbow Center] and community, and I remain deeply supportive of the Center’s original mission,” English said in her resignation letter, which she shared with The News Tribune. “However, over time, I have come to realize that my values and vision for the organization are no longer aligned with the current Executive leadership. As much as I value the work that needs to be done, I believe it is important to step aside when fundamental differences arise that could affect the way I contribute to the board and the organization.”
English said she felt dismissed by Eversole in meetings and said Hixenbaugh was a “hindrance” and “is a leading reason why things have gotten the way they are right now.” English said, “I honestly think [Eversole] should resign.”
Eversole did not respond to English’s comments in emails to The News Tribune. In an email to The News Tribune Friday, Hixenbaugh said he joined the Rainbow Center “with the sincere intention of serving the community and enhancing the organization’s impact.”
“My decisions have always been guided by what I believe to be in the best interest of both the organization and the community we serve. It’s disheartening to hear of the concerns raised by former board members, and I respect their right to express their viewpoints,” he said. “Regarding the allegations, I must emphasize that my focus has always been on fostering a collaborative environment and ensuring that our actions align with our mission. Differences in opinion and conflicts are inevitable in any group, but they should never undermine our shared goals.”
Angelo served on the board for four and a half years and served as head of the organization’s fundraising committee for three and a half years before submitting her resignation Monday. She told The News Tribune on Thursday board members’ resignations weren’t coordinated, but it was validating “to see myself among … these people that I greatly trust and respect and value their opinion and expertise.”
Although Angelo said she wasn’t personally involved in some of the internal conflict on the board, “I obviously was privy to a lot of that and witnessed it firsthand in board meetings.”
“It did get to a point where when you’re thinking about volunteering your time to do something and it drains your cup instead of filling it. It just became kind of untenable for me to continue,” she said. “Both because I didn’t want to be spending my time that way, and because, if that’s my mindset, then I’m not offering my best self to that role.”
Denaro served on the board since February and most recently was its secretary. She said she found “internal drama” on the board to be “extremely immature” and said it was “quite frankly, embarrassing that the board wasn’t ever able to get anything done because of the internal conflict people had.”
Denaro said rude communication from Eversole ultimately was the tipping point of her frustration, “so I pretty much quit on the spot.” Eversole did not respond to questions about Denaro’s comment in emails to The News Tribune.
“I think that historically the Rainbow Center hasn’t been transparent and hasn’t been good with communicating. So I’m really hoping that with a board refresh, and ideally the hiring of an executive director, we can actually start to build trust in the community,” Denaro said. “At the core, I really believe everybody is there to serve our queer community and I think that ego gets in the way.”
Rainbow Center considers future collaborations
Denaro said she was hopeful and excited to have conversations about exploring how the Rainbow Center and the Oasis Youth Center could work together more in the future. On Sept. 23, Denaro said she was one of five board members who voted in favor of directing an outside facilitator to explore the possibility of transferring some of Rainbow Center’s service programs to Oasis Youth Center in the future. Under that option the Rainbow Center would have continued to organize annual Pride and Gayla celebrations and the board refresh would have happened first, she said. Both groups would have also maintained their status as independent nonprofits.
At the time board president Watje and board members Uebelhor, Moorhead, Denaro and English voted in favor of that option. Coffelt and Hixenbaugh voted against it and Angelo was not present at the meeting, Denaro said. Angelo later told The News Tribune she would have supported the measure.
Matthew Wilson, executive director of Oasis Youth Center, told The News Tribune last week there were no plans to merge with the Rainbow Center, but he would be open to discussing it further.
Eversole initially declined to answer a question about if a merger was being considered but said in an email Oct. 8, “There are no plans to merge with Oasis Youth Center.” In another email Friday, Eversole said, “Rainbow Center stays committed to fostering collaborations that align with the mission to support the LGBTQ+ community, including long-time partners like Oasis Youth Center.”
In an email to The News Tribune Friday, Coffelt, who uses they/them pronouns, said they are “deeply committed to the mission and values of the Rainbow Center, and I have consistently acted with the organization’s best interests in mind, prioritizing accountability, transparency and the needs of the communities we serve.”
“Throughout this year, I have actively engaged in meaningful discussions and raised critical questions to foster strategic planning conversations intended to steer the Rainbow Center in a positive direction. Additionally, I have utilized my voting power to ensure that motions presented to the board are framed in a way that holds our leadership accountable. My sole aim has been to safeguard the Rainbow Center and ensure our essential work continues in the community,” Coffelt wrote.
“There is no doubt that the last year has been difficult, but I have remained hopeful that we could return the Rainbow Center to greatness with the right amount of strategy and determination. I am thrilled with the board’s decision to undergo a board refresh and energized by the potential this decision holds to continue realigning our focus on the needs of the community.”
Coffelt said they also wanted to extend “my heartfelt gratitude” to Eversole “for her exceptional service during this challenging time at the Rainbow Center.”
“Her leadership, dedication, expertise and commitment to our mission have been invaluable in navigating the complexities we’ve faced,” they said. “Mary stepped into this role with remarkable grace and tenacity, ensuring that we not only maintained our operations but also continued to support the LGBTQ+ community effectively. Her ability to inspire and unite the staff has made a significant impact, and I am truly grateful for her efforts.”
Moving forward, Angelo said she has “a reticent hope at best” that current Rainbow Center leadership would continue to follow the board’s wishes to explore future collaboration with the Oasis Youth Center.
“I don’t want to be a negative Nancy. But I also don’t want to have put my hopes too high on the pedestal and have them beaten down again,” she said. “I think Mary’s a fantastic interim executive director to keep a nonprofit going, and the nuts and bolts aspect of it. I think that certainly running multiple fundraising events as an interim director, and as someone who’s not a part of the queer community [and] doesn’t have existing relationships, makes it really difficult. And so I think the longevity of her interimness is starting to wear down.” Angelo later clarified to The News Tribune she was referring to Eversole being new to Tacoma’s queer community and didn’t mean her comment to be a reflection on Eversole’s personal identity.
In an email to The News Tribune Friday, Eversole said she was recruited for the interim role upon a majority board vote in February, and when asked by the board to extend her time with the organization in May, she agreed. Under her leadership, this year’s Tacoma Pride Festival was the “most successful” on record, with an estimated 12,000 people in attendance, Eversole said.
“It is troubling that my identity has been brought into any discussion, especially while my work has been praised by board members and community members for its effectiveness in keeping the organization running and exceeding goals,” Eversole said. “Such narratives can be damaging. I will continue to focus on the board refresh process, providing a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community, and the upcoming 22nd Annual Gayla with my incredible team next month.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
