Is executive coaching for TPCHD health director working? Unions, others say no
After more than six months of executive coaching, has the public health director at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department gotten better at interacting with her staff?
The health department and its board have said they have seen “significant improvement in the Health Department’s culture and operations” over the past 10 months. Current and former staff The News Tribune spoke with recently and representatives from the three unions representing employees say the opposite.
As previously reported by The News Tribune, an investigation found director Chantell Harmon Reed “routinely and overtly” demeaned and belittled staff. As a result, the Board of Health approved a $49,620 contract for Reed and her leadership team to go through executive coaching after it decline to take other administrative action against Reed.
What did Reed’s executive coaching entail? How does the Board of Health determine success? Here’s what we found.
Executive coaching deliverables
According to a scope-of-work contract approved by the Board of Health and obtained by The News Tribune via a public records request, Nash Consulting detailed a process to work with Reed and her executive team with coaching “in creating greater cohesiveness, increased trust, stronger leadership skills and a general increase in effectiveness on all levels.”
Executive coaching for Reed included up to three coaching sessions per month, with lessons on how to communicate “in a manner that builds trust and respect, reduces defensiveness, allows you to both be heard and hear others and get better results from employees,” per the contract.
Strategies entailed meeting with Reed one on one to discuss goals and objectives and how to build and maintain team engagement, per the contract. Nash Consulting also conducted one-on-one interviews with Reed’s executive staff.
According to the cost estimate the board approved in July 2025:
- A two-hour introductory meeting with Reed cost the department $780, and ongoing conversations for feedback and coordination came out to $1,560.
- Six months of individual coaching of Reed cost $10,0000.
- Interviews with 15 leadership team members and related analysis cost $6,300.
- Four full-day executive team development workshops cost $22,800 and two half-day executive team development workshops cost $7,400.
- Additional follow-up conservations with executive sponsors (two hours) was billed at $780.
Travel and other expenses were not included in the $49,620 estimate, but TPCHD agreed to pay for consultants’ mileage, airfare, hotels, ground transportation and daily food allowances, per the contract.
Learning objectives as part of the consulting included helping managers create healthy workplaces “by focusing on workplace morale, emotional IQ and psychological safety,” managing healthy communication channels in the workplace, building trust and respect with staff while holding employees accountable and “establishing a culture of fairness and belonging.”
Kenny Via, a spokesperson with TPCHD, confirmed Friday that Reed has spent 20 hours in one-on-one coaching and 28 hours in group sessions with the executive coach and health department’s leadership team.
“That work is ongoing, with another group session happening today, April 24,” Via said in an email. “We also plan to expand this work throughout the Department. Mike Nash taught three training courses at our All Staff Retreat on April 21.”
Staff say, ‘We have not seen any improvement’
When asked whether TPCHD staff represented by three employee unions had seen any improvements in Reed’s behavior since the coaching, the unions sent a joint statement to The News Tribune on April 17. It said, “We have not seen any improvement, and we will continue to monitor the issues for our members and take any further action as needed.”
The unions also said that despite repeated requests for a copy of the investigator’s report about Reed, “the Department would not provide us with a copy of the report until the Tribune’s records request.”
When asked to respond to the unions’ statement that staff have “not seen any improvement” in Reed’s leadership, TPCHD included a statement from Reed, who said her primary focus as Director of Public Health “is the health and well-being of everyone in Pierce County” and “making the most fiscally sound decisions for the residents we serve.”
“I believe in fostering a healthy, safe and supportive work environment for staff. I also believe that comes with clear and consistent expectations. This can be a delicate balance for any organization,” Reed said. “When a program or process isn’t delivering results, I believe in either improving it quickly or shifting strategies. This approach isn’t always popular. I am also a direct person. When I have a concern, I share it. I appreciate the same in return. None of the unions that represent our employees have shared any concern directly with me. If they are truly searching for meaningful change, I encourage them to reach out for a meeting. My door is always open.”
Former and current staff, including those in leadership positions, told The News Tribune TPCHD staff are hesitant to submit complaints about Reed to human resources, as those complaints and investigations were routed directly to Reed, per her request (as previously reported by The News Tribune).
On Friday, Via said, “When she first arrived, Director Reed asked to be notified of complaints through an internal online form after hearing from some staff that they felt complaints were not being followed up on properly. That was specifically to improve the process, and those alerts have since been turned off. The last notification she received was in June 2024.”
Via said that Human Resource complaints and investigations are not routed directly to Reed.
“Some staff have copied her on complaints, and HR staff may consult with her about a complaint if it does not implicate Director Reed,” he said in an email.
Some employees say they remain demoralized
Turnover in key roles continues, some staff members remain demoralized and many believe the Board of Health is not holding Reed accountable, a former agency leader told The News Tribune on April 13 on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation from Reed.
In response to the allegations that conditions have not improved at TPCHD, Board of Health Chair Jani Hitchen told The News Tribune on April 20 that she wanted to see the coaching process come to an end before commenting.
“I really want to evaluate it then so … [that] Director Reed has had all the opportunities to do learning and growth,” Hitchen said. “I really hope that members of the staff feel like they can make formal complaints.”
When asked if she had a response to some former and current staffers believing Reed is an ineffective leader and a bully who should be fired by the Board of Health, Hitchen said Monday she did not have a comment at this time. TPCHD did not directly respond to that question in its emailed response.
“I am proud of the many accomplishments the Department has made under my leadership, including restructuring our operational functions to work more efficiently and effectively, launching and expanding our Street Medicine program, working with our Legislators on policies to ensure public health decisions are grounded in science, and all the ways we’ve strengthened connections to community and partners,” Reed said in a statement. “I remain committed to leading Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department for years to come and continuing to do all we can to protect and improve the health of everyone in Pierce County.”
