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September 12, 2024

Fired arts council CEO Best accuses organization of ‘systemic harm,’ financial mismanagement

Rev. Shelley Best
By Andrew Larson

The former CEO of the Greater Hartford Arts Council, who was fired on Monday, has issued a written response criticizing the organization, accusing its board of “discrediting” her professional reputation and “scapegoating” her to avoid responsibility for the “systemic harm” it has caused.

Rev. Shelley Best was terminated after an internal investigation found that her actions were “inconsistent with GHAC’s procedural policies, as well as code of conduct, culture and values,” according to a statement from the board of directors earlier this week.

On Thursday, Best fired back.

“There’s been a rush to judgment and an historical lack of financial transparency regarding the Greater Hartford Arts Council,” Best said in an emailed statement to the Hartford Business Journal.

“The Greater Hartford Arts Council Board’s statement regarding my dismissal speaks to values,” she continued. “It is correct that I do not share their values. My values embrace transparency, collaboration and a working commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, access and justice.”

The arts council has not released any information about its investigation.

Best questioned how she could be blamed for misappropriation of funds when “there is no evidence I received anything and I personally know I took no money.”

“Ask anyone in this community who knows of my service and they most likely will say I’m colorful or radical but they would never say I am a thief,” she wrote.

Best said that a “deeper investigation will reveal questionable policies and inconsistencies in disbursement practices that have gone on with GHAC for years, and a reluctancy of the historic board members to ‘right the ship.’”

Best, an ordained minister, went on to defend her record.

“My record of integrity and service in this community as an artist and minister speaks for itself,” Best wrote. “It’s time to elevate the conversation about the ARTS in Greater Hartford.”

On Monday, the group appointed longtime employee Amanda Roy as interim CEO and said it will begin a search for a permanent chief executive in the coming months.

Best said Roy is a “highly talented, committed and competent arts administrator” but “has been put in a challenging situation.”

In a presentation Best recently shared with philanthropic organizations and the City of Hartford, she says she was disciplined by board leadership following allegations of malfeasance. She was placed on administrative leave starting on Aug. 26.

Best explains that the board claimed she had written a book, “Creative Disruption,” for personal gain and used the organization’s resources for the project.

However, she said the book was meant to raise money for the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

“I believe the ‘old guard’ of the board acted in fear that the book was an activist ‘tell-all,’ or that at a minimum it might cause too much attention to be brought on the organization,” Best wrote.

Best made other allegations against the arts council including that it: 

  • Has a history of raising millions of dollars for the arts community that never actually reached the arts community. 
  • Wasted or lost over $3 million of workplace giving during a previous administration that was never reported, recovered or made up to donors.
  • Lacks financial transparency and currently owes more than $400,000 to arts organizations in unfulfilled grant promises. 
  • Has benefited elite arts organizations and blocked out smaller Black, Indigenous, and People of Color groups.
  • Is a “classist, racist, sexist organization.”

Best added that she received verbal threats from an employee, but did not inform the board chair of the problems because she did not feel safe.

“Instead of being given the go-ahead to terminate a troubled employee, I was being terminated based on the allegations the problem employee presented to the Executive Committee about me,” Best said. “What I did not know at the time was the Executive Committee had been investigating me for the past month based on this staff person’s allegations.”

In the presentation, Best also makes several recommendations, including better communication, replacing the entire board before hiring a new CEO and vetting the organization’s financial practices.

Best said she could not continue working for the organization because her relationship with the board’s executive committee was shattered. She has requested her full salary and a severance package.

Best, a graduate of the Yale Divinity School, previously served as president and CEO of the Conference of Churches for 22 years.

The arts council's board issued the following statement Thursday:

"It is unfortunate that Dr. Best has made inaccurate statements about her brief tenure with GHAC and the board will not be responding to these falsehoods at this time. Upon receiving several whistleblower reports, we took immediate action by hiring external legal counsel who in turn, engaged a forensic accounting firm. Best was terminated following a thorough investigation, which revealed her leadership involved poor judgment and misappropriation of funds.

GHAC is now focused on moving forward under the leadership of interim CEO Amanda Roy, who is highly respected by both the arts community and GHAC’s donors. We will not be commenting further on this matter."

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