Deaf Ohioans protest termination of long-time DSC director
At least 50 deaf Ohioans and the DGM-Ohio have held protests outside of the Deaf Services Center (DSC) in Columbus in objection to the DSC board’s termination of its long-time deaf executive director/CEO John Moore and DSC’s appointment of an interim executive director, Greg Kellison, who is hearing and does not sign.
John Moore was the executive director of DSC for over 20 years. Kellison worked with the DSC since 2018 in a fundraising and consulting role.
The first protest was on Tuesday, March 15, the second one was last Tuesday on March 22, and there is another protest planned for today. The protests received local news coverage.
[Full-screen image showing Columbus Dispatch and Fox 28 articles ]
The Deaf Services Center office building is in Worthington, Ohio, which is 10 miles north of downtown Columbus. It is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1991 from a state-funded program called the Community Centers for the Deaf. DSC’s latest annual report in 2019 shows that the organization had about $3.6 million in revenue with the majority of the funds centered on interpreting services.
On March 11, the DSC board announced in a Facebook post that Greg Kellison was now the “Interim Executive Director.”
[Full-screen image: FB/Deaf Services Center: “Join us in welcoming Greg Kellison to the role of Interim Executive Director of Deaf Services Center (DSC). An expert in the nonprofit sector, we’re excited to see how DSC can prosper under his leadership. #deafcommunity #newleadership #newchapter]
This Facebook post effectively announced that John Moore was no longer the director. There was immediate controversy with over 200 comments.
A Facebook profile named Greg Kellison commented that the former director (John Moore) was terminated for “Failure to exercise fiduciary responsibility” and that the entire board voted unanimously to terminate him.
[Full-screen image: FB/Greg Kellison: “…For the record, DSC is legally able to tell anyone who asks (or bothers to listen) that the former Director was terminated for Failure to exercise fiduciary responsibility and for loss of confidence by the Board (composed of 6 Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing members and 5 Hearing members. THE VOTE WAS UNANIMOUS.”]
I reached out to John Moore to see if he could comment on his termination and the protests, but he said he was advised by his attorney to not make any comments at this time.
I reached out to the DSC twice, but have not received a response.
I was able to interview three members of the “Core Team” that is organizing the protests: Cheryl Prusinski, Vincent Sabino, and Linda Adams. All three are deaf.
They said it was a complete shock to the Ohio Deaf community that John Moore was terminated, and that even John himself didn’t expect the termination.
Alex: So prior to this, there was no hint of issues or problems?
Cheryl Prusinski: Nothing!
Linda Adams: Nothing.
Vincent Sabino: He showed up to work and was shocked. He thought it was a joke. But he was told that it was for real, that he was being terminated and to please leave. He was shocked. He worked there for over 20 years.
Alex: So it was shocking.
Linda Adams: Yes. The Facebook post and the comments felt like a bomb on that day on Friday. People were taken aback. It went on all night with the comments. It was a complete shock.
Alex: Linda Adams said at least four deaf organizations in Ohio have written letters expressing concern about the leadership change.
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The core team showed me copies of letters sent via email between them and the DSC Board Chair Chris Steele. The first letter was on March 14. The core team asked if John Moore was ever written up (disciplined) and on when the DSC board first found out about concerns that led to his termination. The core team said they were troubled that the DSC did not make any mention on their Facebook post on March 11 that they would hold a search for a new CEO.
The DSC Board Chair Chris Steele, who is deaf in one ear, wrote a response to the core team on the morning of March 15 that explained John Moore was terminated due to “concerns with his fiduciary duties to the organization” and “an erosion of trust.” Chris Steele said the board’s vote was unanimous and explained that Greg Kellison’s role is a “temporary position” while the Board makes plans to “properly execute a search for the best candidate who has strong ties to the Deaf community.”
On that same day, during the evening, the first protest took place, on March 15.
[Video clip / showing protesters outside of DSC building. Credit: Rose Larson ]
On March 15, after the protest, Chris Steele posted a video on DSC’s Facebook page, using his voice with an ASL interpreter, to explain that the DSC is searching for a permanent replacement for the executive director position.
[Video clip / Credit: FB/Deaf Services Center.]
Chris Steele: Greg is the interim executive director. The board is committed to searching for a replacement to become the next executive director, someone who will represent the Deaf community.
Alex: The core group sent two additional letters in response and made demands to meet in person and to replace the interim CEO immediately.
On March 21, Chris Steele wrote a letter that said they are open to a meeting “once the dust settles” and said they will do a formal search for a new CEO. But he seemed to dismiss the importance of a deaf leader by saying that most of the deaf services agencies across the state of Ohio are run by hearing individuals.
The latest update is that the core team sent a letter this morning to Chris Steele to make a final request for a meeting. Another protest is planned this evening.
Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/2022/03/16/deaf-advocates-want-leadership-mirrors-their-experience/7056674001/
DSC Facebook post announcing leadership change: https://www.facebook.com/DeafServicesCenter/posts/10157365287242395
DSC Video post: https://www.facebook.com/DeafServicesCenter/videos/4981593515265253/
DSC Annual Report: https://www.dsc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/DSC-Impact-report-2019.pdf