Oversight – Adaptistration

Things Are Going To Get Worse For The Met Before They Get Better

Tuesday, December 5th, 2017Tuesday, December 5th, 2017 by Drew McManus

Initial fallout over The Metropolitan Opera’s (The Met) suspended music director James Levine’s alleged sexual misconduct is positively radioactive. There is no shortage of discussion on the topic, you’ll find thousands of comments across social media threads and online classical music outlets. Passions run deep and a sizable portion of that outrage is directed toward The Met’s executive leadership. At the time this article was written, The Met’s official Facebook page …

Questionable Management Spurs Police Investigation In Glenwood Springs, CO

Friday, May 26th, 2017 by Drew McManus

Fictional devo staffers, imaginary grant writing software, and a lack of annual audits are only part of the concerns that ultimately led the Glenwood Springs police to investigate the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts (GSCA) finances. The 5/22/2017 edition of the postindependent.com published an article by Ryan Summerlin that reports on the latest in suspected governance fail and possible criminal behavior. The investigation centers on management practices of former executive …

Reinforcing The Ethical Significance Of Board Stewardship

Monday, May 9th, 2016 by Drew McManus

For those of you following the tragic circumstances at Healing Arts Initiative (HAI), this weekend uncovered news that casts an even darker tone to the already tragic situation. If you are new to the details, HAI’s former bookkeeper, Kim Williams, allegedly orchestrated an attack against the organization’s executive director, Rev. D. Alexandra Dyer, that materialized in an assailant throwing a cup of drain cleaner into Dyer’s face. According to police statements, …

Avoiding Lawyer-Director Bear Traps

Monday, February 15th, 2016 by Drew McManus

There’s a superb post today at ArtsHacker, written by Joe Patti that examines problems that regularly fly under the radar related to board members who are also attorneys. The lawyer may be faced with serving dual conflicting roles, one as a lawyer providing legal advice and the other as a director with a duty to govern an organization. Perhaps the biggest consideration is attorney-client privilege. Don’t assume that any communication about …

Peninsula Symphony Embezzlement Case Just Became Creepy

Thursday, December 11th, 2014 by Drew McManus

In March, 2014 Peninsula Symphony Orchestra’s former executive director, Stephen Jay Carlton, was arrested on charges of grand theft, embezzlement, forgery, ID theft and tax fraud, plus enhancements for excessive taking. A recent article by Tracey Kaplan in the 12/5/2014 edition of the Mercury News reports Carlton was recently convicted on all charges and prosecutors are asking for a 16 year sentence, which might seem extreme for embezzling $272,000; that is, …