As a consultant who has been frequently tasked by a board to discern whether or not it's time for them to "let go" of their exec. I know for certain that there is GREAT reluctance to take this and the action that may follow. Boards simply do not like to part with their execs be it too much effort (the process) or anticipation of what happens next, internally and externally.
But, according to Black Enterprise as well as Twitter, the board of Black Girls Code has taken the step that could well lead to a departure from, and even more complicated, the founder. Right now, according to BlackEnterprise.Com, the board has retained an interim exec while they, the board investigate "serious allegations of workplace impropriety" and look for a new exec. For her part, the Founding Exec has tweeted that she, effectively, has been treated unfairly (without notice at minimum), decries the board as "rogue" and is preparing a formal statement on the matter. Clearly all is not well at least between the exec and the board.
But, again, based on my experience, while the board appears not to have gotten publicly ahead of their actions, it is never with a light hand that this type of action would be taken so while it is unclear what are the specifics, I am confident that something has been brewing for quite a while and the board has been reluctant to act for all the reasons I stated earlier. Might the board have handled this differently--possibly but that they are handling it all should give pause to all those who must standby and wait for the outcome. Were I the board, for sure one of my immediate next steps should be to reach out to the financial supporters to ensure they understand that they as board are fulfilling their fiduciary duty and apologize for the story being aired in public, at least until their is a complete story with a beginning, middle and end.
BLACK GIRLS CODE FOUNDER KIMBERLY BRYANT HAS BEEN REMOVED AS HEAD OF NONPROFIT
The board at Black Girls Code, which teaches young women of color how to gain access and opportunities in STEM-related fields, has removed founder Kimberly Bryant as its leadership head.
Bryant tweeted, “Press release: so it’s 3 days before Christmas and you wake up to discover the organization YOU created and built from the ground up has been taken away by a rogue board with no notification.” Insider disclosed Bryant did not respond to a request from it for a comment. She had tweeted earlier that she was preparing a formal statement.
The shakeup comes as Black Girls Code has gained backing from tech powerhouses like Facebook and Google. It counts too several other blue-chip companies as partners. They include AT&T, Capital One, Lyft Macy’s, Deloitte, Mastercard, and Comcast NBC Universal to name a few, according to the firm’s website. Its board members include which the nonprofit first announced in 2018, consisted of esteemed Black American leaders in technology and entrepreneurship, Insider reported.
An engineer who before worked in pharmaceuticals and biotech, Bryant founded Black Girls Code in 2011. The nonprofit reports it is committed to providing girls from underrepresented communities access to technology and the 21st century skills needed to become tech leaders. In 2016, Insider named Bryant one of the most powerful female engineers of that year. She too was on the cover of the January/February 2018 issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE with MeToo founder Tarana Burke.
The Black Girls Code offers programs that include artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, virtual reality, mobile and app design to name a few The Oakland, California-based organization has chapters in 16 cities and its programming over 30,000 participants, per Insider.