Seed Savers, Executive Director, Kent Whealy fired!

January 11,2008,

To the Listed Members of the Seed Savers Exchange

Dear Friends,

Right now the Board of Directors of the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) is telling SSE’s members, donors, funders and employees that “Kent Whealy’s employment as Executive Director of Seed Savers ended recently. Specifics in that regard are confidential, but I assure you that both Kent and Seed Savers are doing well and moving forward……… ”

Nothing could be farther from the truth! Nor is what has happened confidential, because I have refused to sign the board’s Separation (and Confidentiality) Agreement. Sending this letter to SSE’s Listed Members just cost me more than $240,000 which the agreement would have paid me to remain silent about how my employment was terminated and what is really going on. But that’s Seed Savers’ money, not this current board’s, and I am deeply concerned by their offer to pay me off to buy my silence.

I hope by telling you what really happened (and explaining how the interests of Seed Savers have been and are being harmed) that together we can still influence the outcome, and permanently protect our organization and all of its projects.

On October 25, 2007 I was fired, without warning, as SSE’s Executive Director. A meeting in Decorah that I thought was to be with Amy Goldman (new Chair of SSE’s board) and Neil Hamilton (new Vice Chair) also included a labor law attorney. I was told that my employment with SSE had ended, I was not to go back to SSE’s office, I was no longer allowed on SSE’s “non-public property” and I wasn’t to talk to any of SSE’s employees. They demanded and took my keys and my computer password.

Then they drove to Heritage Farm’s office, assembled SSE’s employees, and Amy Goldman read them this statement: “Kent Whealy has begun a leave of absence from SSE. Kent will not be available, and should not be contacted or consulted, regarding SSE business matters. Talk to your manager (Aaron, Matt or Diane) about anything that previously would have been discussed with, or handled by, Kent. Kent may be present in public-access areas of SSE, as well as his residence at Twin Valleys. Other than that, Kent is not to be on the premises of SSE and is not to have access to SSE property or information. Persons calling or looking for Kent should be told he is “unavailable ” and re-directed to the next best person who can provide assistance. Your cooperation is required and greatly appreciated.'”

The tactics were, in my opinion, like those of a “corporate takeover” in the nonprofit world, which couldn’t be any farther from the spirit of Seed Savers. SSE’s staff were shocked and confused and scared. That afternoon, the password was changed on my computer. The next day the locks were all changed on SSE’s office, and SSE’s three pickups were ordered locked at night for the first time ever.

The day after I was fired, I received a phone message saying that “someone else has been found to take care of the cattle.” Actually the care of the herds was just turned over to Matt Barthel and the garden crew, while putting out the message that “veterinarians are also now involved” (absurd, because vets have always been involved, plus it was the same vet that I’ve used for the last 20 years). By the end of the very next day, two gates were left open on Twin Valleys (whole herds were in the wrong pastures) and a cow was inexplicably outside of the pasture fence. Two pastures I was saving for the end of the season were never used; instead round bales were needlessly fed for six weeks because no one knew how to handle the cattle or what to do next, but nobody was supposed to talk to me.

The hard-working staff at Heritage Farm was not spared either. Angie Otteson is the best gardener and planter to ever walk onto Heritage Farm, where she has been a knowledgeable and hard working Garden

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