Alleged stress, false accusations, excessive workload and more combine to cause outstanding Dean to resign

For most residents in the Sedona/Verde Valley area, the resignation of Dean Dr. Tina Redd came as a surprise.  They wondered what this well-liked  and highly qualified person experienced in her workplace that could have prompted the resignation.  Now they know her side of the story.

In a letter to Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine, Dean Redd outlined a long list of events and issues she faced during her short term. She claimed stress, excessive workload, false accusations, suspicion, and other factors drove her to resign. 

The Blog has obtained a copy of her resignation letter containing her allegations, which appears below.  It gives her perception of the College workplace and working conditions she experienced.  It reads as follows:

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Due to the stress of my work environment, I resign, effective June 2, 2022. This date reflects my goal of completing all faculty and staff performance reviews to ensure they receive the pay increases and gain shares they have earned.

My team and I have successfully increased educational opportunities in the Verde Valley, created a better work environment for Verde faculty and staff, and made good progress in creating stronger relationships between Yavapai College and Verde Valley stakeholders. Despite this, I have experienced stressful, disheartening, and challenging work dynamics that have limited my potential and created unacceptable levels of work-related stress.

Examples of stress-inducing situations I’ve experienced in my work environment that led to this resignation:

• I was required to live in the Verde Valley, but less than a year later was assigned oversight of the largest faculty group in Prescott along with a large increase in workload that made it impossible to do the job I was hired for. Although I am committed to the faculty I am assigned, I have let my supervisor know on two occasions that this job, as it stands, is untenable.

• I was falsely accused of inviting Camp Verde Mayor, Dee Jenkins, to speak at the Skilled Trades Center opening in March 2021. I feel VP Jenkins was undermining my credibility with President Rhine. It may not be coincidental that much of what I report here followed from this incident.

• I’ve experienced a growing sense of questioning and suspicion from my supervisor that seems to be coming from executive leadership. This sense was confirmed by requests to report any activity involving contact with Verde Valley leaders or concerned citizens in April 2021.

• The strained relations with Camp Verde, partly due to an incident involving Rodney Jenkins that happened before I was hired, continue to cloud and undermine interactions with city officials, yet I am charged with supporting every municipality in the Verde Valley. Interactions with Camp Verde are regularly looked upon with suspicion.

• In November 2021, I was asked to stop attending meetings with Verde Valley K-12 superintendents and County Supervisor Michaels, and then in December was told to attend again with no explanation for either directive.

• I also found that President Rhine had permissions to view my calendar in November 2021, which left me feeling like I was being watched at the executive level.

• I am deeply saddened by unclear communication from leadership regarding shared governance and gainsharing that led to a faculty grievance. Ultimately Jill Fitzgerald, a faculty with 25-years of service to the college, was terminated. Since she was a direct report, I felt helpless in the face of internal politics that led to me being excluded in her dismissal proceedings.

• I feel there is general hostility toward the politically-active constituents in the Verde Valley that impedes my ability to represent and support the community.

• I regularly experience a lack of transparency and communication regarding college activities in the Verde Valley which undermines my ability to communicate with the community from a position of knowledge or integrity.

• I feel there is an intentional whittling away of my Verde Valley oversight (the job I was hired for) that makes decision-making and support for Verde Valley faculty and staff more difficult. This has a ripple effect on potential growth in programming and lowers overall morale.

• I often feel that being respected and liked in the Verde Valley is seen as collusion with citizens and civic leaders who are vocal about their concerns regarding college programming and tax payer contributions.

• My attempts at addressing low morale with division faculty has been interpreted as not being aligned with leadership. I am unable to address faculty concerns in a clear, coherent, and honest way without stepping on political land mines.

• In February 2022, the only faculty who is a woman of color resigned and stated that she does not feel safe or supported at the college. I was shocked by the level of distrust my supervisor held toward me when she asked if I had encouraged her to write the letter.

• My loyalty to the college is questioned at every opportunity, even in replacing my administrative coordinator, who will retire in April. I was told the “entire college knows I am unhappy” and that I would not be allowed a replacement coordinator position if I planned to leave. To my knowledge, this has never been practiced at the college before. More importantly, if the entire college knows I’m unhappy, why did no one offer support?

• I am bewildered by the flurry of back channel communication surrounding the OLLI Brown Bag luncheon featuring Paul Chevalier. My associate dean was contacted on her personal cell phone on a Sunday evening (2/27) asking her to immediately supply information about the event creating a sense of panic. After a second request, for specific emails between my associate dean and myself, I reached out to Dr. Ryan to let her know I was happy to supply anything she needed. I was informed two days later that Dr. Ryan has lost her cell phone. Then we were informed that Board Chair Deb McCasland and Tyler Rumsey would attend the event. Was the event being recorded? “No.” Did Dr. Redd give permission for the event? “Dr. Redd doesn’t directly approve OLLI events.” It feels a bit like we’re being interrogated, but we never know why.

• I am now scheduled for a disciplinary meeting over this brown bag luncheon. Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, I am troubled by the approach. As Verde Valley Dean, I cannot function without trust and support. By any account, relations between the college and Verde Valley citizens have been tumultuous for more than twenty years. I didn’t invent this conflict. Yet, I will be formally reprimanded when a conversation about procedures would suffice.

• As the only woman of color in a supervisory role at Yavapai College, I’d like to highlight a comment in a recent resignation letter. “. . . the secretive and swift termination of YC faculty and staff” adds to the feeling of being “at risk and very unsafe.” Another faculty member also expressed concern over the college’s diversity and inclusion efforts. She ultimately resigned from her role as faculty lead in the Respect Campaign due to her belief that the entire effort was disingenuous. Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives would have been helpful in making me feel I belong at this college. Instead, my work was the subject of constant scrutiny.

• Finally, as a breast cancer survivor, I know the impact stress has on physical and mental health. I have not slept well for over six months. While stress counseling helps, I would prefer a supportive and transparent leadership team that respects the work of faculty. I have learned much about leadership here at YC, but I’ve also seen the harm calculating, and insular practices can have on even the most dedicated employees. I am choosing to leave this environment, but those who choose to stay deserve a healthy work culture and leadership they trust.