ARKANSAS VETERANS AFFAIRS DIRECTOR RESIGNS IN MIDST OF ALLEGATIONS OF INNAPROPRIATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH FEMALE SUBORDINATES
Last week Matt Snead, the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs ("ADVA"), Director tendered his resignation, citing improvements within the agency and his need for a break.
Then the truth came out, Snead had been involved in relationships with females employed in his agency.
Rumors were circulating within the ADVA about Snead's relationship with personnel director Sara Terry. That personal relationship began in October 2016, Snead told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He said he and his wife separated over the summer, and their divorce proceedings are ongoing.
Two ADVA employees, John Dugan and Hope Summers, requested an independent investigation into Snead's relationships with "subordinate females" in a letter sent to Governor Hutchinson on February 7, 2017.
The letter, which was obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said the agency had become dysfunctional, and employees were daily discussing allegations of misconduct by Snead.
"The morale of the employees is low and there is a lack of trust between key leadership members," the letter states.
"There is a climate of fear within the agency at this time as employees are afraid of retaliation if they speak out or file any type of complaint," it says.
Terry was one of two headquarters employees who received a promotion and pay raise in July when the agency restructured, according to records obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request. Terry and Snead said the promotion occurred before their relationship began.
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| LT. COL. MATT SNEAD - HE HAD TROUBLE KEEPING IT IN HIS PANTS? |
Then the truth came out, Snead had been involved in relationships with females employed in his agency.
Rumors were circulating within the ADVA about Snead's relationship with personnel director Sara Terry. That personal relationship began in October 2016, Snead told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He said he and his wife separated over the summer, and their divorce proceedings are ongoing.
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| SARA TERRY |
Two ADVA employees, John Dugan and Hope Summers, requested an independent investigation into Snead's relationships with "subordinate females" in a letter sent to Governor Hutchinson on February 7, 2017.
The letter, which was obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said the agency had become dysfunctional, and employees were daily discussing allegations of misconduct by Snead.
"The morale of the employees is low and there is a lack of trust between key leadership members," the letter states.
"There is a climate of fear within the agency at this time as employees are afraid of retaliation if they speak out or file any type of complaint," it says.
Terry was one of two headquarters employees who received a promotion and pay raise in July when the agency restructured, according to records obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request. Terry and Snead said the promotion occurred before their relationship began.