Here are the board members who have left Newfields — and what they've said about it

Autumn has been a season of change for Newfields.

The Nov. 10 announcement of Colette Pierce Burnette's departure after just 15 months as president and CEO of the art and nature campus — the home of the Indianapolis Museum of Art — has remained largely unexplained to the public. Her exit has been met with widespread shock and criticism from the community. It's also been followed by a spate of resignations from leaders within and affiliated with the organization.

Between Nov. 10 and Jan. 3, five members of the Board of Trustees, the museum's governing body, and four members of the associate Board of Governors, a community advocacy body, have resigned. One additional member of the Board of Trustees resigned in October, weeks before her exit was announced. As of Jan. 3, there were 26 trustees and 18 governors.

Here's more about the Newfields boards, the members who have resigned and what they've said about their decisions.

Why did the Newfields CEO leave?

We don't know. The Nov. 10 news release did not offer any context or reason for her departure. When reached by IndyStar, Burnette declined to comment regarding the circumstances of her exit.

In a written statement released a little over a week after the announcement, the Board of Trustees said it was not able to provide more details about the leadership transition, but it wanted to "assure the community there is no change in our strategy, mission and values."

What does the Newfields Board of Trustees do?

The Board of Trustees is the official governing board of the museum, which is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. As such, that board has fiduciary responsibilities and decision-making authority over the organization's affairs. It's the group responsible for managing Newfields' business and property. As of Jan. 3, there were 26 board members.

What does the Newfields Board of Governors do?

The Board of Governors is a relatively new, volunteer-based group tasked with community advocacy as well as some programming and events. It's non-governing, meaning it has no official decision-making authority over the nonprofit's affairs. The initial Board of Governors cohort was announced in 2018. In addition, the board was intended to provide a pipeline of potential leaders for the Board of Trustees and internal committees.

Who has left the Newfields Board of Trustees since fall 2023?

Jason Noyan

Noyan, an executive director in the Indianapolis office of J.P. Morgan Private Bank, confirmed to IndyStar on Jan. 3 that he had resigned. He declined to comment beyond that. A Newfields spokesperson confirmed the update occurred Dec. 22.

Sean Huddleston 

Huddleston, president of Martin University, resigned from the board Nov. 20. In a written statement, Huddleston said he joined the board because he saw Newfields as "an extension of what we do at Martin University."

"I saw an opportunity to help people see themselves in a space that they didn’t know was for them, accepting of them, and supportive of their interests. For Martin, that’s people who have not felt embraced by higher education. For Newfields, it was the museum and gardens," the statement reads.

"With Dr. Burnette’s untimely departure, I feel that my time now needs to be spent focusing on how Martin (and others who may wish to partner with us) can continue that work and further any progress that has been achieved."

Related: 2 more, including Martin University president, resign from Newfields' Board of Trustees

Sherron Rogers

Rogers, formerly of IU Health and Eskenazi Health, and now the chief financial officer at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, declined to comment on her resignation when reached by IndyStar. Neither Rogers nor the museum have confirmed the date of her resignation.

Adrienne Sims 

Sims, chief human resources officer for Indiana University Health, resigned Nov. 17. The Indianapolis Recorder published a resignation letter by the former trustee, who is the chief human resources officer for Indiana University Health and was a member of the board's HR committee.

"As a seasoned HR executive, I believe in the importance of strong HR practices, collaborative decision-making and adherence to proper governance procedures for the well-being of the organization," Sims wrote, according to the Recorder. "Recent leadership decisions were not made in an inclusive and consultative manner, which has been disheartening."

Sims declined to comment further to IndyStar via an IU Health spokesperson.

Gary Hirschberg

Hirschberg, the CEO of Aaron Wealth Advisors, resigned from the board Nov. 10. The Indianapolis Business Journal published a resignation email he sent that morning.

"It is with great disappointment that recent events have forced my decision to tender my resignation from the board and as the chair of the finance committee,” Hirschberg wrote. “I do not believe I am able to serve any further in a fiduciary capacity that is up to the standards held by me personally and required by the state of Indiana in either role given the direction forced on us yesterday."

Hirschberg confirmed the email's contents to IndyStar but referred all questions to Newfields.

Otto Frenzel IV

Frenzel, president of the Indiana War Memorials Foundation, resigned his position Oct. 9. IndyStar has reached out to Frenzel for comment but has not heard back.

Who has left the Newfields Board of Governors?

Isaac Bamgbose

Bamgbose is the founder and CEO of New City Development, and began serving on the board earlier this year. About his Dec. 4 resignation, Bamgbose told IndyStar: “This position isn’t where I’m going to effectuate leadership-level positive change one way or the other upon the organization."

Chris Gahl

Gahl, the executive vice president of Visit Indy, resigned on Dec. 4.

“My decision is being driven by the Board of Trustees repeatedly not engaging the Board of Governors in critical decision-making within our collective board work,” he said. “There is a siloed approach to board governance, and this goes well beyond the recent personnel decisions. It includes budget, operations and nearly all strategic decision-making.”

However, Gahl noted that his decision to step away was influenced by Burnette's exit: "My passion to continue to help in a volunteer board role has been diminished by the departure of Dr. Burnette because I have seen first-hand how our community has not only embraced her (but) embraced Newfields."

Malina Simone Bacon

Bacon co-founded cultural development firm Ganggang, which organizes the Butter Black fine art fair and guest-curated the museum's "We. The Culture" exhibit. She resigned on Dec. 4.

"I almost feel like my separation from the Board of Governors is symbolic to what society is doing with institutions," Bacon said of her decision to step down. "And this could be my only way to say that boldly and to get the institution and my community to notice that."

Later in the same interview with IndyStar, she said the following.

“Initial community shock happened because we were emotionally attached to this new specifically Black woman leader," Bacon said. "My leadership effort out of that shock is beyond even the institution and turning to both the artists and the community to say, ‘What do we do now, ourselves? How do we build new systems now, ourselves?’”

Barry Wormser 

Wormser, the principal attorney of Wormser Legal, was part of the initial Board of Governors. When reached by IndyStar, Wormser confirmed but did not offer comment on his Dec. 4 resignation.

What happens next?

IndyStar has sent multiple requests for additional information regarding Burnette's departure, the resignations and next steps.

Per the organization's bylaws, the remaining Trustees can elect new members to fill the vacancies created by the resignations, but it's unknown whether that would happen, as the board can still operate with as few as 13 members.

A Newfields spokesperson confirmed the Dec. 22 updates, which included the addition of two trustees. The new members are Leon Jackson, CEO of Diversity in Leadership, and Robert Scheele, who's listed as a vice president and wealth management adviser at Merrill Lynch, according to LinkedIn.

Scheele previously served on the Board of Governors and continues to hold a position on it, according to Newfields' website. Jackson is the new chair of the museum's Community Advisory Committee.

Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Newfields board resignations: Who they are and what they've said