After CEO's abrupt exit, 4 Newfields governors resign; one describes 'siloed approach'

Almost a month after the sudden departure of Newfields CEO Colette Pierce Burnette, four members of the institution's Board of Governors have left their posts. Malina Simone Bacon, Chris Gahl, Isaac Bamgbose and Barry Wormser each confirmed to IndyStar that they turned in their resignations on Monday.

Those who explained the reasons behind their individual resignations noted a lack of opportunities to lead, engage in strategic decisions and effect positive change. The Board of Governors is a newer addition to the institution and separate from the long-running Board of Trustees, which manages the business, property and affairs of Newfields.

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

“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,” said Gahl, the executive vice president of Visit Indy. “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.”

Previous reporting: Abrupt CEO exit surprised Newfields staff and arts leader who's now re-evaluating funding

He noted that his decision was personal and did not represent Visit Indy.

Burnette departed Newfields on Nov. 10 after 15 months in the role. Newfields shared a news release about her exit but specified neither a reason nor whether she resigned or was terminated. Eleven days later — and two days after a protest outside the museum — the Board of Trustees released a statement that said it was unable to say more about the leadership transition but remained committed to earning the community's trust.

IndyStar has reached out to the museum regarding the latest departures, as well as additional details regarding the circumstances of Burnette's departure. When reached by IndyStar on Wednesday, Burnette declined to comment on the situation.

Two of those who resigned — Bacon and Wormser — were part of the initial Board of Governors that began their terms in 2019. As explained in a 2018 Newfields news release, the Governors would also provide a pipeline of potential leaders for the Board of Trustees and on committees.

Bacon and Bamgbose told IndyStar the bigger picture of serving on the Board of Governors did not fit into the work they seek to accomplish.

“This position isn’t where I’m going to effectuate leadership-level positive change one way or the other upon the organization,” said Bamgbose, the founder and CEO of New City Development, who began serving on the board in May.

“I’m not able to lead on the Board of Governors in the way that I designed as a founding member of the Board of Governors,” said Bacon, the co-founder and creative director of Ganggang.

Wormser, the principal attorney of Wormser Legal, did not offer comment on the reason for his resignation.

How the Newfields Board of Governors works

The Board of Governors found out about Burnette's abrupt departure via an emergency board meeting call the afternoon of Nov. 10, Gahl said, which was the same afternoon Newfields released the announcement to the public.

“When big decisions are made quickly in a vacuum with a very small subset of people without any 360 awareness, that’s not good board governance,” Gahl said.

He said he began his Board of Governors term in 2020 as part of a reciprocal relationship with Newfields, in which former CEO Charles Venable was invited to sit on Visit Indy's board and, after he resigned, the invitation was extended to and accepted by Burnette.

Read her 2022 interview with IndyStar: New Newfields CEO Colette Pierce Burnette talks about her plans, director search and more

Two days before her Newfields exit, Gahl said Burnette attended a Visit Indy board meeting where she participated in a discussion about tourism. The next day — the one before Burnette's departure — he said she shared that she could no longer go on a study mission trip she'd had on her calendar but did not say why.

While the Board of Trustees manages operations, Gahl said, the Governors work in the space of community advocacy. Those functions include making sure everyone feels welcome at events like Winterlights, identifying opportunities for Newfields leaders to speak to groups and repair relationships, and connecting with new audiences, he said.

“I still care deeply about the critical and recent and acclaimed work that has happened over the past 12 months, and that has helped mend relationships in our Black and brown communities. It has helped ensure all feel more welcomed,” Gahl said.

“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.”

Over the past two months, three members of the Board of Trustees have resigned: Otto Frenzel IV on Oct. 9, Gary Hirschberg on Nov. 10 and Adrienne Sims on Nov. 17. Newfields confirmed the resignations but has not provided reasons for them. IndyStar reached out to the departed board members for comment but has not heard back.

'Symbolic to what society is doing with institutions'

The public's continued questions over Burnette's departure prompted Bacon to talk about what she describes as the global questioning of people's trust and over-dependence on institutions for care and creative innovation.

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

She said the desire to create a new framework that invests in artists is part of the foundation for Ganggang, the cultural development firm that hosts the Butter Black fine art fair. The firm also guest curated "We. The Culture" at Newfields, an exhibit that was the result of a two-year journey that was initially going to explore the Eighteen Art Collective's Black Lives Matter mural before changing course to show its members' individual works.

“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?’”

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 governors resign after CEO Burnette's unexplained departure