Following an investigation into allegations of harassment and bullying by its senior business development executive and concerns about a "toxic" workplace environment, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has announced the termination of founding president, CEO, and board member Emmett D. Carson.

Based on the findings of law firm Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Carson, who had been placed on paid administrative leave in April, "will end his employment with SVCF after more than a decade of service, effective immediately," the foundation's board said in a statement. After the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on the allegations against chief business development and brand officer Mari Ellen Loijens — who has since resigned — concerns were raised about the broader workplace environment at the foundation, leading to the resignation of its vice president of talent recruitment and culture, Daiva Natochy.

"The investigation found that many allegations from current and former employees were substantiated," the board noted in its statement. "SVCF clearly failed to provide a safe and inclusive workplace environment for its employees." Greg Avis, a founding member and past chair of the SVCF board who has been serving as interim CEO, will continue in that role while a search for a new president and CEO is under way.

The investigation looked into allegations made by current and former employees and, according to the Boies Schiller Flexner report (13 pages, PDF), found that "there were certain widespread workplace culture issues at SVCF, including a fear of speaking out or reporting workplace issues out of concern for retaliation, as well as a distrust of HR leadership. The top-down, 'command-and-control' management style of SVCF's former CEO and former senior development executive contributed to this environment." The report also highlights other less widespread but serious issues, including "sexual, racial, crude, and otherwise inappropriate remarks and conduct that became 'normalized' within certain divisions, as well as public shaming and bullying behavior."

Carson had led SVCF since its founding in 2006 as a result of the merger of the Peninsula Community Foundation and the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and had been widely viewed as a pioneering and effective leader in the community foundation field.

"I am especially grateful that the [b]oard of SVCF afforded me the privilege of a lifetime to chart a course and set an agenda that I believe will endure for generations to come providing leadership and philanthropic resources to Silicon Valley, the nation and the world," Carson himself said in a statement released by communications consulting firm Tunheim. "Recent events have brought to light that in the pursuit of these ambitious goals, some staff felt they were not sufficiently heard. Others felt that they could not trust that they could rely on the multiple systems in place, including an anonymous hotline, to report complaints or concerns and have them fully and fairly addressed. I am sorry that this occurred and regret any role that I may have played in contributing to these feelings."

Based on the investigation, the Boies Schiller Flexner report recommends that the foundation strengthen its reporting practices and policies with respect to workplace misconduct, implement a robust anti-bullying policy, allow employees input on the search for a new CEO as well as the organization's values and systems, and deepen board involvement in implementing improvements.

The report can be downloaded here.