Workforce Alliance president Renee Benton Gilmore quit before the Workforce Alliance board could fire her. The agency was found spending a bunch of taxpayer money for no other reason than they thought they could:
Calls for action from government officials in Tallahassee and at home bombarded the nonprofit agency’s board after a Jan. 20 state inspector general report showed irregularities. Over a 13-month period, auditors found more than $24,000 in unapproved spending of federal funds on food, hotel rooms and events, and more than $81,000 in questionable expenses requiring further documentation.
Compared with yearly food and beverage spending by other regional Workforce Alliances, Tampa Bay’s was the highest at more than $99,000. The Pinellas agency and Hernando and Pasco joint agency each spent about $13,000.
Current vice president of service support James Blount will temporarily fill the spot. Blount told the St. Pete Times he was “aware of the spending but did not always partake” of the meals.
But he did sometimes:
Blount is named several times in the report for attending meetings with lavish menus, including the staff development meeting at Stonewood, which cost about $40 per person.
More links: Tribune article on Renee Gilmore’s resignation.
Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance, and their current Administrative Team.
Matt
6 months ago
What a shame. Friends and colleagues of mine who are out of work say that the Workforce Alliance is one of the truly useful resources out there. I hope this doesn’t affect the operations that are actually helping people.