Tarrant County College board places Chancellor Giovannini on paid administrative leave
The Board of Trustees of the Tarrant County College District voted unanimously Thursday night to place Chancellor Eugene Giovannini on paid administrative leave as an ongoing investigation looks into allegations related to the termination of an employee who is suing the college.
In a lawsuit filed Feb. 7, Kristen Bennett, who served as the fundraising executive in charge of the nonprofit TCC Foundation, alleges that she was improperly disciplined by the chancellor when she began to intervene in conflicts with a subordinate who had a personal relationship with Giovannini.
According to the lawsuit, Bennett said that Giovannini harassed, abused and retaliated against her after she spoke to a female employee, who she claims was Giovannini’s girlfriend, about corrective action regarding her behavior. The woman was not named in the lawsuit.
Bennett added that the college failed to give her written notice of her non-renewal, retaliated for her filing a grievance, placed her on leave, barred her from campus, and denied her right of due process. She was fired on Jan. 31.
Bennett is seeking reinstatement to her position and monetary damages.
Last week, the college district hired an independent party to investigate the allegations.
“The Tarrant County College District does not normally comment on pending litigation or personnel matters,” said Tarrant County College Board of Trustees President Teresa Ayala in a news release. “However, due to the serious nature of the allegations made in the recently filed lawsuit, TCCD believes that it is important to convey that it immediately hired an independent third party to investigate the allegations when they were first brought to TCCD’s attention. That investigation is ongoing, and TCCD is committed to determining the truth in a manner that is fair to all parties involved. At the appropriate time, TCCD will respond to the lawsuit in a court of law.”
At the end of a six-hour board meeting Thursday, Ayala said the board had “an obligation to treat the chancellor as we would any employee under these circumstances,” which led to the unanimous vote that as the investigation remains ongoing, Giovannini would be put on paid administrative leave.
While Giovannini is “not presumed responsible for the alleged conduct” during the investigation, Ayala said, “the operation of the college is paramount. It is in the best interest of all parties to complete the investigation and reach the right conclusion, without further distraction.”
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Elva Concha LeBlanc will serve as acting chancellor. LeBlanc has served as the executive vice chancellor and provost, responsible for the planning, development and administration of the college’s academic affairs, since 2017, a news release said.
“I know from my personal experience that Dr. LeBlanc is known and respected in the community, and she has a lot of credibility with the members of this board,” said Kenneth Barr, vice president for the TCC Board of Trustees, at Thursday’s meeting. “She will do a fine job as acting chancellor.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 11:56 AM.
