The Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday that it has concluded an independent investigation following the publication in late December of a Business Insider article alleging inappropriate behavior by United Way Worldwide excecutives.
Joe Haggerty, the CEO of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce (The Chamber ALX) was one of the people mentioned in the Business Insider article. Haggerty was an executive at the United Way Worldwide more than 5 years ago when the reported sexual harassment occurred. Haggerty has denied the allegations and the article did not report on any allegations connected to Haggerty’s time with The Chamber ALX.
“While there was nothing in this article concerning Mr. Haggerty’s tenure with the Alexandria Chamber, the Executive Committee and then full Board met immediately to address the situation. The Chamber does not condone harassment or discrimination of any kind and is committed to fostering a safe and supportive workplace and network. Our staff and members are our utmost priority - our lifeblood - and it is with their best interest in mind that we felt compelled to identify and address any potential present or past issues,” Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Stephanie Beyer Kirby wrote in an announcement released Thursday.
“The Board commissioned an independent third party, Alexandria Attorney Lonnie Rich, to conduct an internal review of policies and procedures as well as interview staff, past chairs, current board members and a cross section of the Chamber membership to be certain that the Chamber exemplifies best practices for maintaining a welcoming and inclusive workplace,” the statement continued.
The investigation concluded that there were no personal complaints or reports of any sexual harassment by Haggerty.
Further, “In terms of engagement with Members, the results of the independent investigation showed that there is no sexual harassment within the Chamber that is adversely affecting its staff. More specifically, they did not believe that Joe had engaged in sexual harassment of staff; nor believe that sexual harassment is occurring generally within the Chamber employment by any officers, board members or general Chamber members. There were, however, a few suggestions made by members that the Board will address,” Beyer Kirby wrote.
The Chamber will be immediately scheduling workplace professionalism training for all staff and Chamber leadership and the Chamber’s Code of Conduct will be updated and clearly communicated to staff and members.
The United Way Worldwide also conducted its own investigation, which concluded recently, and “did not find evidence UWW engaged in actionable harassment, discrimination or retaliation.”
Anyone with concerns is encouraged to reach out to Beyer Kirby at SBK@beyerkirby.com.
