newsminer.com

Steve Ginnis was forced to resign from his position as chief executive officer of the Interior Regional Housing Authority, and no one — including Ginnis — is saying why.

“Legally, we are his supervisors, and we can’t discuss personnel matters,” said Teisha Simmons, secretary/treasurer for the board of directors of the $14 million nonprofit agency, which serves as an arm of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.

Ginnis was asked to resign after an attorney hired by the board conducted an investigation.

An anonymous letter to board members in March prompted the investigation, according to Simmons and Daisy Northway, vice chairwoman of the board.

Both Simmons and Northway declined to disclose the contents of the letter and the attorney’s findings. Board President Patrick McCarty is reportedly traveling and could not be reached.

A majority of the board accepted Ginnis’ resignation, which is effective Monday, according to a written statement from the authority.

“He has not been fired,” Simmons said.

Ginnis will remain with the agency as a consultant “to assist in the transition to a new CEO,” the agency’s prepared statement said. The agency’s chief finance officer, Eli James, is serving as the interim CEO.

The authority remains stable and financially solvent despite the change in leadership, Simmons and James said.

“We’ve lost our leadership, but the people here doing the day-to-day work are still committed to helping the people in the Interior,” James said.

Ginnis leaves after almost six years at the organization’s helm. He took over the agency at a time when it was embroiled in lawsuits and criticized for being unresponsive to the mostly rural communities it serves.

Ginnis previously served as the president of the Tanana Chiefs Conference.

“It was a hard decision,” Simmons said of Ginnis’ removal. “Steve does get credit for bringing the company forward.”

Ginnis declined to comment for this story.