The past few weeks have been a turbulent time for the State Employees Association of North Carolina, its membership, staff, Board of Governors, and for each of us – the members of the Executive Committee. Less than two months ago, we found ourselves publicly defending former SEANC Executive Director, Dana Cope, against what we thought at the time were unfair, personal attacks on his management style. Our defense of Mr. Cope and our reaction to the claims against him were based on our perception of the truth, grounded in part on an inadequate internal investigation performed at that time.

Since then, Mr. Cope has resigned and SEANC has participated in two independent investigations, one conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation and the other by a reputable, third party CPA firm. Both investigations – still ongoing – have already resulted in the revelation that an executive level mismanagement of funds occurred during Mr. Cope’s tenure as Executive Director. This is a matter that we have taken very seriously and as such, Mitch Leonard, our Executive Director, has restored order, begun implementing the necessary safeguards in our financial systems, and will be taking further action based on the final reports from both investigations. This is far from the last word on changes that will be taking place within SEANC as we reexamine all aspects of the way we pursue our mission. We will continue to update our members as we move forward.

Given the new findings of the ongoing investigations, it has become clear to us that our characterization of the actions taken by Mrs. Betty “B.J.” Jones and Mr. Arthur Anthony to alert the Board of Governors of their rightful concern about the former Executive Director’s management style was wrong and unfair. We apologize to Mrs. Jones and Mr. Anthony for mischaracterizing the motivations for their actions. Furthermore, we appreciate their willingness to stand up for SEANC and protect the organization that we all love and are proud to serve.

The SEANC Executive Committee

Wayne Fish, President
Ross Hailey, First Vice President
Stanley Drewery, Second Vice President
Gloria Evans, General Treasurer
Sidney Sandy, Immediate Past President
Spillman Grice, Retiree Council Chairman
Doranna Anderson, Insurance Board of Trustee Chairwoman
Benny Brigman, Eastern Rep.
Gracie LeSane, North Central Rep.
Deborah Harney, South Central Rep.
Marilyn Martin, Piedmont Rep.
Barbara Leatherman, Western Rep.
Charles Johnson, Past President