Summary:

In November 2022, incoming IAEM-USA President Cathy Clark decided to replace incumbent DEI Committee Chair and Advisor Leslie Luke. This action was her prerogative and there is no dispute that she had the right to name a replacement for Mr. Luke if she chose to do so. Interested parties including DEI Co-Chairs were not consulted or asked to be among the pool of potential candidates. In fact, there was no candidate pool at all as is called for in the IAEM-USA Administrative Procedures (APPs). An individual with no previous experience in DEI or any other IAEM Committees, no other experience or training that would lend itself to leading a national organization's DEI efforts, and a past history in discrimination complaints at her agency was named DEI Chair and DEI Advisor to the Board. Her only qualification, in fact, was her personal connection to a Board Member who introduced her to the President on the day before the end of the November IAEM-USA Conference. The Board, which consists of 13 White and 1 Black member, approved the appointment because it 'assumed' proper procedures had been followed in the selection process. Upon finding out APPs had indeed been violated, the Board, during a special meeting on March 15 prompted by an Ethics Complaint, determined Ms. Clark had violated procedures. Its remedy was to ask her not to do it again, to buy a plaque thanking Mr. Luke for his years of free service to lead DEI, and to apologize to the illegitimately appointed DEI Chair for having put her through public criticism of her appointment for being unqualified. This action is but the tip of the iceberg of serious racially and ethically discriminatory practices within IAEM-USA which receives Federal funds and is in violation of federal discrimination laws.