Controversy Swirls at Indiana Black Expo After 17 Employees Accuse CEO Tanya Bell of "Creating Hostile Work Environment"

Indiana Black Expo president and CEO Tanya Bell under fire after 17 employees accuse of creating "hostile work environment" and engaging in "bullying tactics."

Controversy is brewing in the offices of the Indiana Black Expo, with the 41st Summer Celebration just a month away. A group of 17 employees are publicly complaining about the hostile environment they are subjected to under current president and CEO Tanya Bell. They claim Bell engages in bullying tactics and denigrating them publicly. According to the Indianapolis Star, two employees, including the finance director, are no longer working for the IBE, but it is not clear if their departures are connected to the alleged bullying tactics.

An outside consultant has been brought in to help improve relations between staff members of Indiana Black Expo Inc. and the organization’s CEO, the not-for-profit disclosed Friday morning.

The decision came in response to a May 6 letter to IBE directors in which employees voiced concerns about the leadership of president and CEO Tanya Bell, who has been at the helm of the organization since early 2008. The letter said "some staff members" have witnessed Bell "changing figures in various financial documents."

Seventeen members out of a staff of about 20 signed the letter, complaining that Bell has created a hostile work environment that includes employees being “disrespected, disregarded and demeaned.” They called Bell "the perfect example of a bully" who "intimidates several staff members with overly aggressive, rude remarks." Source: IBJ

It is a sad commentary that the infighting and the alleged "hostile environment" could jeopardize the annual event and the Circle City Classic which bring in $40 million in spending in the city of Indianapolis, particularly at a time when the economy has been in the tank.