Done Deal
Abrams and programs & development director Kim Krupa had met earlier in the day and decided Abrams should take the interim position.
- Greer had already handed over her keys, cell phone, and laptop.
- The Personnel Committee will handle the details of Greer’s severance package and present it to the board at a later date. She will continue to be paid through Oct. 15.
Dig Deeper:
The emergency meeting had less drama than the days leading up to it. Our reporter attended and submitted this report:
ECT board names interim executive director
Tammy Abrams is officially in and Tammy Greer is officially out as executive director of the Escambia Children’s Trust. The ECT board held an emergency meeting Thursday and approved Abrams as the interim executive director. The board further accepted Greer’s resignation immediately and agreed to pay her through October 15 in compliance with a 60-day notice stipulation in her contract.
Abrams will serve as interim and continue in her role as director of finance. She previously spent 16 years with the nonprofit Community Action Program. Abrams said her focus is to keep ECT on track through the transition. The timeframe for hiring a permanent executive director was not determined during the board meeting.
“We have a list of about 15 items we’re going to be going through,” Abrams said. “We have our mental health applications that we’re going to be reviewing on Monday. We’ve got contracts coming up for renewal that we’re about to get on the board agenda, evaluating those and making sure they were effective.”
Dr. Kimberly Krupa, second in command, decided against pursuing the interim position. Krupa endorsed Abrams and said Abrams already runs virtually every department for ECT.
Abrams steps into the role vacated by Greer who emailed her notice of resignation on Tuesday after some contentious email exchanges with Mayor D.C. Reeves. Greer admitted to “miscommunication” concerning a proposal from the city for a $3.5 million grant to purchase the Morris L. Eaddy Lakeview Activity Center. The city plans to convert the facility into the first children’s resource center in the region.
Tumultuous Miscommunications
Before the meeting, board member Stephanie White told Inweekly, “I think there were a lot of miscommunications which made it tumultuous.”
Miscommunication with Reeves, Sheriff Chip Simmons, and County Commissioner Chairman Lumon May, among others, strained her relationship with powerful stakeholders in the community.
Greer emailed Reeves on Monday and wrote that the board directed its legal counsel, Meredith Bush, to solicit an opinion from an attorney general on whether ECT is legally allowed to award funding to another entity to purchase a building.
In the same email, Greer listed concerns about the proposal that included “services in a facility funded by ECT must be for Escambia County children only” and “I was initially under the impression this would be a joint effort among the City, the County, and the Trust. I don’t know if it meets the definition of sole source anymore with it under only the City.”
Greer concluded the email by stating, “Again, I sincerely appreciate the time and effort you put into the proposal and apologize that this has been such an arduous process. Please bear with us as we work through this. I do believe a central resource center for families is a terrific project if done with fidelity to the evidence-based model. I will keep you updated as the AG opinion request progresses.”
Reeves fired back the next day describing the process as “spinning our wheels and getting nowhere.” He closed the same email by writing, “We just would like to learn the rules and count on real guidance from you and staff, not learn about your opinion in meetings. I don’t think that is an unfair ask.”
Greer responded to his email by apologizing, but just a few hours later, she submitted her letter of resignation and wrote:
“This job is unbelievably political. I knew it would be: Pensacola is indeed a small town. However, my leadership is now being questioned, and my 37-year stellar career is getting a stain on it that cannot be erased. Perhaps I am not the best fit. My best is not good enough.”
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Who is Tammy Abrams?
Before joining the Trust, Abrams worked at Community Action Program Committee as its chief financial officer with Krupa, who was the CAP chief strategy officer.
Community Action Program Committee helps lows income families achieve self-sufficiency by creating solutions to poverty. It’s best known for running Head Start in Escambia County.