4/30/26 Email from Board Chair Eric Leshinsky to Staff + Still No Admin Leave for Jackie Coleman
Email from Board Chair, Eric Leshinsky, to Staff on Thursday, April 30th late afternoon:
"Hi All--
As the Board Chair of Maryland Hall I wanted to let you know how the Board is addressing the issues raised in the petition. First, the Board takes seriously the allegations in the petition and, as stewards of Maryland Hall, its responsibility to investigate those allegations.
In the time since the petition was circulated last Wednesday, the Board has been working with urgency and care to identify a fair and objective process to understand both the issues raised in the petition and the specific circumstances which led to the petition so we can take appropriate action if needed. The Board has met multiple times and we have heard directly from staff as well as supporters of Maryland Hall. The approach we are taking is to have an independent third-party review of the issues raised by the petition which will provide opportunities for all staff to share their perspectives on the situation without fear of retaliation. The fact that this will be conducted by a third party is very important to the Board. We want to understand the specifics and we feel a third-party who has done similar reviews would be most equipped to gather the facts. We are trying to start this review by the end of next week but ask for your patience as we work to ensure the process is designed correctly and fairly to all. Upon third-party review completion, the Board will carefully consider the findings. It would be premature and inappropriate to comment further until all relevant facts are available. This process will take time. We will provide information as we can but will not provide any substantive comment until the review is complete.
We ask for your full participation in the third party review so that the information that the Board has is detailed and complete. There will be no retaliation against you for participating in this review. To the contrary, we encourage and need and welcome your participation. In the event that you believe you have experienced retaliation arising out of or related to the petition or the upcoming independent review, immediately email the specifics to Human Resources with a copy directly to me and to the third-party investigator.
Thank you
Eric"
That’s all well and good but Staff has still not received an explanation to the other glaring issue as to why Jackie Coleman is still in the building. This is an email that should have been sent at the start. It is now going on 2 weeks since the petition was started, and the Board has not even issued a public statement acknowledging the situation.
All the while, Coleman has yet to be placed on administrative leave pending an investigation and in the meantime, has been using her full power to intimidate staff into “showing a united front” in support of her, making staff increasingly uncomfortable and putting them in a difficult position.
Coleman has continued to take meetings and attend high profile events, most recently in just the past few days, attending Leadership Anne Arundel's Annual New Leaders Celebration as well as the Arts Council of Anne Arundel County's "Paint the Town" Gala, making her presence known in the community and continuing to represent Maryland Hall during this time.
The fact that the Board does not consider just how detrimental not only her unceasing presence in the building is to Staff, but Coleman continuing to represent Maryland Hall as an organization is deeply concerning and upsetting.
This is completely unacceptable and negligent.
This behavior is dangerous.
This behavior is reckless.
This behavior is a breach of their fiduciary duty.
It is very difficult to conceptualize the current blatant disregard and dismissiveness by the Board, and by Board Chair Eric Leshinsky in particular, considering the steps he took prior to even sending this email, of being flippant, controlling the narrative, and even doing his best to misdirect and manipulate an investigation.
I can’t help but wonder if Jackie Coleman was a person of color or someone of a different marginalized community if they would be shown the same grace, blind faith, and loyalty, and be allowed to continue to operate as normal, be present in the building, and represent the organization.
I highly doubt it.
As one signer commented:
“If this were one or two people, you could say it's them. With this many signatures, and the stories shared thus far, how can we all be nuts?”
Support has flooded in from the local community and beyond, and we thank each and every one of you for believing in this petition, signing, and sharing.
An immense thank you to all those individuals who have come forward thus far to comment and share their experiences whether as an employee or patron of Maryland Hall, or just as someone on the outside looking in who sees clearly the injustices and believes in the cause.
We truly appreciate your bravery and your voice.
Thank you.