People associated with a high-profile non-profit incubator in London are still looking for answers.
Nearly six months after the firing of CEO Mojdeh Cox left some people in the Pillar community in shock, members of the board pledged to step down and help transition Pillar into a new era under the leadership of Interim CEO and former London Deputy Mayor Maureen Cassidy.
Now, Samanta Krishnapillai, the head of the On Canada Project, a non-profit that is a Pillar member, wrote a letter to the community, Pillar leadership, and the outgoing board members. Krishnapillai also worked at Pillar earlier in her career.
"I'm also thrilled to know the Board will be stepping down, giving Pillar a chance to reflect, ground, heal and reemerge stronger after all this chaos," Krishnapillai wrote. "To be clear, it's indisputable that there was significant, unjust harm done to Mojdeh - and I'm pleased that it is beginning to be addressed. However, the focus of my letter here is - at the risk of sounding like a broken record - to urge decision-makers to remember that considerable community harm was also done here."
Multiple Pillar staff members have confirmed to London News Today that Cox was fired and then walked out of the office onto King Street by members of the board when she was let go from her position in July of 2022.
She had moved her family from Ottawa to start the job in April of 2021.
Krishnapillai wrote that the way the board handled the termination has stuck with her.
"As I grew older, I began to understand that racism (and sexism) would always be part of my lived experience, but I thought - however naively that now seems - that in environments where people would get to know who I am (like work, school, etc.,) that I would be judged by the content of my character and not the colour of my skin," she wrote to the community. "That changed when Mojdeh - a woman who is highly regarded, has loads of incredible experience, is a head-and-heart approach leader and was CEO of a major community organization in London, Ontario- was escorted out of the building like a criminal by her very own Board of directors at her place of work."
"Now, on its own, we can agree that the abrupt firing of Mojdeh and escorting her out the way this Board (allegedly) did is highly racist, traumatizing (for both the community and Mojdeh) and problematic," Krishnapillai wrote.
She said the community was significantly impacted both by Cox' departure and the way board members handled the aftermath of the firing.
"There must be a way for both (Community Advisory Panel member) Andrew (Chunilall), in his community advisor role and Maureen (Cassidy), as interim CEO, to meaningfully address what happened and work towards the healing the community needs. There must be accountability and ownership - and since we know we won't get that from this Board, I would like to ask you to consider ways you can achieve this," wrote Krishnapillai.
"In the short time I've been at Pillar, much of my work has been focused on rebuilding relationships and engaging in crucial conversations. I remain committed to listening to the concerns from the community and from staff," Cassidy wrote in an e-mail to London News Today on Thursday. "I am grateful for the support of the Community Advisory Panel in this effort and the opportunity to continue to learn how we, as an organization and as individuals, can do better."
According to its website, Pillar Non-Profit Network "strengthens individuals, organizations and enterprises invested in positive community impact. We support nonprofits, social enterprises and social innovators by sharing resources, exchanging knowledge and creating meaningful connections across the three pillars of nonprofit, business and government."
The network is considered very influential in the London non-profit community and Cox, according to sources both inside and around the organization, was a very well liked leader during the roughly 15 months she held the CEO position. Their Community Innovation Awards show was once considered one of the biggest annual events in the city.
Nicole Spriet, the chair of Pillar's Board of Directors, did not return a call seeking comment. Spriet and all of the organization's other board members pledged earlier this month that they will not seek re-election to the board when their terms expire in April.
