IndyHumane’s CEO announces he has been fired

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The current chief executive officer of the Humane Society of Indianapolis (IndyHumane) has announced he was fired by the organization’s board.

Steven Stolen was appointed CEO in June 2017. He replaced the organization’s previous leader who retired from the job after eight years.

IndyHumane has not made a formal announcement about a leadership change and still listed Stolen in the position on its website as of Thursday morning.

Stolen emailed the following statement to WISH-TV News 8 on Wednesday evening:

I’m choosing to present this in writing so as to be consistent, clear, and to avoid any potential confusion that might distract the great people that work at IndyHumane. I hope that you can appreciate my concern and respect this very important point as you proceed.

 

On Monday afternoon, July 29, IndyHumane Board Chair, Kyle Masur notified me by telephone that I was being terminated. The conversation was reasonably brief. While I do not agree with the action and might take issue with cause as described to me, I understand that it is the providence of the Board to take this action and respect their right to do so.  As an experienced nonprofit executive I know well that Boards have two primary and essential responsibilities. One is to hire and fire the management leader and the other is to provide timely review of the executive’s work. They have acted on one of those responsibilities stated within the guidelines in the organizational by laws.  

 

In the brief phone call, there was no significant conversation or request for me to respond. I was surprised to hear this news as we’ve made substantial progress in 2018 in every important area as articulated by the Board. Mr. Masur and the Board disagree and have made that clear.

 

I’m extremely proud of my months and demonstrative progress at IndyHumane, which include but are not limited to:

• With the support of loyal and many renewed and new donors we surpassed the 2017 development budget goal. 
• I’ve been fortunate to work with great  colleagues and shared in their dedicated work to address a long standing and severe budget deficit, cutting in nearly in half by the end of 2017,  and projections in July on target to make significant inroads on that front in the current year. 
• Staff has responded positively to the Board’s implied mandate to change and we’ve made some important capital improvements to positively impact animals, guests, and IndyHumane’s top notch staff. 
• I’m equally happy with our fun and effective efforts to elevate the organization through social and earned media especially as it positively impacted our signature Mutt Strut event. 

I would ask that you emphasize that the people that work and support IndyHumane are outstanding in every way and it was my great pleasure to work on their behalf. From Day One I have been proud to celebrate the best animal care team in the world and equally talented and committed staff and volunteers that make sure we tirelessly save the lives of animals and then change the lives of people who love and care for/about them.

 

I am looking ahead to my next opportunity to impact my community. I’ve had great experiences and know that the blend of what I’ve learned from those positions, organizations, and high quality people I’ve encountered will serve me well. I’m ready to get back to work with the kind of work that will make a difference!