The founding director of the Smithsonian’s forthcoming American Women’s History Museum has withdrawn from the role less than four months after her appointment was announced, following allegations that she mishandled sexual harassment allegations at her former workplace, she said Wednesday.
In a statement posted to her LinkedIn page, Nancy Yao said she was withdrawing from the position due to family issues, including her father being in hospice care and her “two wonderful teenagers needing my support.”
She also cited recent coverage in The Washington Post reporting that under her leadership, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) — where she previously served as president — settled three wrongful-termination lawsuits by former employees who claimed they were fired in retaliation for reporting allegations of sexual harassment by senior male staffers towards young female staffers.
The two men who the staffers accused of harassment kept their jobs at the museum, and Yao later promoted one, The Washington Post reported in its April investigation. Yao “vigorously denied” retaliating against the whistleblowers and the lawsuits were settled without admission of wrongdoing by Yao or the museum, the newspaper reported.
“I want to be honest and mention that another factor influenced my decision — the recent articles in the Washington Post,” Yao said in her statement. “Unfortunately, they misrepresented certain events, and I feel a responsibility to protect my family from unnecessary stress.”
She did not elaborate on the alleged misrepresentations and could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday morning.
“Although it is an amazing opportunity, and one that I’ve always dreamed of, my family needs me now more than ever,” Yao wrote of withdrawing from the role.
The Smithsonian announced Yao’s appointment in March and said she would take up the role June 5, but the Washington Post reported that her start date wound up being delayed as they awaited the results of an independent investigation into Yao’s handling of the sexual harassment allegations at MOCA.
The Smithsonian’s chief spokesperson, Linda St. Thomas, told NBC News that Yao never actually began working at the Smithsonian and that she withdrew “due to family issues that require her attention.” She did not respond to a question about the findings of the independent investigation into the allegations over Yao’s handling of sexual harassment at MOCA.
St. Thomas added that the Smithsonian will begin looking for a new director “immediately” and that Melanie Adams, director of the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, has been appointed interim director.
Congress approved legislation in Dec. 2020 to create the forthcoming Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, as well as a national Latino museum run by the Smithsonian.
St. Thomas said she estimates it will be 10 to 15 years before the American Women’s History Museum opens.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
