Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
State Teachers Retirement System director Bill Neville will remain on paid administrative leave through May 17 and is required to undergo training following a law firm’s investigation into his management style.
In November, the board put Neville on paid leave after an anonymous letter accused him of creating a hostile work environment, including sexually harassing employees and violent outbursts. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office appointed an outside firm to investigate. A final investigative report, which was done by Worthington law firm Haynes Kessler Myers & Postalakis, found most of the accusations in the letter were unfounded.
“In conclusion, we found no evidence of unlawful workplace conduct by Mr. Neville,” the report said. “We did find evidence that Mr. Neville has a temper that can appear suddenly. He has a practice of raising his voice and admonishing employees, at times in the presence of other employees. This behavior seems to be exhibited only with senior employees.”
The investigation, which lasted three months and was done primarily by partners David Kessler and Stephen Postalakis who have frequently investigated workplace claims, also found Neville had a habit of telling stories about his college days. Those stories included women he’d dated but were not found to be explicit.
The report noted the law firm did not find out who wrote the letter accusing Neville of these practices, but figured it was written by someone without direct knowledge.
“Rather, the letter strikes us as one perhaps composed by a person or persons who heard second and third-hand anecdotes from a variety of sources,” the report said.
