Washington state’s first stock director has been fired after an investigation found she made racial slurs against Hispanic colleagues and even shamed an employee.
Karen Johnson, the first director of the state’s Office of Equity, was removed from her position on May 17 after an independent investigation found that several of her employees had complained about her “biased and insensitive behavior.”
A Mexican employee told investigators how Johnson once said she had “a distrust of Mexican people,” while another said the director attacked her because of her weight.
Johnson has denied these allegations and would consider filing wrongful termination proceedings against the state.
But when asked about his decision to fire Johnson, Governor Jay Inslee recounted KING 5 News the agency ‘needed leadership to run the agency properly’ and ‘we needed a little more leadership there’.
Karen Johnson, Washington’s first stock director, was fired on May 17
She has been succeeded in her position by Megan Matthews, who serves as Acting Director.
As MFR Law Group PLLC investigated Johnson’s helm at the newly formed Office of Equity, it uncovered reports from staffers alleging that Johnson was racist against Hispanics.
In one instance, she reportedly told a Mexican employee, “This may take a while because I generally distrust Mexican people.
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She then reportedly said, “Mexican people have the option to be white when it suits them,” according to documents obtained by KING 5 News.
Another employee also said Johnson had an “us against them” mentality when it came to her Hispanic colleagues, often berating them for not having “lived experiences” of racism.
Her leadership style also came up in interviews with the researchers, who found that she was micromanaged, disorganized, lacked adequate structure and processes, and made unreasonable requests.
One staffer told investigators that Johnson once proclaimed she “rules with brass knuckles and a velvet glove,” which the staffer said was a “metaphor associated with white supremacy because of the violence.”
And others said she would stereotype based on race and gender, with a white female employee claiming that Johnson once told her not to braid her hair because it was “cultural appropriation.”
Another said Johnson attacked them for their weight, asking her, “You want to get married and start a family, don’t you?” Then you have to take care of yourself.’
The survey also found that the Office of Equity had an overall turnover rate of 29 percent since its inception.
Five employees resigned between 2022 and 2023, all citing Johnson’s “chaotic, overburdened and disrespectful work culture.”
She has denied being biased towards any of her employees and told KING 5 News that she remembered some of those conversations differently.
Former employees of the newly created Office of Equity alleged to investigators that Johnson (pictured) would make racist and otherwise “insensitive” remarks to her staffers
Washington Governor Jay Inslee told KING 5 News that the office had no leadership under Johnson
But after talking to these employees about their experiences, KTTH investigators also reported meeting with Johnson, in which she reportedly complained that “the staff she was given lacked the skills necessary to operate with emotional maturity.”
She also claimed they were “passive aggressive” and withheld information from her.
Johnson then reportedly declined to do a follow-up interview, saying it was “non-negotiable” and that she would not engage in “triangulating behavior” where she cannot resolve conflict directly with employees.
Ultimately, KING 5 reports, she was given the option to resign or be terminated — and chose termination.
Speaking of the decision, Inslee said, “We’ve had some concerns with the agency about not being able to fill the vacancies. We’ve had some concerns about not being able to use the budget.
He added that the office “needed leadership to properly run the agency and we need a little more leadership there.”
Still, he said, “We appreciate her starting the agency.”
Inslee had signed legislation to create the office in April 2020 and named Johnson director the following year
Inslee had signed legislation in April 2020 establishing the office to work with other government agencies to “increase access to equitable opportunity to bridge opportunity gaps and reduce inequalities” and develop a five-year equity plan.
He announced that Johnson would lead the new office a year later and praised her work as equity and inclusion manager for the State Department of Corrections.
She had previously worked for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in positions ranging from Regional Equal Opportunity Manager to Chief Administrative Officer of the James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center, and served as director of Tri-Love Ministries in Seattle.
In that position, she worked to ensure fair access to resources and services for black children and their families.
“Karen has extensive experience working to transform local and state government systems to more equitably serve the people of Washington,” Inslee said in a statement. rack at the time.
“She has focused her entire career on helping underprivileged communities and institutional change for generations to come,” he noted, adding, “I am confident she will be an outstanding, effective director.”
A few months later, she told KING 5 News, “No black person in their right mind… wants to run this kind of work, convincing white people that they want to do something they don’t intend to do.”
But looking back, she called her tenure as director “the time of my life.”
“I’ve gotten a lot of emails from employees all over the state saying, ‘Thanks to you, Dr. J, I know who I am. I’ve found my voice and I’m using it.’
“That’s what I’m most proud of.”
She also wrote on social media, “I am absolutely blessed to have been given this job, and stand behind the community I tried to help during my tenure at the Office of Equity.
‘I would hope so [Inslee] continues to provide employees across the state with the opportunities they deserve and remain accountable to improve everyone’s lives.”