The Charlotte-based Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce (CLGBTCC) has seen its fair share of changes since it was originally founded in 1992, when it began as the Charlotte Business Guild before expanding into the two-state regional organization it is today.
Recent changes have occurred over the past few months, leaving many shocked and surprised. Among them is the resignation of chamber CEO Chad Sevearance-Turner, which was mutually agreed upon by Turner and the board.
Additionally, the Chamber’s board chair Richard Stevens was removed from his position after less than one year, and two members of the board have resigned.
Stevens has since been replaced by Victoria Green, and the organization has chosen to continue operation without a CEO.
“We’ll have a managing director, Abby Mederos. She has pretty much been the force behind us getting our events done,” says Green. “She handles all the interns that are at the office. She’s put together all the lunch and learns. She’s done all this stuff over the past four years and with the board stepping in and taking a stronger position, I think this is what needs to happen right now. Will we end up having a CEO later? Possibly. We need to get back on our feet and figure out how we’re going to move forward with less coming in than before. We have ideas and know the kind of things we want to do that are going to get us back to where we need to be.”
Green points to financial challenges brought on by a lack of funding that came about as a result of the current presidential administration as the primary cause for Sevearance-Turner’s resignation, which he handed in October 16, effective immediately.
Green has said there was no evidence of any financial misdoings with chamber finances, although it would appear there is some cause for a potential review based on the content of a pre-press release provided to Qnotes.
According to the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber Board of Directors release, recently discovered information indicates that former CEO Sevearance-Turner allegedly sent invoices requesting payments on behalf of the Chamber directed to a PayPal account. At no point in its history has the chamber used PayPal. And the account in question has been identified as Sevearance-Turner’s personal account. The full scope of these transactions remains under review.
With this discovery, CLGBTCC is asking members, sponsors and community partners to immediately verify invoices and payment requests directly with the Chamber before sending funds. The release emphasizes that Sevearance-Turner is no longer affiliated with or authorized to solicit or collect funds on behalf of the Chamber and that they will continue to share verified updates as more information becomes available.Â
The email address Community@clgbtcc.org has been established as a dedicated point of contact for questions and information from anyone who may have been potentially impacted. If you, or someone you know, received an invoice or payment request in the Chamber’s name requesting payment via PayPal, please send any related invoices, messages or payment confirmations to the aforementioned email address. CLGBTCC indicates they will use the email to gather information until authorities provide further reporting instructions.
They’re also asking any individuals, organizations or companies who have done business with the Chamber to preserve invoices, emails, messages and payment confirmations. If you have already paid, promptly contact PayPal and your bank or card issuer to report the concern and ask about recovery options. Out of concern for the community, CLGBTCC asks everyone to refrain from posting personal financial information publicly.
In closing, CLGBTCC says they have not identified any money missing from Chamber bank accounts and that their primary concern involves payments solicited from community members in the Chamber’s name that were directed elsewhere.
This is a developing story. It will be updated by Qnotes as additional information becomes available.
This story is brought to you by Rosedale Health and Wellness and Dudley’s Place.
