The resignation of numerous staff members in recent years sheds light on an alleged hostile culture and environment fostered at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus, Ga. 

No less than five female employees have walked out in recent years, several of them without having secured future employment. The past employees all named the hostile working environment fostered by the organization’s executive director, Norman S. Easterbrook, as their sole reason for departure. 

Another male employee also chose to leave without lining up another employment opportunity, citing his inability to tolerate the hostile workplace experiences expressed by his female colleagues.

According to several past employees whose identities we have chosen to redact for privacy reasons, numerous formal complaints of a hostile work environment have been filed by employees against Easterbrook. The employees went on to describe how none of those complaints were ever investigated conclusively by the RiverCenter nor its board of directors and went largely ignored. 

As a result, the employees walked out one by one.

The past employees’ complaints seem to largely focus around a dictatorial and sexist culture facilitated by Easterbrook,  alleging a conniving demeanor that misogynistically undermined the employees based on their gender. 

The alleged hostile culture at the RiverCenter appears to be corroborated  by the RiverCenter’s financial statements during Easterbrook’s tenure.

 A recent examination of the local non-profit’s tax records conducted by the Muckraker revealed a cumulative net loss of more than $1.13 million from 2014 to 2019. We have published our findings complete with an interactive visual chart in an additional article on the subject.

The seven-figure deficit began to accrue well before the pandemic, appearing to have been greatly exacerbated by Easterbrook’s 2015 hiring.

Another source with keen insight into the inner-workings of the RiverCenter’s workplace environment, whose identity we have chosen to redact due to privacy concerns,  has stated they are positive that the RiverCenter’s financial troubles are caused almost entirely by Easterbrook. 

The claim seems to match the actions of the RiverCenter’s board of directors, who last year voted to conduct a financial investigation of the organization’s accounting practices.

While the results of that investigation have not been independently confirmed by the Muckraker, there is reason to believe that they were conclusive enough to warrant a deeper and more stringent level of formal investigation.

An additional local source close to the RiverCenter, whose identity we have chosen to redact due to privacy concerns, has disclosed to the Muckraker that the RiverCenter may currently be under investigation by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Labor (DOL).

Easterbrook was not approached for comment prior to this article’s publication in order to prevent retaliation upon current RiverCenter employees by their employer. 

Muscogee Muckraker will continue to report on these investigations as more information is able to be confirmed.