Terminations at Rebekah Children’s Services leave worried
employees without explanation
Gilroy – Three of the five top-ranking employees at Rebekah Children’s Services were fired Monday, on the orders of the agency’s board of directors, and frustrated employees say no one will tell them why.
The firings elevate Sharif Etman, formerly the chief financial officer, to the position of interim executive director. He replaces David Tollner, a former lawyer who was hired in May and fired Monday. Eleanor Villarreal, chief development officer, was also retained.
“Because it’s a personnel issue, I cannot elaborate on any details,” she said. “As we move forward during this transition, we will focus on what is most important: Rebekah Children’s Services’ mission of promoting the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children and families.”
Chief operations officer Michael McGrath and chief administrative officer Patrick Wiley were also dismissed. Both were paid more than $100,000 in 2004, according to paperwork filed with the IRS, and had worked with the organization for more than six years, said Villarreal.
“Everyone’s in the dark,” said one RCS employee, speaking on condition of anonymity. She feared losing her job, if she gave her name. “For them to just fire those three, just like that, it had to be something huge – but they won’t say.”
Employees said they were called to a meeting Tuesday, where Etman informed them of the firing and reminded employees that agency policy doesn’t permit them direct contact with the board of directors.
The 11-member board of directors, which met and made the decisions Saturday, is elected by the statewide Oddfellows-Rebekah Fraternal Order, which founded the agency as an orphanage in 1896. Secretary Margareut Oleson is a Gilroy resident; other members are scattered across the state, from Sacramento to Fontana.
Rebekah Children’s Services, a 501(c)(3) organization, serves the behavioral healthcare needs of children and their families, both on-site and in the community. The IOOF Avenue facility is licensed as a foster family agency and a residential group home serving emotionally disturbed children and teens, and provides prevention and education services to 2,000 children in 11 Gilroy schools each year.
