Secular Coalition for America Fires Executive Director After 2 Employees Embezzle $78K
One of the largest secular lobbying groups in the U.S. recently fired its executive director, who says she was let go from the coalition due to a recent embezzlement scandal involving two of her subordinates.
It was reported last week that Edwina Rogers, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America since May 2012, had been fired from her position at the Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group comprised of a network of nonreligious organizations.
Rogers, who previously served as an adviser to the George W. Bush administration, told The New York Times late last week that she had been given no reason for her firing, but believes the termination is related to the recent revelation that two of her subordinates had embezzled $78,805, using the organization's credit cards on personal expenses, such as plastic surgery.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Rogers told the New York Times that she notified the police upon discovering the embezzlement and fired the two employees, as well as initiated the audit. She reportedly had no authority over the finances from which the embezzled funds were taken.
The coalition also released a brief statement Friday, acknowledging that Rogers had "[moved] on" from her role as executive director.
"The Secular Coalition for America today announced that Edwina Rogers has moved on from her role as Executive Director. The Coalition thanks Rogers for her service as Executive Director. Rogers served as the Executive Director of the Secular Coalition since May of 2012."
Multiple media outlets report that this most recent scandal comes at an inconvenient time for the coalition, as this week it is holding its annual Lobby Day and Secular Summit event in Washington, D.C., beginning June 12. Keynote speakers at the event include Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
Hemant Mehta, the well-known blogger behind "The Friendly Atheist," has suggested the coalition will pick Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts who was formerly a member of the House of Representatives from 1981 to 2013, as its executive director replacement.
"I have no insider knowledge here, but I'm guessing the SCA will go hard after former Congressman Barney Frank. It would be a major coup and a way to put Rogers' abrupt dismissal behind them," Mehta wrote in a June 6 post.
