Redwood Empire Food Bank launching internal investigation into claims against ex-CEO

Redwood Empire Food Bank has launched an internal investigation into claims former CEO David Goodman sexually harassed and wrongfully terminated a former senior executive he supervised at the Santa Rosa nonprofit.

Board of Directors Chair David Berry, in a statement emailed Tuesday to the food bank community, said the board learned of the lawsuit last month, but the board had no specifics about what it alleged at that time.

In the lawsuit, filed Feb. 23 in Sonoma County Superior Court, former Development Director Lisa Cannon accuses Goodman of sexually harassing her and sexually discriminating against her. She said she complained to the nonprofit’s Human Resources officer but nothing was done. She also accused Goodman of retaliating against her by wrongfully terminating her employment.

“This Redwood Empire Food Bank board is resolved in its commitment to respecting the privacy and confidentiality of those involved while remaining laser focused on ensuring the Food Bank carries out its critically important mission,” Berry said in his statement. “We will continue to keep our community informed as best we can as we move forward.”

According to Berry, on March 4, Goodman tendered his resignation from the agency. Two days later, the board received details of the lawsuit from Cannon’s attorney, Berry said.

Shortly after that, the board formally accepted Goodman’s resignation, placed him on leave, then subsequently “released” him rather than allowing him to resign.

“In the last few days,” according to Berry’s email, the board opted to launch an independent investigation into what Cannon said happened.

Representatives with Redwood Empire Food Bank said late Tuesday that the board “is engaging a third-party, independent investigator to carry out this process, though we are not at liberty to provide additional details in order to protect the integrity of the investigation."

Cannon’s lawyer, Candice Clipner, has disputed Berry’s timeline.

She said she emailed Redwood Empire Food Bank’s legal counsel at the end of January about Cannon’s allegations, then again on Feb. 1 letting them know Cannon was going to file a lawsuit. Clipner said she emailed the food bank’s counsel on Feb. 26 telling them the suit had been submitted for filing on Feb. 23.

In her suit, Cannon asks for a jury trial and is seeking unspecified monetary damages for pain and suffering, damage to her reputation and emotional distress.

You can reach Staff Writer Sara Edwards at 707-521-5487 or sara.edwards@pressdemocrat. com. On Twitter @sedwards380.