Politics & Government

Amid Turmoil, Domestic Violence Center Hires Interim Director

An interim director steps in at the troubled Domestic Violence Center.

The Domestic Violence Center of Howard County, amid a controversy that led to its government funding being frozen, announced today that it has hired an interim executive director.

Inga James will begin work at the center tomorrow, April 19, according to a statement released by the center. She steps in after the former executive director, Annie Burton-Byrd, was hired without what the county considered a proper background check, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The shake-up began in mid-March. Ulman told the Columbia Flier that he had been concerned about a "lack of stable leadership and lack of cooperation with the county." Then the county discovered that Burton-Byrd had been banned from handling federal money, he said.

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Burton-Byrd had previously served in Baltimore as program director of the Martin Luther King After-School Program. While there, according to the Columbia Flier, she improperly used five AmeriCorps volunteers for work at her rental management and tree-trimming business.

County Executive Ken Ulman froze funding to the center in March; the state did  the same.

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The center’s board members resigned in late March. Volunteers were appointed by Ulman to fill the vacancies. The new board placed Burton-Byrd on administrative leave, after which Ulman reinstated the center's funding, according to County Spokesman Kevin Enright.

James will work with the center’s board of directors on day-to-day management of operations and assist in the search for a permanent executive director.

“Our highest priority continues to be providing quality services for our clients and the community,” Board Chairperson Lara Weathersbee said in the statement. “We are very pleased to welcome Dr. James and have great confidence in her deep commitment and long experience in the fields of domestic violence and sexual assault.”

James has worked in human services and the criminal justice system, according to the statement. She has also worked directly with victims of domestic assault as a counselor, advocate and program director, it said.

This article has been edited to indicate that the County reinstated the Domestic Violence Center's funding after Burton-Byrd was placed on administrative leave.


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