Regent Carol Del Carlo, shown at a Nevada System for Higher Education Board of Regents special meeting Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, was named the chairwoman of the board through June 30.
Published Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 | 9:08 a.m.
Updated Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 | 10:01 a.m.
The Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents named regents Carol Del Carlo and Amy Carvalho as the temporary chair and vice chair until either June 30 or the end of an internal investigation into accusations of a hostile work environment against the former chairwoman and vice chairman by the top administrator of the state’s higher education system.
“We’re in uncharted territories and waters,” Del Carlo said in the meeting this morning. “I will do my best and work very hard to be very open and transparent and move us forward. I take this opportunity as a way to move forward and get the people’s business done and students’ business done.”
Former Chair Cathy McAdoo and Vice Chair Patrick Carter were named in a complaint filed by Chancellor Melody Rose in early October alleging the two regents discriminated against her based on gender, undermined her authority, committed ethical and code-of-conduct violations and engaged in other inappropriate behavior in an orchestrated attempt to oust her.
The change of board leadership passed on a 7-4 vote and is effective today. Regents Laura E. Perkins, Joseph Arrascada, Byron Brooks and Patrick Boylan voted against naming Del Carlo the temporary chair. Earlier in the meeting, Perkins unsuccessfully nominated Arrascada and Brooks for the interim positions.
McAdoo was advised Thursday by the regents counsel to abstain from voting on the leadership change. Carter missed the meeting. They will remain on the 13-member board.
“I have an obligation as a public officer and representative of the board to avoid conflicts of interest and protect the public’s trust in government under the Nevada Ethics Law,” McAdoo said.
Regent John T. Moran last month called for McAdoo and Carter to relinquish their officer positions pending the investigation, but the two initially stayed put until stepping down last week. It is unclear why McAdoo and Carter chose to delay stepping down, but sources close to the situation said oversight of the higher education system had been paralyzed during the weeks when they remained in place.
Under the structure of the system, the regents and the chancellor serve in roles similar to those of a school board and superintendent of a public school district. In the case of the regents, the chancellor and the top two board officers normally work together to set the regents’ agenda and prioritize their business.
“I don’t think there is anyone on this board that is better suited considering all facts and circumstances that the system has moving forward,” Moran said. “Both positively and negatively, I do look forward to seeing both regent Del Carlo and regent Carvalho going forward, building consensus, working with the chancellor and the chancellor’s cabinet as well as her colleagues.”
In the weeks since Rose lodged her complaint, all three meetings that were on the regents’ calendar were canceled or postponed. Del Carlo said after the meeting that she would look through the agendas of the canceled meetings to bring items back to the board for consideration. Del Carlo, who previously served as the vice chair, also plans to resume the delayed search to hire special counsel to specifically represent the board — and different from the representation of NHSE.
The goal, Del Carlo stressed, was making sure everyone was on the same page.
Del Carlo is based in Northern Nevada, where her district represents Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Esmeralda, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Storey and Washoe counties. She has been on the board since 2016, also serving as vice chair in 2020-21.
“I know that we can go in the right direction,” Arrascada said. “There’s a lot going on. As a strong body of 13, we will find a way, and I know we can work together as one.”
The ongoing investigation into Rose’s accusations is being conducted by Las Vegas-based law firm Kamer Zucker Abbott.
In her complaint, Rose — who became chancellor in September 2020 — says her tenure began positively under then-Chair Mark Doubrava and Vice Chair Del Carlo but turned for the worse in May when she announced that her office planned to develop a vaccination policy for Nevada’s universities and colleges.
Rose, who acknowledged that she didn’t “properly vet” the announcement through the regents, said several members of the board were furious, and she speculated that McAdoo and Carter decided then to pursue the officer positions in retaliation.
Rose in her complaint also wrote that McAdoo and Carter approached a number of individuals, including NSHE staff members, to advocate for her firing. McAdoo took over the process for Rose’s one-year performance review, including setting up interviews with Rose’s staff members without her knowledge, despite Rose’s contention that the review should have been done by Doubrava since he was chair during her first year.
“I recognize this behavior for what it is: an effort to manufacture cause for dismissal,” she wrote.
