The founder of Black Girls Code told Insider that her suspension came out of the blue.
Bryant said in a statement that the board held a meeting on Monday and discussed usual business. Heather Hiles, the board's interim chair, asked to speak with Bryant after the meeting. She asked Hiles if they could meet after the holidays because Bryant had another meeting to attend.
Bryant said that she lost access to her work email the next day, and that she received a letter from Hiles on her personal email account saying that she had been suspended and that the board had appointed an interim executive director.
Bryant announced the situation in a social media post.
Bryant had been placed on paid administrative leave and removed from leadership of the organization pending an investigation into his conduct. The board formed a committee in October to investigate complaints about her leadership style.
Bryant said she was aware that a special committee had been formed to examine the non-profit's work culture and had approved payment for an attorney, but that she had never been told that a formal investigation of complaints against her was taking place.
She said that it would have been nice to know what the specific allegations are, because they have not been articulated to her in a clear format.
Bryant accused Hiles of trying to push her out of the board because she was not informed of the vote.
The Black Girls Code's board declined to comment on Bryant's statement.
The Daily Beast's Emily Shugerman reported that Bryant and Hiles had been at odds since Hiles took over as interim chair. Bryant objected to Hiles' nomination as chair in an email, saying that Hiles had been disrespectful to him and the board was "dysfunctional," according to the Daily Beast.
Insider spoke with several former staffers who believed that Bryant's management style was slowing the organization's growth.
Charles Anderson, a former Black Girls Code employee, told Insider that if Bryant could let herself be the face and let someone else handle the business side, the organization could grow phenomenally.
Anderson said that the board was legit.
The founder and board were going to have a fight. Bryant said her chief of staff told her that Hiles had requested information on the nonprofit's personnel in the past. Bryant would check with the nonprofit's counsel.
Bryant said that it was unconscionable for people like Ms. Hiles to take advantage of a grassroots organization like BGC for their own personal gain.
Black Girls Code's board previously said in a statement to Insider that it was investigating "serious allegations of workplace impropriety" but did not provide further details.
The Oakland, California, nonprofit has chapters in 16 cities and has had more than 30,000 participants, and is sponsored by a who's who in corporate America, according to the organization.
"My hope is that the outcome of this conflict will resolve amicably and include protecting BGC and all that we have built as a legacy over the last 10 years for Black women and girls," she said.
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