The Alamo Area Council of Governments is investigating a formal complaint about workplace issues, and has placed Executive Director Diane Rath on leave amid allegations she regularly criticized employees and called them names.
AACOG is an association of local governments from 13 counties — including Bexar County — that collaborates on projects like air quality, aging services, law enforcement and military affairs across the region. Overseen by a board of regional elected officials, it has roughly 350 employees and a budget of about $80 million, funded primarily by state and federal grants.
On Sept. 12, members of AACOG’s board of directors received an anonymous letter alleging Rath, who has led AACOG since 2014, has become “increasingly hostile to employees working with this agency.” The letter was signed “faithful and loyal AACOG employees.”
On Sept. 29, board chairman James Teal, the McMullen County judge, emailed members notifying them that a complaint also was filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
“We take all such complaints seriously, and we are committed to addressing them in a fair and impartial manner,” Teal wrote. “… In light of this complaint, we will be conducting a thorough internal investigation to ensure that our workplace remains a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees.”
Rath was placed on administrative leave until that investigation is complete, according to a source familiar with the issue. Rath did not respond to a request for comment.
In the meantime, Cliff Herberg, AACOG’s general counsel, was named interim executive director on Oct. 6, according to Miguel Segura, AACOG’s director of public affairs and regional development.
Teal’s email didn’t specify what types of complaints had been made or against whom.
The anonymous letter, however, accused Rath of “relentless negative criticism, name calling, vulgar language, and all around cynical behavior that has created a hostile work environment.”
“Unfortunately I believe that in some instances these are motivated by racial and prejudicial beliefs held by Diane Rath,” it said.
Rath previously served as a senior vice president for a national workforce solutions company and chaired the Texas Workforce Commission, a role she was appointed to by Gov. George W. Bush and reappointed to by Gov. Rick Perry. According to her LinkedIn profile, Rath’s role at AACOG includes “transforming the agency to respond to the current environment.”
Teal’s email to the board noted AACOG’s “commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is unwavering.”
San Antonio City Councilman Manny Pelaez (D8), an employment lawyer who serves on AACOG’s board, said in an interview that he has witnessed only “professional work” from Rath, but noted conducting an investigation of the claims “is exactly how you’re supposed to handle these things.”
“Diane is a friend and I’m hurting for her,” Pelaez said, adding that it’s “important that we not jump to conclusions and that we not lose sight of Diane’s right to due process, respect and dignity.”
