Vantaggi
The feeling of getting out, working for a reputable non-profit, and knowing that no one at MDA has any power over me, or has any part in my life. That's the only positive.
Svantaggi
Where to begin... The board's treatment of the previous CEO was reprehensible. She faced misogyny, belittling, and berating at every turn. The board was a huge problem, my entire tenure. Members of the board were notorious for bullying staff at meetings. The sexism was palpable. And when the aforementioned CEO departed, she was replaced with a board member. And then another board member was appointed chief of staff. That's when everything really fell apart. Bullying and intimidation hit a fever pitch. Staff was regularly belittled and harassed. And then the vast majority of capable talent fled in droves. They stopped announcing departures because it became embarrassing. The chief of staff became obsessed with touting DEI, even though every single person on the executive team was white and fully abled. When new leadership was appointed, they made it crystal clear that it was a new day at MDA, and that the organization would no longer be hiring "expensive consultants the way the former CEO had". And then they did just that. Hired a handful of mystery consultants who would just show up to meetings unannounced. But they didn't miss any opportunity to insult the former CEO, which is tacky, classless, and extremely unprofessional. The activists' deepest fears about MDA are right. It is not the beacon of light for the neuromuscular community it proports itself to be, especially not under its current leadership. And this is a community that needs every bit of philanthropic assistance it can get. I would recommend someone collect government assistance before applying for a job at MDA. Here's to hoping a functional non-profit or hospital system conducts a takeover of the MDA, and course corrects it, before it crashes and burns.
