Matt CarlsonCLEVELAND, Tenn. – Two members of Habitat for Humanity of Cleveland’s finance committee have resigned following what they describe as the “abrupt dismissal” of Matt Carlson, the organization’s executive director of 13 years.
Habitat President Jeff Morelock said the departures of Carlson and Operations Director J. Michael Watkins – who both resigned at the end of March – were connected to an audit performed earlier in the month, according to previous local media reports.
In their resignation letters, Chris Conine, vice president for Lee University’s business and finance department, and Shibu M. Joseph, a financial consultant, both expressed dismay “by the unconventional and imprudent manner in which this situation was handled and inappropriately publicized in the local media.”
The audit results did not warrant Carlson’s dismissal, they said.
“In spite of the deficiencies in internal controls as listed in the management letter, Habitat received an unqualified, unmodified (clean) audit opinion and a management letter listing no material weaknesses,” said the resigned financial panel members.