A steady drumbeat of staff departures at the National Governors Association (NGA) raised red flags among the group’s top leaders, setting off a two-month standoff that ended recently with the ouster of the group’s executive director.
In a series of phone calls between governors over the past few weeks, they discussed with growing alarm a culture of opacity at the Washington-based NGA, which has had an annual budget of about $15 million in recent years, according to federal tax filings.
On April 26, the entire executive committee of nine governors held a conference call and decided to force out Scott Pattison, who held the top job for nearly four years.
At least one more senior NGA official is on her way out: Tiffany Shackelford, the group’s chief strategic officer and a close Pattison ally, will be leaving in the coming days.
The NGA’s chairman and vice chair — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), respectively — addressed the remaining staffers on Thursday to soothe frayed nerves. Bullock conferenced in from Helena; Hogan made the hour-long drive from Annapolis to be there in person.
"Gov. Hogan expressed his appreciation to NGA employees for all they do every day on behalf of the nation’s governors,” said Michael Ricci, Hogan’s spokesman. “He talked about how it is in the states where we set the pace for addressing the big challenges of the day, an
