Museum Director

There are two sides to every story. Your article (Feb. 12) concerning the Afro-American Museum Board’s action terminating my employment as museum director is one side. I would like to tell the other.

To begin, it is important to note that at the same time the museum was experiencing management problems, public awareness and professional respect for the museum improved dramatically. Attendance increased and community volunteerism became a mainstay. I take some of the credit for these achievements.

The museum’s problems did not begin 1 1/2 years ago when I became the museum director. The museum has experienced ongoing management conflict, poor public image, and instability for at least five years. In 1988, the board forced the resignation of then-director Aurelia Brooks, who nevertheless remained as CEO of the museum’s independent fund-raising foundation. This situation perpetuated internal conflicts, in particular those centering on the ownership of the collection and the right of the foundation to carry the museum’s name.

To add to the problems, the board has tended to micro-manage staff, creating dual loyalties and impeding effective administration of day-to-day activities.

Overshadowing this situation was the state’s budget crisis, which, by last September, had resulted in the museum’s budget being cumulatively reduced by 35%. Because of cutbacks, those few opportunities planned to attempt to resolve the board’s structural shortcomings, as well as to better define the board’s relationship with the museum director, never materialized. Budget cuts resulted in salary, fringe, and unemployment benefit freezes. The result was poor staff morale and the desire to blame the administrator.

My efforts over 18 months to manage all of these multilevel administrative problems while at the same time being pressed by the impact of the state budget deficit were issues that would have deteriorated even the best of relationships. The fact that there have been four directors of the museum in five years is a clear indication of a problem far more basic and far-reaching than a “personality conflict.” Finally, the state must stop retreating from adequately funding the museum, if it is to thrive and serve this community.

TERRIE S. ROUSE

Los Angeles