Sonoma State president steps down amid sexual harassment, retaliation scandal
Sonoma State President Judy Sakaki, who faced an outcry over her leadership amid a campus sexual harassment and retaliation scandal involving her and her husband, announced Monday that she is stepping down.
The announcement marks the latest fallout from searing criticism over how California State University investigates and resolves sexual harassment and workforce retaliation complaints at its 23 campuses — a controversy that has shaken CSU’s leadership ranks and led its chancellor to step down in February.
In recent weeks, Sakaki’s leadership of the Northern California campus came under scrutiny after a Times investigation detailed how California State University paid $600,000 to settle a legal claim with a provost who reported retaliation and sexual harassment allegations involving Sakaki and her husband, Patrick McCallum, a prominent higher education lobbyist.
The provost, Lisa Vollendorf, alleged she faced retaliation from Sakaki, her boss, after she reported the sexual harassment accusations about McCallum to top officials at the chancellor’s office, records in the case show.
Sakaki and McCallum previously issued statements to The Times saying they had done nothing wrong. Sakaki denied retaliating against Vollendorf, declaring that the accusations “are utterly without basis.”
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Sonoma-State-president-steps-down-amid-sexual-17223597.php
