Charity Official Resigns Amid Charges of Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

May 21, 2009 | Read Time: 1 minute

Janet K. Ginn has stepped down from her position as president and chief executive of the Heifer Foundation, in Little Rock, Ark., amid allegations of copyright infringement and plagiarism.

The Heifer Foundation grew out of Heifer International, an international-aid organization, also in Little Rock. A legally separate organization, it was founded in 1990 to manage the charity’s endowment and planned gifts.

The Heifer Foundation says that Ms. Ginn and the foundation’s Board of Trustees “mutually agreed” that she should leave her position and that the decision followed an investigation conducted by the board and outside legal counsel.

“As a leading global philanthropic organization, Heifer Foundation must conduct itself with the utmost integrity,” Ronald H. McLean, chairman of the foundation’s board, said in a written statement. “Whether true or not, we cannot allow allegations of improper conduct to distract from the life-changing work of the Heifer organization, our people, and our generous donors.”

Ardyth Neill, the organization’s chief financial officer, has been appointed acting president and chief executive officer.

The organization did not provide any additional details about the allegations.

About the Author

NICOLE WALLACE

Features Editor

Nicole Wallace is features editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She has written about innovation in the nonprofit world, charities’ use of data to improve their work and to boost fundraising, advanced technologies for social good, and hybrid efforts at the intersection of the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, such as social enterprise and impact investing.Nicole spearheaded the Chronicle’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast and reported from India on the role of philanthropy in rebuilding after the South Asian tsunami. She started at the Chronicle in 1996 as an editorial assistant compiling The Nonprofit Handbook.Before joining the Chronicle, Nicole worked at the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs and served in the inaugural class of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps.A native of Columbia, Pa., she holds a bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University.