Jazz St. Louis Board Backs CEO at Center of Clash

The board of directors for Jazz St. Louis is backing president and CEO Victor Goines, who is facing questions after a clash with the organization's Young Friends Board over a T-shirt designed by prominent St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc.

The incident, which was detailed in an RFT story published Thursday, first came to public attention after an Instagram post by Bayoc on April 19. The artist wrote that he'd been told Goines rejected the T-shirt design because three white board members were offended by it.

Goines then attended a Young Friends Board meeting on April 11 where the T-shirt design was discussed. Through the course of the meeting, he allegedly shouted at members, which they later wrote about in a series of emails shared with the RFT.

In the story, supporters of the organization also raised questions about Goines' absence from the office, his attitude toward women and non-binary individuals and his temperament.

At the time of publication, Goines had no comment on a detailed list of allegations provided to him to the RFT, and members of the board of directors members that the RFT reached out to did not respond. However, this morning, Jazz St. Louis issued a statement to St. Louis Public Radio's St. Louis on the Air in advance of a discussion about the RFT's story.

In that statement, Board Chair Bill Higley writes that he and the board "stand completely behind Victor Goines."

Higley writes of Goines' credentials as a "musician, composer and educator" who was recommended for the position by celebrated musician Wynton Marsalis. He writes  that they "remain excited to have Victor at the helm with his extensive knowledge and connections to the jazz world."

Two paragraphs seem to address the allegations detailed in the RFT's story, specifically the suggestion that staffers were intimidated by Goines and that he proposed not paying women artists when discussing an event meant to celebrate women in jazz, a conversation that was recorded and shared with the RFT. 

"As soon as he arrived, he established a welcoming environment, working tirelessly to engage staff, volunteers, local musicians, donors and our audiences — always listening and creating an environment where multiple perspectives were encouraged, and differences were discussed," Higley writes of Goines. "He has been a consistent supporter of women in jazz. His dissertation research is on that very subject, and his own jazz groups prominently feature women artists."

He goes on to address allegations that Goines is difficult to work with:

"Clearly, certain individuals have not responded well to his more direct leadership style," Higley writes. "That some would not respond well is not at all surprising. In any organization, changes in leadership necessitate a period of adjustment as people need to acclimate to new styles, expectations, and processes. Turnover is not unusual for organizations going through such a transition. That said, the allegations and accusations described in various venues are entirely baseless and without merit."

Since Thursday, every single Young Friends board member has resigned their position. On the same day the RFT published its story, Young Friends Chair Cauiterra Matthews and Co-Chair Abby Devereux issued a statement via email to the group.

"This email will serve as official notice of us stepping down from our roles as Chair/Co-chair of the Young Friends board effectively immediately," Matthews wrote. "I see that all of you have decided to do the same now/at season wrap."

The full statement from Higley follows:

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