Between June 23 and June 27, 2022, four board members of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners sent letters of resignation to NBCE CEO Dr. Norman Ouzts, outlining the reasons for their resignations:
"On May 16, 2022, former NBCE Board member, Dr. Keita Vanterpool, filed the lawsuit of Vanterpool v. FCLB, Dr. Karlos Boghosian, and Dr. Carol Winkler, Case No. 1:22-cv-01208. Dr. Robert Daschner, although not named individually in the suit is a member of the FCLB board. Dr. Boghosian, Dr. Winkler and Dr. Daschner were advised in a general session of the Board that a conflict of interest existed." — Michael Fedorczyk, DC; District III Director, Past Treasurer and Secretary
"Our Board Policy Manual is not an a la carte menu. We don't have the luxury to pick and choose. My fiduciary responsibilities prevent me from looking the other way to what is in violation of our policies. The Board can no longer pretend that our governance and policies don't matter." — John McGinnis, DC; District V Director, Former American Chiropractic Association Governor
"I am only the second black person to be elected to this board over about six decades. Almost exactly one year ago I had an article published lauding the diversity of the NBCE board. Today, I'm saddened that the majority of its members don't take accusations of racial discrimination seriously. As a black man and a leader in this professional community, I owe it to all minority chiropractors, my family, and myself to separate from the current Board leadership which has said and done little to acknowledge the gravity of this matter. Instead, this board has either eliminated or alienated all of its black membership within a period of four months." — Jason Young, DC; At-Large Director
Dr. Ouzts confirmed: "During the past week [June 23-27], NBCE has received resignation letters from four of its Directors: Kim Driggers, JD (At Large Director), John McGinnis, DC (District V Director), Michael Fedorczyk, DC (District III Director), Jason Young, DC (At Large Director).
A communication from NBCE to the state delegates regarding the resignations will be sent out this week. As we navigate this situation, the operations of NBCE continue without interruption because of the dedicated and hardworking NBCE staff. NBCE staff are committed to ensuring that the testing and assessments services NBCE provides for the chiropractic profession continue to set the standard."
The mass resignation was reportedly caused by four other NBCE board members who refused to heed the advice of four attorneys, two crisis management consultants and others, choosing instead to vote continually to keep the three conflicted NBCE and FCLB board members in their positions. They are:
- Dr. LeRoy F. Otto, DC, NBCE vice president and district II director
- Dr. Margaret Freihaut, NBCE treasurer and at-large director
- Dr. Jason Jaeger, NBCE secretary and district IV director
- Dr. James Buchanan, district I director
Some have suggested that these board members aren't willing to risk their NBCE annual income (which in 2019 ranged from $44,750-$80,800 for NBCE officers, depending on specific expenses-paid travel), their positions and future aspirations.
The question many are now asking is: What should the NBCE state delegates do next to address this situation and correct the events that have transpired?
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