THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 11, 1995 TAG: 9511130209
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
The director's assistant at the Chrysler Museum of Art was fired this week amid allegations of misuse of funds, board President Roy B. Martin Jr. said Friday.
The assistant, Shirley Woodward, ``was asked to leave the museum'' Tuesday, Martin said.
Martin said Woodward is being investigated by the city attorney's office on suspicion of mishandling a small sum of money, but he would not specify the amount.
``An inquiry is ongoing by our outside auditors,'' said City Attorney Phil Trapani. He declined to elaborate.
In addition to her duties in the director's office, Woodward was in charge of special events at the museum. She handled rentals of the popular Huber Court and other museum spaces, a substantial source of revenue for the museum, and worked with caterers and florists.
Woodward said she was given a letter by Martin and other museum officials that said she was being terminated for ``conflict of interest.'' The letter specified that in September she OK'd payment for an event at the museum's cafe that did not take place, Woodward said.
``But they never asked me about it,'' she said. ``Evidently, 15 years of good service wasn't enough for them to at least give me the courtesy of asking me `Is this true?' ''
Woodward, who came to the museum in 1980, said she has ``never intentionally misused funds.'' MEMO: Staff writers June Arney and Alex Marshall contributed to this story.
by CNB