Report describes explicit harassment by former IFA director
A report released last week by investigators at the Weinhardt Law Firm recounts the behavior of former Iowa Finance Authority director David Jamison, who was fired by Gov. Kim Reynolds in the spring after allegations from two employees of persistent sexual harassment by Jamison.
Investigators state that two employees “likely believed that they would be fired if they ever spoke out against Mr. Jamison.” Investigators found both witnesses and corroborating employees to be credible, despite Jamison flatly denying most of the accusations.
The report describes explicit behavior and sexual and racist comments by Jamison toward staff members, including describing trips to massage parlors for “happy endings”; making obscene or sexually suggestive gestures toward female employees; frequently asking female employees sexual questions at conferences or during drinks with co-workers; implying to both witnesses that he was responsible for promoting them; grabbing a female employee’s breasts while having drinks with co-workers in Okoboji; and once watching a pornographic video in a car with one of the witnesses driving.
The report states that both witnesses felt unsafe in their workplace. It also found that following Jamison’s firing by Reynolds, Wes Peterson, the director of government affairs for IFA, whom investigators said was often referred to as Jamison’s “drinking buddy,” called one of the witnesses at her home one evening and yelled at her while attempting to learn if she was one of the witnesses.
Investigators also found it would be “reasonable” reading the State Employee Handbook to infer that an agency head would be responsible for conducting an investigation into their own reported misconduct, based on the current state policies.
In a press statement, Reynolds acknowledged a previous friendship with Jamison but said the report confirms “we made the correct decision to immediately terminate him.”
“I never witnessed or experienced anything like what is described in the report,” Reynolds said. “Had I known, I would have fired him a long time ago. There is no excuse for this kind of behavior.”
Reynolds also promised there would be changes to the state harassment reporting process in cases against a director.
“The events described in the report should not have occurred under any circumstance and will not be tolerated,” Iowa Finance Authority Interim Executive Director Carolann Jensen said in a news release about the report. “Providing a safe work environment for our staff is paramount and I’m committed to ensuring that happens moving forward.”