The Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) has hired a new executive director and their choice, Diane Rath, will have a lot of work ahead of her.
AACOG has had a rough year. It had its wrist slapped by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality this year. TCEQ accused AACOG of releasing oil and gas pollution data into the community before TCEQ allowed. TCEQ eliminated 25 percent of AACOG's budget shortly thereafter.
Around the same time their former leadership team, Dean Danos and Mike Quinn were implicated in a fraudulant relationship with Jackie Cooper, executive director of the TriHM foundation. Cooper had allegedly been using AACOG's name to secure grant money for projects she had not intention of completing. In addition, AACOG had renovated and leased space to her that she never occupied or paid for. Danos and Quinn were both pushed out as a result. We reported on the scandal on an earlier episode of The Source.
Both incidents shook the agency to its core. Rath, who was with the Texas Workforce Commission for 10 years (1998-2008) will need to rebuild trust with the community and with other partner agencies.
Guest:
- Diane Rath, new executive director of the Alamo Area Council of Governments
***Disclosure Note: The Alamo Area Council of Governments has been a financial supporter of Texas Public Radio.
