by Cecilia Kibada
My name is Cecilia Kibada, and I’m the Director of Public Outreach and Civic Engagement at the Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
I was shocked when I heard the news that Director José Evans resigned. I have worked closely with him, and in my experience, I never saw a hostile work environment, and I never saw him treat anyone unfairly.
What I did see was his passion for this agency. He was implementing restructuring, the same kind of restructuring that other state agencies go through. His goal was to build a stronger ICRC with an even greater impact. With any restructuring, people need to be patient because change takes time to show results. And we have already seen positive impact. Of course, change is not easy, and sometimes people don’t like it. But we all know we cannot develop if we keep doing the same thing every day. Sometimes we need new ideas, new structures, and a new mindset to make a bigger impact.
I also saw in him the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a leader who believed in justice, equality, and service. He made sure everyone felt welcome, no matter their race or background, and that meant a lot in an agency with staff from many different cultures.
To me, he was not just an executive director. He was also a mentor, especially to younger employees. He pushed us to grow, and he inspired us.
I know sometimes in leadership positions, especially when you are driving change, people will criticize you. From what I saw, he faced resistance from the beginning. And yes, sometimes powerful voices can create stories that people are quick to believe. In my previous role as a civil rights investigator, I learned that people can file a complaint, even cry, and at first you might believe them. But after thorough investigation, the truth can be very different. That’s why I believe we must always be careful and thorough in understanding situations before we judge.
Even with all the changes he made, many staff members were still supporting him. On Friday around 4 p.m., when people first heard the news, some of us even started a petition. A number of people signed before going home for the weekend, and we planned for others to sign on Monday morning. But later that night, around 8:53 p.m., we received an email announcing that a new executive director had already been appointed. To me, the petition showed something important that many people respected and liked Director Evans and valued his leadership.
I am sad because I feel like some people tried to ruin his image and pull him down. But my experience of him was very different. I saw a leader who was passionate, committed, and determined to build an even stronger Civil Rights Commission for the people of Indiana.
Looking ahead, we now have a new executive director, and he is someone that Director Evans trusted very much. In fact, he is one of the new people that José personally hired. I believe he will do a great job moving the Commission forward.
Cecilia Kibada is the Director of Public Outreach and Civic Engagement at the Indiana Civil Rights Commission.
