UPTOWN — A group of parents with children participating in CircEsteem were outraged by the firing of the program's executive director Maribeth Joy.
Joy has been with CircEsteem, which operates out of Alternatives Inc. at 4730 N. Sheridan Road, since 2004 when she joined as a stage manager, photographer and costume maker, according to the program's website. She was fired by the CircEsteem board with little explanation on Jan. 25, when she was scheduled for her yearly evaluation.
"Her evaluation basically began with, 'You're terminated as of now,'" said Karen Reyes, who's in charge of Friends of CircEsteem, a parent group founded by Joy. "I don't really have a good reason [for her being fired], which is particularly upsetting. Nothing has been communicated to parents. The reason is protected by a confidentiality clause, so they're not required to give one."
CircEsteem "provides a unique place for kids from diverse backgrounds to come together and build self-esteem and mutual respect through the practice and performance of circus arts." All of its programs are "interlocking and each one takes a holistic approach to working with youth. Every program was created to address a social need," according to its website.
At the program, Joy served as a volunteer, mentor, tutor, tour manager, stage manager, managing director and program director before becoming the executive director, but Reyes argued she was much more, especially to the at-risk children in the program.
"She does the duty of an executive director — she's a successful fundraiser — and something like a social worker for the most at-risk children," said Reyes, who serves as executive director for Art Reach at Lill Street.
Children were at the building when Joy was fired, which "could be argued as traumatizing for children" in the program, she said.
"They saw Maribeth on her way out and became aware of what was going on. So their parents were informed of what was going on," Reyes said, adding the rest of the families were left in the dark.
Cat Tagers, who joined the CircEsteem board in 2012 and serves as its president, said the company does not have to release its reasoning for termination and that all personnel issues are confidential. The board has "reviewed a lot of diverse perspectives over the last week" through community meetings, she said.
In an email to CircEsteem families, Tagers said the board reviewed its decision to fire Joy at its meeting on Jan. 31 after hearing the outcry.
"In the past week we received, and carefully considered, the wide variety of viewpoints from a diverse group of CircEsteem constituents," the email said. "Ten of twelve CircEsteem board members were present, and some CircEsteem staff members were present for the regular portion of the meeting. Following executive session, a motion was made to reinstate Maribeth as executive director and the motion failed. The board and the community are moving forward with an interim executive director plan, which we anticipate finalizing this week."
The board will create an eight person committee that "will include members of the administrative staff, teaching staff, parent community and the board of directors," to search for a new executive director. Programming will continue as scheduled, the email said.
Cortez Young, a coach at the program, said he started as a student and was invited to join the team by Joy, but recently they've had their "ups-and-downs."
"She helped a lot of kids ... a lot of kids who couldn't afford medicine she would buy it. She would go out of her way," he said.
"The kids took it kind of hard, but they were taking it hard because there [were] no answers," he said, adding only the board knows why she was fired. "The things she was doing [are] being delegated to top officials, but circus-wise everything is going the same. As long as the program continues that's all that really matters."
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