Operation Underground Railroad announces new leadership after Tim Ballard ouster

Bridger Beal-Cvetko, KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL.com) — Operation Underground Railroad on Tuesday announced a new six-member board of directors in the latest restructuring of the anti-trafficking nonprofit following a series of allegations of sexual misconduct by founder and former CEO Tim Ballard.

The new board consists of members with nonprofit, entrepreneurial and law enforcement experience, including one longtime friend of Ballard — who was ousted from the organization he founded following an independent investigation last year.

Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad have since been sued by multiple plaintiffs who allege he engaged in sexual misconduct and the board failed to protect them. Ballard has denied the allegations and Operation Underground Railroad has argued in court filings that one of the plaintiffs never reported the alleged misconduct to the company.

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In a statement posted without fanfare to the organization’s website in December, Operation Underground Railroad further distanced itself from Ballard, saying an independent law firm reached the conclusion that he “engaged in unprofessional behavior that violated OUR’s policies and values.”

The statement continued, saying, “We are in the process of refreshing the board of directors to include accomplished professionals with diverse perspective and skill sets, and have initiated a search for a new CEO to lead OUR forward.”

Entrepreneur and tech executive Sean Vassilaros was announced as the new chairman of Operation Underground Railroad. Vassilaros co-founded Thread, a biotech research platform, and Kanny, a human resources tech company. He also serves as the chairman of the Hailey Mayz Foundation, a nonprofit providing physical, speech and occupational therapies for special needs children.

“It is a privilege to serve on OUR’s board with my fellow directors, who bring a wealth of experience, expertise, and passionate commitment to OUR’s mission of rescuing and supporting victims of trafficking and exploitation,” Vassilaros said in a statement. “Going forward, our focus will be on identifying the right leader for the organization, demonstrating our values in everything we do, and ensuring that OUR’s strong, resilient team of dedicate operators, staff and volunteers maintains a safe, respectful and professional work environment.”

RELATED | 2nd lawsuit filed against Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard

The new board members are:

Kelly Crouch, strategic adviser for Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children Jeff Frazier, chairman of Stimpack, a Haiti-focused think tank and nongovernmental organization Jordan Greenbaum, clinician and researcher specializing in the treatment of abused and exploited children Michele McBride, director of organization development at Keller Williams, a real estate firm, and co-founder of Project ROAR Matthew Millhollin, 25-year law enforcement professional and human trafficking expert Sean Vassilaros, tech executive, entrepreneur and chairman of the Hailey Mayz Foundation

The future of Operation Underground Railroad

Vassilaros and Frazier both acknowledged the scrutiny Operation Underground Railroad has received in light of the accusations against Ballard, but both praised the internal workings of the organization in an interview with KSL.com Tuesday.

While the organization was “falling apart” from a public relations standpoint, Frazier said “it was doing quite well” internally. He stressed a point made by the organization in an earlier statement that Ballard had been involved in just a small number of operations in recent years, and said the allegations don’t capture the bulk of the anti-trafficking work supported by the organization.

“The reality is, not much has changed internally,” he said. “I would say the expectation from the outside is a stark contrast from the realities on the inside.”

Documents from a now-closed local and federal investigation into Operation Underground Railroad obtained by KSL.com in September show former employees were concerned that Ballard may have misled donors by making exaggerated claims about the organization’s work.

“Sound of Freedom,” a surprise box office hit last summer, is based loosely on Ballard’s career, and Ballard has not been shy about promoting his work with Operation Underground Railroad in other documentaries and on social media.

Frazier declined to say whether he believes prior leadership oversold Operation Underground Railroad’s impact to the public, but said, “Moving forward, the light will be shining brightly on operators and aftercare personnel that are doing that frontline work and doing it really well.”

RELATED | 5 women sue Tim Ballard, alleging sex assault by Operation Underground Railroad founder

While he said there has been “some churn” with donors since the allegations came to light, Frazier said he’s been “amazed and thrilled with how loyal our donors have been thus far.” That’s not to say some haven’t been concerned, but he said the board is trying to move forward and focus on the mission of combating trafficking.

“The hero building of the past is going to stay in the past,” Frazier said.

The prior board consisted entirely of relatives and close friends of Ballard, according to Vice News, and Frazier, who is a longtime friend of Ballard, addressed potential concerns that the new board still has too many ties to the embattled founder.

“A lot has been made of that; I think the vast majority is overstated,” Frazier said. “So to be clear, my last text to him was in July when the film (‘Sound of Freedom’) was doing well. I’ve heard nothing from him since. We’re not in contact now and it’s not appropriate for us to be in contact in the future.”

RELATED | Ex-Operation Underground Railroad CEO Tim Ballard calls sex misconduct allegations ‘baseless’

Court filings have alleged that former board members were aware of complaints against Ballard and failed to take appropriate action to protect plaintiffs. Vassilaros said he and Frazier have done their “own kind of diligence” on the issue and said he’s “comfortable with the board’s actions and the timeline.”

“When we do have our day in court, the facts are going to be on our side and we will see that the past board … moved quickly and efficiently when things were made aware,” he said, noting that the lawsuits are still only allegations.