It’s still not clear why the board of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority forced out Marcel Vernon Sr., barely a year after hiring him as its chief executive.
But this much we do know: It’s not a good look for Governor Maura Healey.
Healey controls the board, having appointed seven of its 13 members, and installed the chair, Emme Handy, who served as chief financial officer for the city of Boston under former mayor Marty Walsh.
Vernon, who is Black, was brought in to help the quasi-public agency repair its reputation of being an unwelcoming place for people of color. He was trying to fix problems laid bare in an audit by law firm Prince Lobel Tye, which found that the agency, under previous executive director David Gibbons, did a poor job of hiring and promoting Black and Hispanic employees, and of contracting with diverse suppliers.
On Friday, after pressure from the board, Vernon agreed to a settlement with the MCCA that would have him step down immediately as CEO with a $500,000 severance package. An interim CEO will be named.
Does anyone see the irony of the situation? The MCCA board brings in a Black guy to improve diversity and inclusion only to get rid of the Black guy.
So who’s the problem here?
“We’re witnessing a troubling pattern where Black leaders are invited to the table but not supported when they get there,” said Rahsaan Hall, chief executive of the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. “Leadership isn’t just who you hire. It’s about who you empower to succeed, and it does not appear that Mr. Vernon has been empowered to succeed.”
Hall and Nicole Obi, chief executive of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, sent a letter to Healey on Thursday raising concerns about how Vernon was being treated. The MCCA has been known to be hostile to Black employees, with complaints filed with the state attorney general’s office.
“The larger issue is: What is the culture of the institution?” Hall added. “The question for me is: Is this a case of where the executive is incapable of leading, or if it’s a case where the agency is incapable of being led?”
A Healey spokesperson declined to comment.
As head of the MCCA, Vernon oversees three convention centers across Massachusetts, including the Seaport’s massive Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center, which bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors and generate $1.2 billion in economic impact annually.
He came to the MCCA with more than 30 years of experience across hospitality, government, higher education, and nonprofits, including as chief financial officer at Bay Cove Human Services in Boston and senior casino roles at Harrah’s Entertainment and Mohegan Sun.
Last October, when the board unanimously voted to offer him the job, Healey in a press release called Vernon “a highly qualified leader” and “an excellent choice.”
Handy echoed the sentiment. “We are confident that Marcel is the right choice to lead this important economic development engine,” she said at the time.
Before long, I’m told, there were complaints that Vernon wasn’t around enough and that he didn’t get along with staff. He was encouraged to hire an executive coach to be a more effective manager.
Vernon, however, believes the board is punishing him for cooperating with a pair of inquiries by the Legislature into the convention center authority, including into its diversity practices. On Thursday, Vernon’s attorney filed a whistleblower complaint with Handy, notifying her about potential ethical violations involving contracting at the MCCA.
From what I can tell, Vernon felt blindsided. Just a few months earlier, the board awarded him his maximum discretionary bonus of $33,000 — or 10 percent of his $330,000 annual salary.
It does beg the question: If the board had a problem with Vernon’s performance, why did members give him his full bonus?
In general, there are more questions than answers on this one. But I do know when leaders are brought in to clean up messes, well, it can get messy. It often involves ruffling some feathers.
As for the central question of whether the MCCA is making progress on diversity, the authority’s fiscal 2025 year-end report indicated that there are more women and people of color being hired, and Black people now account for 25 percent of senior staff, up from a year ago.
The turmoil at the MCCA couldn’t come at a worse time. In 2026, tourists will descend on us as Boston hosts the World Cup, celebrates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, and marks the return of Tall Ships to Boston Harbor.
What’s more, the controversy reinforces Boston’s fraught history with race and may dissuade talented Black executives who might want to live and work here.
“How can we recruit folks to come to Boston, to Massachusetts to take on these leadership roles, when it could end up being viewed as a risky proposition?” said Hall, the Urban League chief executive.
That’s a fair question given the exodus of Black leaders in recent years at Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Point32Health, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and more.
How the board chair and governor handle the fallout from the latest MCCA controversy may have consequences far beyond tourism.
Shirley Leung is a Business columnist. She can be reached at shirley.leung@globe.com.