An inappropriate relationship between a senior administrator and a subordinate led to the recent resignation of the No. 2-ranking executive in the University of Georgia Athletic Association.
According to dozens of pages of documents released to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday as part of a freedom-of-information request, a relationship between UGA executive associate athletic director Frank Crumley and Jana White, the athletic department’s director of development, was confirmed during the course of a recent Equal Opportunity Office (EOO) investigation.
Suspicion of a romantic relationship between Crumley, who is not married, and White, who is, was reported by various athletic department employees, some of whom were passed over for promotions that the younger and less-experienced White received. The relationship was confirmed through an information-technology investigation, which produced incriminating emails and texts and “inappropriate pictures.”
The investigation came to a head Sept. 16 when Crumley, an athletic association employee for 23 years, and White were interviewed by EOO investigator Janyce Dawkins and confronted with the evidence.
“I’m not going to say anything,” Crumley said when initially confronted.
Crumley submitted a two-paragraph letter of resignation to Athletic Director Greg McGarity on Sept. 16.
Interviewed earlier in the day Sept. 16, White did not deny the relationship. But she repeatedly told investigators, “I pursued him” and “I was attracted to him first.”
White submitted her resignation to McGarity on Sept. 18.
As a member of the Athletic Association’s development office, which raises donations for Bulldogs athletic endeavors, White is considered a subordinate to Crumley. However, she reported directly to Mark Slonaker, executive director of the Georgia Bulldog Club.
At issue is when the relationship began. White returned to Georgia, where she had been a graduate assistant for the Bulldog Club, in September 2012. She was hired as a “Development Officer I” for a salary of $53,000. She was promoted to Development Officer II in March 2014 and received an $8,000 raise. She was promoted again to director of development July 1 and her salary was raised to $63,588.
White’s first promotion came after veteran development officer Steven Farmer left to take a job at George Washington University. Slonaker told investigators that he informed Crumley at the time that he wanted to hire “a veteran fundraiser for major gifts.”
“Frank said no,” Slonaker testified. “He said we should put Jana in Steve’s role.”
White was promoted over at least two other development officers with more experience, Jay Lowe and Patrick Gray, according to investigation notes.
Emails that UGA produced showing evidence of romantic involvement between Crumley and White go back only to May.
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