The vice president of the Appraisal Institute has agreed to step away from his public-facing duties following a New York Times article that claimed he was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.
However, the Times noted that Craig Steinley has not resigned, nor has the Appraisal Institute forced him to give up his position.
Last week, the Times reported Appraisal Institute paid a former employee $412,000 to privately settle sexual harassment claims against Steinley and the organization. Steinley, a South Dakota-based appraiser and past president of the Appraisal Institute, has issued a statement through his attorney denying the accusations.
The Times claimed 12 women were interviewed about their incidents with Steinley, but only Cindy Chance, who was fired as the Appraisal Institute’s chief executive last year, went on the record. However, the Times noted that while Chance was CEO she “approved the confidential six-figure settlement that was paid to another woman who had worked at the trade group and had filed sexual harassment claims against both Mr. Steinley and the organization” – but she wasn’t asked why she didn’t work to dismiss Steinley, who has denied the allegations.
Appraisal Institute President Paula Konikoff announced on LinkedIn that Steinley’s decision to step away from public appearances was made “out of consideration for and in the interest of not being a distraction to the important and ongoing work of the organization.” She added that the organization’s board of directors created a task force that will work with outside counsel “to guide an effort to consider policies, procedures, protocols and actions” before determining “what steps to take” on the accusations against Steinley.
