Napa Valley’s tourism chief is at war with her own staff, who have accused her of fostering a “pervasive culture of fear” at the heart of America’s wine industry.
Linsey Gallagher was cleared by a “neutral” investigation earlier this year after allegations surfaced that she had made “disparaging and demeaning comments” to employees and misallocated public funds at Visit Napa Valley.
He reportedly used phrases like, “I’m the only reason you have this job in the first place,” and “it’s not like you were groped or sexually assaulted.”
Now, 10 anonymous employees have written an anonymous letter seen by the SF Chroniclealleging that the investigation was “grossly mishandled” and that Gallagher targeted them for retaliation after she was acquitted.
Gallagher was named president and CEO of the tourism bureau in 2019, overseeing a $2.2 billion industry that draws nearly four million people a year to the California county.
Visit Napa Valley CEO Linsey Gallagher is accused of fostering a “pervasive culture of fear”
Nearly four million tourists a year visit the heart of California’s wine industry in Napa County
In a 2022 interview, she advised young women in her industry to “work hard, be kind, have the courage to walk through the doors that are open to you and find role models along the way.”
“I’ve reached a stage in my career where the priority is to nurture, mentor, develop and support others,” he said.
But the organization’s executive board launched an investigation in May after five current and two former employees accused her of being drunk with power.
Three other staff members added their names to the complaint and chair Emma Swain insisted the board “took the allegations seriously” before commissioning a “neutral third party” to investigate.
“No evidence was found to in any way support the allegations of workplace harassment or financial irregularities,” but employees say the investigation was flawed and their complaints were “inadequately addressed.”
Earlier this week they sent a four-page letter to the board, with copies to the Napa Valley Tourism Corporation and the SF Chronicle.
She repeated the allegations of abuse and accused Gallagher of a “pattern of deception” in his handling of public funds from the Napa County Tourism Improvement District.
It also claims Gallagher kept staff and board members “in the dark” about spending decisions, “manipulated narratives” and “provided false information.”
The letter claims that around 40 employees have resigned or been fired since she was appointed, with three resigning when the investigation cleared her, while others are now “actively seeking alternative employment opportunities.”
Swain dismissed the financial allegations as “categorically false”, insisting all bosses underwent a thorough audit to review their spending last year.
“The financial allegations were made after the annual audit was completed, and the independent investigator did not confirm any evidence of wrongdoing,” he told the Chronicle.
Visit Napa Valley President Emma Swain insisted the allegations against her chief executive are unfounded and will not be reviewed in response to an anonymous letter.
And he said that 28 of the job losses were due to cuts that the organization was forced to make due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The complainants have refused to let the matter rest there, but Swain said he would not respond to them unless they were put on record.
“We are not going to discuss personnel issues with an anonymous person,” he added.
‘We have addressed all of these issues by providing each reporting employee with a detailed summary of the investigator’s findings, as well as the opportunity to meet with a board member to discuss them.
“Only a few employees took advantage of the opportunity.”
Dailymail.com has contacted Gallagher for comment.
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