DT Institute CEO resigns amid Justice Department investigation

The CEO of Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit DT Institute has resigned amid a United States Department of Justice investigation into the organization’s financial practices and those of its for-profit affiliate, DT Global. DT Institute announced on its website Wednesday that Pia Wanek, who joined the organization in June 2023, has stepped down and been replaced by two co-CEOs. Wanek told Devex that there was no connection between her departure and the DOJ investigation. “After balancing a number of professional and personal considerations, I initiated my eventual departure from the Institute earlier this year,” she wrote in an email. “The timing of the Devex report on the most recent, ongoing investigations of DT Institute and DT Global and my departure from the Institute the following week, were entirely coincidental.” The new co-CEOs are Violet Tsagka, previously DT Institute’s vice president of business development and communications, and Kate Thompson, who joined as a board director of DT Institute in July 2023. “While we are sad to see Pia go, I couldn’t be more pleased about the opportunity for Violet and Kate to co-lead DT Institute together,” John DeBlasio, DT Institute’s board chair and founder, wrote in a statement posted online. “I have seen Violet emerge into a thoughtful and exceptionally competent executive who has worked tirelessly for our organization. Kate, who I have known since 2003, brings depth of experience in business and management, and the calm from weathering many tumultuous waters. With the two of them at the helm as a “super-CEO”, I’m excited about the future before us,” DeBlasio wrote. DT Institute declined to provide additional comment in response to an inquiry from Devex. DT Institute funds and implements peace and development projects, including for the U.S. Department of State and USAID. It reported roughly $17 million in revenue in 2022, its most recent tax filing. Before joining DT Institute, Wanek was a senior vice president at Global Communities, where she worked for 10 years. Wanek joined DT Institute last year during a lawsuit brought by Washington, D.C.’s office of the attorney general, which alleged that the for-profit company, DT Global, was misusing its nonprofit affiliate for commercial gain. The organizations denied those allegations, and the attorney general withdrew its suit after DT Institute agreed to change its bylaws. Last week, Devex first revealed a new investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, which has sent inquiries to both organizations about their financial practices. In separate statements to Devex last week, both DT Global and DT Institute wrote: “We are fully confident that our operations and practices are highly professional and ethical, and that the Department of Justice will again come to a resolution with no adverse findings.” Update May 21, 2024: This story was updated with additional comments from Pia Wanek. It also corrected the spelling of Kate Thompson’s name.