Report finds fault in Mercy Corps' response to abuse allegations

Mercy Corps’ board failed to properly respond when it first learned of sexual abuse allegations againt a now-deceased co-founder decades ago, according to a new report.

The report is the result of an independent investigation to address the organization's initial reaction to the allegations and to determine the extent of abuse. It did not reinvestigate findings by The Oregonian/OregonLive, which broke the news of the allegations in 2019, but sought “to use our resources to expand on the level of understanding of the abuse.”

In 2018, Tania Culver Humphrey asked Mercy Corps to review its handling of her allegation that Ellsworth Culver, her father, sexually abused her as a child. Findings from reports in 2020 suggested that the organization failed to take a “survivor-centered approach” at the time but that there was no evidence of employees or board members engaged in intentional wrongdoing or a cover-up of the allegations.

In a statement Wednesday, Culver Humphrey said she is “sad and angry” that the investigative process has taken so long and been so difficult. But she added that “current Mercy Corps leadership is setting a new standard for how organizations should respond to allegations of abuse,” noting that she feels “hopeful.”

“Instead of reflexive defensiveness, they showed real courage by facing their unspeakable past and putting solid measures in place to ensure these tragedies never happen again," she said.

The latest investigation was among a number of actions Mercy Corps has undertaken in response to the allegations.

Since early 2020, the organization has appointed its first chief ethics and compliance officer, added to global safeguarding resources, developed trainings, recruited new board directors, and instituted several board reforms, including term limits and the creation of a new ethics and safeguarding committee. It has also released annual global safeguarding reports since fiscal year 2019.

“We take responsibility for our past while looking to the future as we continue the ongoing work to strengthen our safeguarding, governance and accountability systems and strive for a culture of integrity and accountability that never wavers in commitment to our mission and our values,” said Mercy Corps CEO Tjada D’Oyen McKenna in a statement.

As part of this latest investigation, Culver Humphrey described incidents of sexual abuse by her father and others, telling investigators of multiple victims. In addition to Ellsworth Culver, she identified eight individuals who allegedly committed the abuse, seven of whom were affiliated with Mercy Corps in some way — though none are today, according to the latest report.

Culver Humphrey disclosed the abuse on multiple occasions over the years. While the nature and extent of the allegations against her father were reported to Mercy Corps, these did not prompt the organization to bring in an experienced sexual assault investigator.

In 1993, the board established a special committee to investigate the matter, which was seemingly treated as an “employment-related” issue. The committee expressed concern that Culver and the organization might “sustain reputational damage” if allegations were made public, according to the latest report.

In addition, Culver’s explanation that the allegations were “false memory” contributed to an inadequate investigation of the allegations, and Culver Humphrey’s interview at the time was “confrontational” and improper, the report found.

“Based on the accounts of the meeting, it does not appear that the ‘93 Special Committee was neutral on the theory of the case,” according to the report.

While Culver was asked to resign as president and CEO in January 1994, he became the organization’s vice president for international relations shortly thereafter and was later promoted and received multiple salary increases. He continued to travel for Mercy Corps, and the report found no evidence of any restrictions placed on him by the board as a result of the committee’s investigation.