Silicon Valley Community Foundation CEO on paid leave

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A former employee of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation is reacting to the news that the CEO has been placed on leave amid allegations he permitted a toxic work culture.

"They have so much money and so much power to do good and inside it was such a toxic environment and that is really the real irony," said Sarah Goodman.

Goodman resigned from SVCF about three and half years ago.

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She said she was bullied and belittled by the Foundation's second-in-command, Mari Ellen Loijens.

"It culminated in handwritten notes on my desk in the morning saying this is a waste of my time, you're incompetent, you don't even know what you're doing," said Goodman.

Loijens just resigned following sexual harassment complaints.

And now, CEO Emmett Carson, has been placed on paid administrative leave.

The Foundation has launched an independent investigation and in a statement said:"...the Board remains committed to taking all necessary actions once it has concluded to ensure that the Silicon Valley Community Foundation thrives today and for many years into the future."

Goodman said while putting the CEO on paid leave is an important first step, she thinks Carson should resign.

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"As CEO, he was responsible for setting the tone and pace of everything and that environment ended up becoming incredibly toxic," she said.

Charitable gifts to SVCF have come from high profile names like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg.

The Foundation awarded $1.3 billion to nonprofit organizations last year.

To read the entire statement from SVCF, click here.

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