Christopher Peak Photo
Jamell Cotto.
Jamell Cotto has tendered his resignation as executive director of Farnam Community, the 110-year-old Fair Haven youth center formerly known as Farnam Neighborhood House.
Cotto took the job in November 2017, when the organization was going through internal strife leading to departures of long-term employees. (Find more on that in this account by the Register’s Mary O’Leary.)
His resignation takes effects March 29. He failed to return numerous messages seeking comment from this story about why he resigned.
Farnam’s board chair, Tamiko Jackson-McArthur, said a board committee will conduct a search for both an interim executive director as well as a permanent replacement.
“I’m saddened that he’s leaving. He’s worked so hard to further Farnam’s mission,” Jackson-McArthur said of Cotto. “I wish him well.” She credited Cotto with expanding Farnam’s early childhood program from one to three classrooms, starting an after-school swimming program at Hillhouse, and revamping the center’s biddy basketball program.
Cotto’s departure occurs against a backdrop of reported tension within the organization over the handling of a yearly internal financial audit as well as the handling of payment for a security contract and internal staff concerns. People familiar with those issues declined to speak about them on the record. Jackson-McArthur said the security contract dispute predated Cotto’s tenure. She said the audit is proceeding on track; she maintained it is not related to his departure.
“This is an amicable resignation. There’s no hard feelings,” remarked Jackson-McArthur. “He’s leaving. He wants to take his career in a new direction.”
Cotto has also served on the city’s Board of Education; he came under criticism because of the board’s contracts with Farnam. That and other criticisms led to the Board of Alders voting recently to reject his reappointment to the ed board.