{"id":249156,"date":"2025-10-24T18:35:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T18:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/249156\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T18:35:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T18:35:05","slug":"multnomah-county-chief-hr-officer-steps-down-amid-workplace-complaint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/249156\/","title":{"rendered":"Multnomah County chief HR officer steps down amid workplace complaint"},"content":{"rendered":"

Multnomah County\u2019s<\/a> chief human resources officer resigned Sunday amid complaints about his workplace conduct, records show. <\/p>\n

Travis Brown<\/a> resigned Oct. 19, telling county staff in an email he needed time to deal with family health problems and work on \u201cother professional endeavors.\u201d He had been on medical leave taking care of family leading up to the announcement, he said. His resignation also came weeks after a fellow HR executive accused him of \u201cdisrespectful and harmful behavior,\u201d records show. <\/p>\n

\u201cI want to express my deepest appreciation for the three incredible years I have spent serving Multnomah County,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s top human resources officer for the Department of County Management filed a complaint against Brown Sept. 24, saying that multiple HR employees had \u201csought my advice regarding frequent and concerning negative interactions with Brown.\u201d <\/p>\n

The HR officer, whose name was redacted from county records, said employees accused Brown of \u201ctoxic leadership behaviors\u201d and bad-mouthing coworkers, according to the document. In one instance on Sept. 18, an employee alleged being asked to withhold information regarding an Americans with Disabilities Act project from other HR executives by Brown and was \u201cadmonished\u201d when she didn\u2019t do exactly as Brown asked, the HR officer wrote in the complaint. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can no longer continue to receive these types of complaints without acting,\u201d the official wrote. \u201cWere I receiving this volume of serious complaints about any other manager, I would be forced to engage in an investigation \u2014 this is no different.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not immediately clear what steps, if any, the county took to investigate the claims following the complaint. The county does not usually investigate complaints after an employee has left, officials have said. <\/p>\n

Brown\u2019s last day will be Jan. 16, but he told staff he would remain on medical leave until that time. Such medical leave is typically unpaid. <\/p>\n

He did not respond to an email seeking comment. <\/p>\n

Brown is the latest in a series of leaders to depart from the county this year. Preschool for All Director Leslee Barnes<\/a> resigned under a cloud of controversy in August after a preschool she owned was flagged in a state audit for wasteful spending of state funds. The county\u2019s behavioral health director<\/a> resigned in June, and Chief Diversity Officer Joy Fowler<\/a> left in May to lead inclusion efforts in Vancouver. <\/p>\n

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