An Open Letter - Regarding SITE Santa Fe #1

 An Open Letter - Regarding SITE Santa Fe #1
 
To Whom It May Concern,
 
During the entire time I worked for SITE Santa Fe I was never (not once) asked how my supervisor was performing at her job.  Nor was I asked about my thoughts on her supervisor.  The two people who earn WAY more than anyone else at SITE Santa Fe - who engage with every aspect of the business - and have direct access to all streams of revenue - as well as all financials.
 
Which is odd... given that I was the highly praised Accounting & HR Manager, whom the Deputy Director, Clara Samayoa, called her right hand to the board members she introduced me to, as well as giving me a rave review nearly a year after joining on as a staff member.
 
I'm assuming they didn’t ask my opinion either because they did not believe Clara was accurately representing my contributions (please review my job description as well as my performance review dated 10/15/2022) OR because they did not care... how either the Deputy Director or the Philips Director were actually performing in their jobs - outside of the financial reports provided at board meetings.
 
Had anyone from a position of authority at SITE Santa Fe ever given me license to speak freely (sans retaliation) I would have stated my opinion of Clara Samayoa was as follows (had they asked prior to 10/31/2022):
 
It is my opinion that Clara Samayoa is not qualified for her role as Deputy Director of SITE Santa Fe.  I believe she has caused more HR issues than anyone else at the museum, and I believe it's a problem of attitude rather than lack of knowledge.  It's my opinion that Clara loves nothing more than power, authority, and the sense of purpose hiring and firing gives her.  However, I never saw her bring any actual solutions to the table for those she was meant to lead. 
 
When I came on board it was my mission to give people a path forward, therefore I developed SITE's very first SOP protocols.  Prior to this no one at SITE (not even Clara) understood what Standard Operating Procedures were (HR records and staff reviews prove this).  Furthermore, there wasn't even a system by which management could be held accountable.  Even after pushbacks from their lowest paid yet most highly visible staff, when they ALL demanded a meeting with management. 
 
Beyond this, I believe staff in general hold a very low opinion of Clara as a manager (but are way too scared to say anything – due to what has happened to employees who have fallen out of her good graces).
 
Which honestly doesn't shock me, as she often said and did things I would expect from a High School prom-queen-runner-up than I would the Deputy Director of a World Class art museum.  My opinion is that Clara loves to use secrets, manipulative tactics, coercion tactics and outright bullying to get what she wants.  All of this without a clear understanding of even the most basic functions of business (such as filing, benefits packages, payroll, archiving of data, POS to merchant communications, QuickBooks accounting, general tax knowledge, etc. etc. etc.). 
 
*We will discuss the depth of Ms. Samayoa’s lack of knowledge in a later letter.
 
It is my opinion that Clara hides behind front-facing efforts that have no real depth - such as her IDEA Task Force which she never prioritized enough to get HR involved - despite HR being listed in the bulk of the PLAN.  She also often scoffed in my face whenever I tried to provide my Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access ideas and comments.
 
Perhaps this is because Clara also loves to pick and choose who gets preferential treatment based on... things other than clearly articulated reasons.
 
This was apparent almost immediately.
 
I believe her tactics in the handling of staff needs and concerns is always overshadowed by the aspects of the business that benefit only a few (such as her hard-lined focus on a FULLY PAID maternity leave - while she was attempting to get pregnant.  Her focus was not on how to get part-time staff members some much needed medical coverage. No… that wasn’t even something she would allow me to talk about.
 
*Emails prove I made every attempt I could to get outside third-party medical insurance and uninsured provider information to the ENTIRE STAFF - not just the full-time staff - which Clara always seemed to give her complete attention to.
 
Despite being on staff full-time during the pandemic - a time she admits was extremely slow - Clara managed to accomplish very little in the way of improving policies, systems, protocols, staff relations, organization, or accountability.  Much of which I was able to handle while working as the ONLY accounting person in a multimillion-dollar nonprofit with multiple streams of revenue.
 
In fact, it is my opinion that Clara has intentionally withheld bonuses as well as timed raises and promotions in a way so that she can groom and support only certain employees for reasons other than job performance.  I believe she uses her position of authority at SITE Santa Fe in a way that doesn't just lack support for some staff but actually abuses staff she personally finds threatening or disagreeable.
 
She has engaged legal services for even the smallest HR issues, often inflaming situations far beyond anything they should ever have been. 
 
Again, after my year at SITE Santa Fe (and after 20+ years of experience running many forms of businesses) I must state that I believe Clara Samayoa is completely ill suited for the role she now holds.
 
I could go on - and on - but it's just not worth my time.
 
 
Louis Grachos - your review comes next.  When I feel up to describing my thoughts on you.
 
Until then... CHEERS!
 
 
Raena
 
 
*I could go into my opinion of Carla Samayoa as of now (post 10/31/2022), but that would just be self-serving.
 
 

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