Despite the recent arrest of a Camp Fire USA executive, TCU will continue its partnership with the company that helps faculty and staff find child care, a university official said.
Christy Jones, marketing coordinator of the First Texas Council, said the incident was unrelated to the branch of Camp Fire that oversees the partnership between the university and the organization. Former Camp Fire executive director , Michael Woodson Burney, controlled the West Texas Council, which did not impact the First Texas Council, she said.
Camp Fire USA, a not-for-profit organization based in Kansas City, Mo., was chosen by university officials in March to assist faculty and staff in finding quality child care, Jones said.
According to an article in the Odessa American, Burney was arrested July 7 and indicted on two counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. Burney took a total of $390,987.56 since June 2007.
Jennifer Folzenlogen, vice president of the Work/Family Division at the First Texas Council, said the only thing the two councils shared was the Camp Fire name. She said each Camp Fire council acted independently with its own funding streams and governing structures.
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, Burney had since plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Jones said that despite the situation in West Texas, Camp Fire’s alliance with the university will not be affected because the university operates only with the First Texas Council. Jones said all of the councils operate independently of one another, so events in one council did not necessarily affect another council.
Jill Laster, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources and Risk Management, said the alliance will proceed as planned and that there was no connection between the two councils.
“The university is very enthusiastic about the new network and the resources [Camp Fire will] provide to faculty and staff as they’re trying to solve the child care issues all working parents face,” Laster said.
Folzenlogen said that the school expressed an interest in the child care project as a way to benefit university faculty and staff.
Folzenlogen said the First Texas Council developed a network of 20 child care programs so far. She said the organization was trying to customize child care to better meet the needs of university employees by providing employees with prequalified programs that meet criteria in terms of quality and ability to meet child care needs of university employees.