Karen Handel resigns from Komen for the Cure
Karen Handel, the former GOP candidate for governor, just announced her resignation as a senior vice president for public policy of Susan G. Komen for the Cure – one week after the breast cancer charity reversed itself on a decision to sever financial ties with Planned Parenthood.
Below is the letter. Note that Handel says she is declining the offer of a severance package from Komen — which might have required her to keep silent.
February 7, 2012
The Honorable Nancy Brinker
CEO, Susan G. Komen for the Cure VIA EMAIL
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250
Dallas, Texas 75244
Dear Ambassador Brinker:
Susan G. Komen for the Cure has been the recognized leader for more 30 years in the fight against breast cancer here in the US – and increasingly around the world.
As you know, I have always kept Komen’s mission and the women we serve as my highest priority – as they have been for the entire organization, the Komen Affiliates, our many supporters and donors, and the entire community of breast cancer survivors. I have carried out my responsibilities faithfully and in line with the Board’s objectives and the direction provided by you and Liz.
We can all agree that this is a challenging and deeply unsettling situation for all involved in the fight against breast cancer. However, Komen’s decision to change its granting strategy and exit the controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood and its grants was fully vetted by every appropriate level within the organization. At the November Board meeting, the Board received a detailed review of the new model and related criteria. As you will recall, the Board specifically discussed various issues, including the need to protect our mission by ensuring we were not distracted or negatively affected by any other organization’s real or perceived challenges. No objections were made to moving forward.
I am deeply disappointed by the gross mischaracterizations of the strategy, its rationale, and my involvement in it. I openly acknowledge my role in the matter and continue to believe our decision was the best one for Komen’s future and the women we serve. However, the decision to update our granting model was made before I joined Komen, and the controversy related to Planned Parenthood has long been a concern to the organization. Neither the decision nor the changes themselves were based on anyone’s political beliefs or ideology. Rather, both were based on Komen’s mission and how to better serve women, as well as a realization of the need to distance Komen from controversy. I believe that Komen, like any other nonprofit organization, has the right and the responsibility to set criteria and highest standards for how and to whom it grants.
What was a thoughtful and thoroughly reviewed decision – one that would have indeed enabled Komen to deliver even greater community impact – has unfortunately been turned into something about politics. This is entirely untrue. This development should sadden us all greatly.
Just as Komen’s best interests and the fight against breast cancer have always been foremost in every aspect of my work, so too are these my priorities in coming to the decision to resign effective immediately. While I appreciate your raising a possible severance package, I respectfully decline. It is my most sincere hope that Komen is allowed to now refocus its attention and energies on its mission.
Sincerely,
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
For instant updates, follow me on Twitter, or connect with me on Facebook.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
343 comments Add your comment
Peace
February 7th, 2012
1:01 pm
Tom, it doesn’t matter if a donation to SGK results in a direct grant to PP for the purpose of subsidizing abortions…or for supporting their ‘breast screenings and mammograms referrals’. We now know for certain that a contribution to SGK does not mean that the funds will be used “…to find a cure for breast cancer.” There are many other charitable organizations that stay true to their stated mission, without involving groups such as PP in the mix. Lemming? And that coming from an overgrown fetus.
Josh
February 7th, 2012
1:03 pm
I can’t believe there’s a glaring grammatical error in the first sentence. It should read, “for more *than* 30 years”, not, “for more 30 years.”
Bob
February 7th, 2012
1:04 pm
Good for her. Komen should be ashamed for redirecting money to these scumbag women haters and baby killers.
Mahopinion
February 7th, 2012
1:05 pm
Td,
Do you have even the remotest idea of how a breast cancer screening is done? It begins with the physical exam, which is done at all PP clinics. If warranted,the next step is a referral to an imaging center, where the actual mammogram is done. These are the same steps carried out at every private doctor’s office, too. GYN’s and GP’s don’t have these expensive machines sitting in the back room of their offices. Now, try getting a mammogram done if you don’t have the referral from your doc or PP…or worse, imagine trying to get it done without any insurance.
Several PP clinics (Austin is one) pooled their donations and bought a mobile mammography unit to travel to poor neighborhoods to do mammograms for women who would never have had them any way.
THAT’S what the money is used for. Please learn a few facts before spewing your bull. Otherwise, we will all know that TD stands for Totally Dumb.
TheCoolCookie
February 7th, 2012
1:06 pm
YES!!!! Good riddance! NOW, we need to know if the “investigation” process being used by the Rep. Cliff Stearns and whether or not Handel had ties to him and the possibility of collusion between the two.
Amy
February 7th, 2012
1:06 pm
The decision she pushed through to cut PP’s funding was absolutely political and it was also self-aggrandizing. She is an anti-gay bigot and a disgrace. Good riddance and good on SGK for getting rid of her. Maybe she can go work for The John Birch Society or the Aryan Nation or something, that would probably be right up her alley.
Ignorant no more
February 7th, 2012
1:09 pm
So….when you make a contribution to SGK or buy anything with a pink ribbon YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE MURDER OF BABIES!!!
Good to know.
Mahopinion
February 7th, 2012
1:11 pm
So, how many of you right wing nut, anti choicers would still fight for the rights of that embryo if you knew it was going to be a homosexual?
Aquagirl
February 7th, 2012
1:13 pm
Td,Do you have even the remotest idea of how a breast cancer screening is done?
I have been amazed at all the men opining on breast cancer screening this last week or so. Lack of the slightest clue never slows down their flapping gums.
Oh, look, Prop 8 is unconstitutional. Maybe we should go easy on td, it’s a rough day for wingnuts.
james
February 7th, 2012
1:16 pm
Folks- all organizations are political I don’t care what they
say…. Susan B. just blew millions of donations by there pulling
out of PPH and then reversing their decision…. Nobody is happy
no matter what side of abortion you are on….. Idiots…
truthpaste
February 7th, 2012
1:16 pm
And people voted for her?
Lauren Voyles
February 7th, 2012
1:17 pm
I guess “Everyone Deserves a Lifetime” except the unborn. Bravo to you Karen!!!! I hope the Federal Probe into Planned Parenthood quickly reveals what a seedy organization it really is. Karen, if you would like to start another charity for cancer, I’ll be watching. That is where all of my future donations will go. (And I’m a survivor that has donated a lot!) Komen, you made your stand and picked the wrong side. Karen….run for Vice President!!! We need people like you that aren’t afraid to draw a line in the sand.
TheCoolCookie
February 7th, 2012
1:18 pm
JennaSmith – I agree with whet you say.
The problem is that the vast majority (and I mean majority) of Americans do not work for non-profits, nor are they Trustees in local organizations that apply for grant money.
Grant money almost never – and I do mean NEVER – given without a business plan submission, and it is never doled out without oversight from a third party funding agent, or CPA. Furthermore, Grant money is also almost never given to covering general operating expenses. The money almost ALWAYS has to go for a specific project and the funds can never be comingled into operating funds.
If you are a historical society and you need new money for a boiler, you have to prove that the money is a for a boiler, that the boiler was bought, installed and that the funds covered that boiler.
Its no different for PP. Like any other nonprofit, it has to pay qualified staff members, train volunteers and it cannot use grant money to do this unless the money has been allocated in the grant for that purpose. And if an organization misaapropriates grant money, then the grantee can demand a whole or partial return of the amount.
People who don’t get this have no expirience in being a nonprofit employee or volunteer (on a Board). They are simply people who want to believe what they choose to believe and no amount of rational thought is going to change their minds.
VoiceOfReason
February 7th, 2012
1:21 pm
You can’t trust SGK. Are they for abortion or againist? One thing they are for…profit! My advice defund and shut down both SGK and Planned Parenthood.
Anonymous
February 7th, 2012
1:22 pm
GOOD RIDDANCE.
Tom
February 7th, 2012
1:25 pm
Peace, maybe you should take a look at the websites of the various SGK affiliates around the nation and review the lists of the organizations that receive funding from Komen.
Here’s the current grants from Komen of Central Ga
Also, to those who want to insist ANY monies going to PP “support abortion”, you need to take an accounting course that deals with “fund accounting”. PP is a not-for-profit which, like government entities, uses fund accounting. The audits of non-profits focus primarily on the integrity of the individual funds and the assurance that fund-specific monies cannot be co-mingled. That will result in an adverse or qualified auditing opinion quicker than anything short of embezzlement.
Celia Stone
February 7th, 2012
1:26 pm
I still can’t get over the mind-boggling mindset of a “health” organization that basically says, “we are going to destroy a world-leader in cancer research, a private organization, if it does not donate money to us.”
Molly F
February 7th, 2012
1:29 pm
This link shows what SGK should have been all about. What a kick-ass lady!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZwpSwm_4as&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Tom
February 7th, 2012
1:29 pm
Cookie, there will always be a faction of people who will simply refuse to let facts get in the way of godd ol’ fashioned hyperbole and lies.
Bernie
February 7th, 2012
1:44 pm
Lets be honest, Karen was not qualified for the position from the very start. Karen certainly lacked the education, experience, objectivity and leadership for the position of Vice-President of Public Policy of such a prestigeous organization. A qualified Vice-Pressident of Public Policy would have never let such a policy see the light of day. It was a matter of time for this or something like this to happen based on that fact alone. The damage she has inflicted and allowed will forever change the fund raising capability from now on. Fewer donations, fewer participants, fewer volunteers, fewer walkers. Komen has learned a valuable lesson here…political appointees are no longer welcomed. Karen’s decling a serverance package was the least she could do based on the amount of damage inflicted, it was the right thing for her to do. As a matter of fact, it is she that owes Komen for giving her the opportunity that no other organization would ever do.
Valley Bob
February 7th, 2012
1:45 pm
“If we just say it’s about investigations, we can defund Planned Parenthood and no one can blame us for being political.”
Ignorant *and* stupid.
cmbless
February 7th, 2012
1:46 pm
Whatever, Karen Handel. You thought that you were going to run with your poor decision, but the people spoke loudly against the stupid move that you had a hand in. Susan G. Komen will be better off without you. Goodbye!
Liberal Rage
February 7th, 2012
1:46 pm
Never saw so much trash talk in my life. Fine examples of liberal “tolerance”. How did the baby killers get their issue mixed in with saving women from cancer? News Flash: Not all womens issues deserve equal support.
mahopinion
February 7th, 2012
1:49 pm
@liberal rage-
Hmmm…complains about trash talk, but then calls pro-choice supporters baby killers. Hypocrite, much?
News Flash- You don’t get to decide which women’s issues I do or don’t support.
Get Real
February 7th, 2012
1:51 pm
Very interesting liberal spin on this blog….so predictable…
Katherine
February 7th, 2012
1:51 pm
The “righteous indignation” just oozes from this Sarah Palin wanna-be. Not my fault…you guys gave me permission. Lame Karen…beneath your capability. Watch while Karen uses the Komen fiasco to further her Tea Party political ambitions.. Not having severance means no confidentiality clause…can you say “political blackmail.” (Hopefully the rest of the non-profits now realize she’s political kryptonite.) Well I got news for you girlfriend…breast cancer survivors beat Tea Party zealots any day of the week…we’ve faced death, survived it and wouldn’t wish it on any women no matter how poor…Those of us that know you, know what you will do for political gain….game on.
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
1:55 pm
I agree Becky. I can’t understand how she can get these great, I mean great jobs and never set foot in a college.
Maafa21
February 7th, 2012
1:56 pm
This is what happens when you don’t bow down at the altar of Planned Parenthood. The cult leaders are laughing all the way to the bank while killing more black babies.
Keppler
February 7th, 2012
1:57 pm
Having now shredded the Koman brand, destroying its credibility on both the right and the left, Ms. Handel now graciously resigns, leaving the organization to twist slowly in the wind. This is non-profit management at its very best.
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
1:57 pm
When she ran for Governor last year it was revealed that Karen Handel only have a high school diploma
Bernie
February 7th, 2012
1:57 pm
Even her resignation letter shows a lack of attention. The very first sentence of her resignation letter demostrates her lack of knowledge of basic correct sentence structure. The entire letter screams of “its not my fault and do not blame me”. But if the Vice President of Public Policy is not to Blame then Who?,Karen.
Liberal Rage
February 7th, 2012
2:01 pm
“Pro choice” is PC talk for killing babies. Not tissue, not a non-viable fetus, we’re talking about real live human beings. I’ll bet most of you would be appalled if you saw a dog being mis-treated, but never utter a word in defense of the unborn. Now back to the real issue, saving women from the horrors of cancer. SGK is a wonderful organization that has apparently been invaded by the far left; so sad.
Vote for Pedro
February 7th, 2012
2:04 pm
Komen would have did better with Kardashians than Karen.
‘Course we all knew that but they didn’t I reckon
Don’t they check resumes at Komen? Or are they too busy shoving money into their own pockets?
Brenda Bonturi
February 7th, 2012
2:07 pm
Wow…the venom of the left is very evident here. No one is allowed to stand by their convictions UNLESS they are liberal-leaning and pro “choice”. Not surprising, and par for the course. If its not politics, then why did she resign? Seriously?! Anyone willing to look could see why. Who would want to be a leader in an organization which spent serious time and consideration to redesign their criteria, based on several different considerations, and then it couldn’t even stand by them once some OTHER organization puts its’ POLITICAL pressure on them. SGK has the RIGHT to fund or not fund whomever they choose….or they used to. Obviously, not anymore. Not when a MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR business like planned parenthood decides they don’t like losing ANY of the money they take in.
Good for you, Karen, for standing by your good convictions. And, as some people on both sides have said, SGK is permanently damaged by this. Good. They aren’t the only ones out there.
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
2:09 pm
Interesting, I would like to see Karen Handel’s resume. They should have asked most people in Georgia that we saw it during the Governor’s race that Karen Handel was not qualified for this position, in this organization.
GaBlue
February 7th, 2012
2:12 pm
Liberal Rage,
SGK “invaded” by the left? Boy are YOU late to the party! They were already invaded by corporate shills, USING the pink ribbons in widespread marketing campaigns to push products that have nothing whatsoever to do with curing cancer!. Q: How do a t-shirts, tote bags, sun visors, water bottles, or buckets of chicken cure cancer? A: They don’t, but they make lots of money for the organization to pay their top execs nice cushy salaries, sit in plush offices, and increase their advertising budgets in every market! These are not “leftist” behaviors, Mr. Rage. Nor have they brought a cure any closer to our aging, toxin-absorbing, ever-more-vulnerable bodies.
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
2:13 pm
Thinks about it people. SGK have funded Planned Parenthood all of these years and all of a sudden they stop when Karen Handel comes on board. It quacks like a duck. Don’t you hear it quacking. She tried to do this for political reasons and she got caught. Liar.
Harold
February 7th, 2012
2:15 pm
If Karen Handel has such strong convictions about Planned Parenthood why did she ever take the job with Komen? Your convictions get way stronger when the public is watching you huh Karen!
Good Riddance!
February 7th, 2012
2:18 pm
Severance pkg suggest she was asked to walk. She turns around and tries to say it was a decision made before she got there, but she “admits” to her part in it. Which is it? The damage has been done. I will not support SGK again. How does SGK rectify giving money to Penn State and pull grants from PP? I would love to see the balance sheet to see how much money actually goes to BC vs. how much goes to board members. Liberal Rage – in your small mind you can define pro-choice however you want. It does not change the fact you have no right to tell me what to do with my body as much as you being anti-choice doesn’t give me the right to tell you what to do with your body.
Joe Mama
February 7th, 2012
2:18 pm
B. Bonturi — “No one is allowed to stand by their convictions UNLESS they are liberal-leaning and pro “choice”.
Wrong.
If you choose to carry to term, I don’t believe you’ll find a single liberal in here who will try to dissuade you.
When we say pro-choice, we mean pro-choice. What we’re opposed to is the people on your side who want to eliminate that choice for *others.*
Max
February 7th, 2012
2:20 pm
We should not hold this against Komen. Surely they thought bringing Karen Handel on board would get their grubby pink hands into some deep Antebellum pocketbooks. It seems the Komens are Northerners and do not understand the South. This is the obvious result. Listen to Handel squeal like a stuck pig. What a fitting metaphor. Stick your snout in some other trough, Karen Handel!
Komen: Making Bad PR Worse | The Buzz by Mike Schaffer
February 7th, 2012
2:21 pm
[...] But her letter of resignation, highlighted here, she made a PR mistake. (You can read the full copy here) [...]
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
2:22 pm
mail piece twice makes this point:
This what was written about Karen Handel during the Governor’s race.
“Handel has never served a complete term in office. She’s jumped from one office to another. Handel has sought three different offices within the last six years. You can’t be a ‘reformer’ if you never finish the job.”
Karen Handel resigns from Susan G. Komen for the Cure....
February 7th, 2012
2:27 pm
[...] also declining a severance package, which, as Jim Galloway at the Atlantic Journal Constitution explains, “might have required her to keep silent.” Handel will be meeting with reporters later [...]
mahopinion
February 7th, 2012
2:28 pm
@ GaBlue- don’t forget the pink handguns. Nothing speaks being pro-life like a pink .45!
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
2:29 pm
I don’t understand SGK organization anyway. How could they just let someone new like Karen Handel come into an organization like SGK, which have existed for years, and make a monumental decision like this? I just don’t understand.
Proud American
February 7th, 2012
2:29 pm
This what was written about Karen Handel during the Governor’s race.
“Handel has never served a complete term in office. She’s jumped from one office to another. Handel has sought three different offices within the last six years. You can’t be a ‘reformer’ if you never finish the job.”
cynthia
February 7th, 2012
2:39 pm
GO AND JOIN FOX NEWS – YOU WOULD BE HAPPY AND THEY WITH YOU. YOU WERE AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE KOMEN FOUNDATION.
Komen vice president Karen Handel resigns | Politics and News
February 7th, 2012
2:39 pm
[...] acknowledged that she had supported Komen’s decision to pull funding for Planned Parenthood in a resignation letter obtained by The Atlanta Journal Constitution. However, she said the decision-making process began [...]
Rod
February 7th, 2012
2:44 pm
Where’s Brinkers letter of resignation? She needs to resign todam-day.Glad Handel did the right thing but she is one of many that need to write this letter. I still have to request my donation back from December because they have lost my support period.