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By Doug Howlett
4/30/2008
4/30/2008
Nearly a month after being fired from the NWTF, a move that prompted the organization's longtime enigmatic leader
Rob Keck to announce his resignation, former management team members Carl Brown (pictured) and Dick
Rosenlieb seek a public trial in a suit that claims they were wrongly dismissed.
If you were one of the hundreds of thousands of National Wild Turkey Federation volunteers wondering what really
happened March 25 when longtime executives Carl Brown and Dick Rosenlieb were dismissed, get ready—the truth
is about to come out. Well, maybe.
The two men filed suit last week in the Edgefield County Court of Common Pleas requesting a jury trial to hear their
claims that their dismissals were the result of a “well orchestrated smear campaign” that involved false allegations
and defamation.
The day after their firings, NWTF CEO Rob Keck, who has held the position for the past 27 years, announced his
resignation citing “health and family reasons.” When pressed on whether his announcement had anything to do with
Brown’s and Rosenlieb’s dismissals, he replied, “Let me just say that I am not allowed to comment on personnel
matters.” His resignation takes effect June 1.
But the timing was unmistakable. Sources close to the matter say the board knew Keck would likely step down if two
of his lieutenants were sent packing, suggesting that the firings may have even served as a less combative manner
in which to get the CEO to leave and install a virtually all new leadership team.
Indeed, the March firings were not the first time the move had been attempted. During an October 26, 2007 board
meeting, an effort was made to remove then-COO Brown and then-Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Rosenlieb, but Keck objected, saying he would step down if he was forced to relieve both men of their jobs. The
board allegedly voted on whether to accept Keck’s resignation, but the move failed and the management team was,
for the time being, allowed to continue intact.
The board, with the help of a consulting firm, had been investigating management practices at the Federation for
the past year. Brown’s suit alleges, “the Krizner report was a management survey performed at the direction of the
chairman, who sought to use it to justify Plaintiff Brown and others termination.”
Sources said random employees were interviewed with a promise of confidentiality as part of the survey. These
same sources allege that some of the responses that came to light in that survey revealed a pattern of fear and
intimidation in the way employees were managed, as well as a general feeling of low morale among the rank-and-file
staff.
“The recommendations contained in the Krizner report had been subject to substantial professional criticism on the
basis that the survey questions presented to employees were obviously biased against Plaintiff Brown and other
senior management,” Brown’s suit states.
As has been the case since the firings and Keck’s announced resignation, both sides have remained largely silent
about the matter, a situation that has angered many of the organization’s volunteers.
Immediately after news of the upheaval was first reported on Southern Sporting Journal’s Web site, inquiries by the
press were met with the proverbial “no comment,” or more specifically “we can’t comment on personnel matters.”
That is standard operating procedure for most corporations and government agencies on matters where lawsuits
could come into play. Meanwhile questions raised by the organization’s 550,000 volunteers were answered with a
pair of almost cryptic press releases, including a letter by Federation president Peggy Anne Vallery, that all but
ignored the controversy and instead sought to affirm a rosy business-as-usual outlook.
“I’ve heard nothing,” said New York farmer and local chapter president Ron Meeks more than a week after the
March 25 firings. “My biggest issue with the organization right now is that there has been a lack of communication
with the guys in the trenches. …We didn’t even get an email.” Nearly a month later, little more has been offered.
Both, NWTF spokesperson Brian Dowler and Chairman of the Board Jere D. Peak referred questions to the
organization’s new chief legal counsel Rick Morgan.
“There is always two sides to any piece of litigation,” says Morgan, “The NWTF will deny those allegations as they
have been pled … and, if necessary, the parties will go to litigation. We don’t believe (the allegations) are accurate.”
Both Brown, who had worked for the organization 27 years, and Rosenlieb, who had been there 19, were reached at
their respective homes and referred questions about their individual suits to their attorneys Richard Harpootlian and
Jim Griffin.
Rosenlieb acknowledged that he is looking for work and hopes to remain in the outdoor business where he came
after serving as a schoolteacher in Illinois. Interestingly, he, as well as both Brown and Keck, began their
professional careers in education.
“I’ve been very blessed to be called by a number of people in the industry and the chapter system asking to my
welfare…there is a lot of comfort in that,” says Rosenlieb. “My wife and I have enjoyed a lot of friendship from others
in the industry and we continue to enjoy that friendship.”
And while the men are restricted from speaking to the points of their respective suits, the language in their legal
complaints are public record and provide the most detailed information to date for those seeking to understand what
is going on.
Key points of contention outlined in Brown’s suit includes:
• “Plaintiff Brown’s firing was the culmination of a well orchestrated smear campaign against Brown orchestrated by
the Chairman of the Board of the NWTF, certain Board members aligned with the Chairman, outside counsel and a
consulting firm acting at the direction of the Board Chairman in an effort to convince members of the Board to
terminate Brown and other members of senior management.
• “These Board members and outside counsel falsely accused Brown and others of fraud in connection with
reporting of the number of members of the NWTF, violating company policy by falsely claiming that Brown accepted
a free or discounted African hunting trip from an outfitter/travel company with which the Federation does business,
and falsely accusing Plaintiff Brown of threatening employees.
• “Each of these allegations is false, defamatory and was made with malice and the intent to damage Plaintiff Browns
reputation and character in the eyes of the members of the Board of Directors and to the CEO of the NWTF in order
to have Plaintiff Brown terminated.
• “In an effort to crush the uproar amongst the membership, the NWTF through its outside general counsel and
communications director under took an effort to justify Plaintiff Brown’s firing by making written and verbal
defamatory statements that either expressly or impliedly stated that Brown’s continued employment would jeopardize
the very existence of the NWTF, knowing that such statements would be widely disseminated over the internet and
on Web blogs to the more than one half million members and to millions of other turkey hunting and outdoor
enthusiast community.”
• In a letter drafted by the NWTF’s counsel at the direction of the chairman of the board and other board members,
the language states “Plaintiff Brown violated company policy by accepting free or discounted goods from any
organization that does, or is seeking to do, business with the Company, by any employee who is in a position to
directly or indirectly influence either the Company’s decision to do business and by profiting personally from an
organization seeking to do business with the Company. This statement is false and defamatory.”
At issue on what has been deemed fraudulent memberships appears to revolve around the handling of donated
memberships, according to Brown’s complaint. It was a matter of practice to take primarily youth and disabled
program memberships that were paid for by chapters during fund raising events and attempt to assign them to
actual people such as “schools, youth events, disabled events, and so on,” according to Brown’s suit. “A chapter
may request, through their Regional Director (field staff), that the remaining be assigned from the last year’s expired
membership lists.”
Brown’s suit goes on to say. “If a local chapter doesn’t have enough names to fill all available donated memberships
they may share them with other chapters in the state or even outside their states. …This process started years ago
and resulted in a youth membership of over 225,000 kids and 20,000 disabled memberships.”
It seems neither side denies that this is how some donated memberships were handled; the contention is whether it
was right or wrong, and who actually knew it was taking place.
Rosenlieb’s suit uses much of the exact language in outlining the allegations with the exception to references
involving the donated memberships. Those matters did not fall under the former vice president of sales and
marketing’s areas of responsibility.
Jim Griffin, one of the attorney’s representing Brown and Rosenlieb, says the NWTF has 30 days in which to
respond to the allegations. At that time, both sides will likely enter into a phase of discovery where background
information about the case will be researched and depositions will be taken. It could be as long as a year before a
trial date is even set and as much as 18 months before a verdict is ever reached.
That is, if it ever even goes to trial, a scenario that would bring all the facts surrounding Brown’s and Rosenlieb’s
terminations, as well as the ways the Federation has been operating, into the light of public scrutiny. Both sides
could agree to settle, which could limit what information ever becomes public.
It’s still too early to determine which way this case will go, but for now, both sides are bracing for a fight. Both Brown
and Rosenlieb are seeking compensation for actual damages as it relates to the "loss of past and further income,"
as well as punitive damages.
“A trial is public and Mr. Brown has filed a suit to make public what he did do and what he didn’t do and he looks
forward to the opportunity for that to happen,” says Griffin.
(Editor's Disclosure: Doug Howlett is a former employee of the NWTF having served as the editor of Turkey Call
magazine. He was at the Federation from 1998 through 2004.)
Rob Keck to announce his resignation, former management team members Carl Brown (pictured) and Dick
Rosenlieb seek a public trial in a suit that claims they were wrongly dismissed.
If you were one of the hundreds of thousands of National Wild Turkey Federation volunteers wondering what really
happened March 25 when longtime executives Carl Brown and Dick Rosenlieb were dismissed, get ready—the truth
is about to come out. Well, maybe.
The two men filed suit last week in the Edgefield County Court of Common Pleas requesting a jury trial to hear their
claims that their dismissals were the result of a “well orchestrated smear campaign” that involved false allegations
and defamation.
The day after their firings, NWTF CEO Rob Keck, who has held the position for the past 27 years, announced his
resignation citing “health and family reasons.” When pressed on whether his announcement had anything to do with
Brown’s and Rosenlieb’s dismissals, he replied, “Let me just say that I am not allowed to comment on personnel
matters.” His resignation takes effect June 1.
But the timing was unmistakable. Sources close to the matter say the board knew Keck would likely step down if two
of his lieutenants were sent packing, suggesting that the firings may have even served as a less combative manner
in which to get the CEO to leave and install a virtually all new leadership team.
Indeed, the March firings were not the first time the move had been attempted. During an October 26, 2007 board
meeting, an effort was made to remove then-COO Brown and then-Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Rosenlieb, but Keck objected, saying he would step down if he was forced to relieve both men of their jobs. The
board allegedly voted on whether to accept Keck’s resignation, but the move failed and the management team was,
for the time being, allowed to continue intact.
The board, with the help of a consulting firm, had been investigating management practices at the Federation for
the past year. Brown’s suit alleges, “the Krizner report was a management survey performed at the direction of the
chairman, who sought to use it to justify Plaintiff Brown and others termination.”
Sources said random employees were interviewed with a promise of confidentiality as part of the survey. These
same sources allege that some of the responses that came to light in that survey revealed a pattern of fear and
intimidation in the way employees were managed, as well as a general feeling of low morale among the rank-and-file
staff.
“The recommendations contained in the Krizner report had been subject to substantial professional criticism on the
basis that the survey questions presented to employees were obviously biased against Plaintiff Brown and other
senior management,” Brown’s suit states.
As has been the case since the firings and Keck’s announced resignation, both sides have remained largely silent
about the matter, a situation that has angered many of the organization’s volunteers.
Immediately after news of the upheaval was first reported on Southern Sporting Journal’s Web site, inquiries by the
press were met with the proverbial “no comment,” or more specifically “we can’t comment on personnel matters.”
That is standard operating procedure for most corporations and government agencies on matters where lawsuits
could come into play. Meanwhile questions raised by the organization’s 550,000 volunteers were answered with a
pair of almost cryptic press releases, including a letter by Federation president Peggy Anne Vallery, that all but
ignored the controversy and instead sought to affirm a rosy business-as-usual outlook.
“I’ve heard nothing,” said New York farmer and local chapter president Ron Meeks more than a week after the
March 25 firings. “My biggest issue with the organization right now is that there has been a lack of communication
with the guys in the trenches. …We didn’t even get an email.” Nearly a month later, little more has been offered.
Both, NWTF spokesperson Brian Dowler and Chairman of the Board Jere D. Peak referred questions to the
organization’s new chief legal counsel Rick Morgan.
“There is always two sides to any piece of litigation,” says Morgan, “The NWTF will deny those allegations as they
have been pled … and, if necessary, the parties will go to litigation. We don’t believe (the allegations) are accurate.”
Both Brown, who had worked for the organization 27 years, and Rosenlieb, who had been there 19, were reached at
their respective homes and referred questions about their individual suits to their attorneys Richard Harpootlian and
Jim Griffin.
Rosenlieb acknowledged that he is looking for work and hopes to remain in the outdoor business where he came
after serving as a schoolteacher in Illinois. Interestingly, he, as well as both Brown and Keck, began their
professional careers in education.
“I’ve been very blessed to be called by a number of people in the industry and the chapter system asking to my
welfare…there is a lot of comfort in that,” says Rosenlieb. “My wife and I have enjoyed a lot of friendship from others
in the industry and we continue to enjoy that friendship.”
And while the men are restricted from speaking to the points of their respective suits, the language in their legal
complaints are public record and provide the most detailed information to date for those seeking to understand what
is going on.
Key points of contention outlined in Brown’s suit includes:
• “Plaintiff Brown’s firing was the culmination of a well orchestrated smear campaign against Brown orchestrated by
the Chairman of the Board of the NWTF, certain Board members aligned with the Chairman, outside counsel and a
consulting firm acting at the direction of the Board Chairman in an effort to convince members of the Board to
terminate Brown and other members of senior management.
• “These Board members and outside counsel falsely accused Brown and others of fraud in connection with
reporting of the number of members of the NWTF, violating company policy by falsely claiming that Brown accepted
a free or discounted African hunting trip from an outfitter/travel company with which the Federation does business,
and falsely accusing Plaintiff Brown of threatening employees.
• “Each of these allegations is false, defamatory and was made with malice and the intent to damage Plaintiff Browns
reputation and character in the eyes of the members of the Board of Directors and to the CEO of the NWTF in order
to have Plaintiff Brown terminated.
• “In an effort to crush the uproar amongst the membership, the NWTF through its outside general counsel and
communications director under took an effort to justify Plaintiff Brown’s firing by making written and verbal
defamatory statements that either expressly or impliedly stated that Brown’s continued employment would jeopardize
the very existence of the NWTF, knowing that such statements would be widely disseminated over the internet and
on Web blogs to the more than one half million members and to millions of other turkey hunting and outdoor
enthusiast community.”
• In a letter drafted by the NWTF’s counsel at the direction of the chairman of the board and other board members,
the language states “Plaintiff Brown violated company policy by accepting free or discounted goods from any
organization that does, or is seeking to do, business with the Company, by any employee who is in a position to
directly or indirectly influence either the Company’s decision to do business and by profiting personally from an
organization seeking to do business with the Company. This statement is false and defamatory.”
At issue on what has been deemed fraudulent memberships appears to revolve around the handling of donated
memberships, according to Brown’s complaint. It was a matter of practice to take primarily youth and disabled
program memberships that were paid for by chapters during fund raising events and attempt to assign them to
actual people such as “schools, youth events, disabled events, and so on,” according to Brown’s suit. “A chapter
may request, through their Regional Director (field staff), that the remaining be assigned from the last year’s expired
membership lists.”
Brown’s suit goes on to say. “If a local chapter doesn’t have enough names to fill all available donated memberships
they may share them with other chapters in the state or even outside their states. …This process started years ago
and resulted in a youth membership of over 225,000 kids and 20,000 disabled memberships.”
It seems neither side denies that this is how some donated memberships were handled; the contention is whether it
was right or wrong, and who actually knew it was taking place.
Rosenlieb’s suit uses much of the exact language in outlining the allegations with the exception to references
involving the donated memberships. Those matters did not fall under the former vice president of sales and
marketing’s areas of responsibility.
Jim Griffin, one of the attorney’s representing Brown and Rosenlieb, says the NWTF has 30 days in which to
respond to the allegations. At that time, both sides will likely enter into a phase of discovery where background
information about the case will be researched and depositions will be taken. It could be as long as a year before a
trial date is even set and as much as 18 months before a verdict is ever reached.
That is, if it ever even goes to trial, a scenario that would bring all the facts surrounding Brown’s and Rosenlieb’s
terminations, as well as the ways the Federation has been operating, into the light of public scrutiny. Both sides
could agree to settle, which could limit what information ever becomes public.
It’s still too early to determine which way this case will go, but for now, both sides are bracing for a fight. Both Brown
and Rosenlieb are seeking compensation for actual damages as it relates to the "loss of past and further income,"
as well as punitive damages.
“A trial is public and Mr. Brown has filed a suit to make public what he did do and what he didn’t do and he looks
forward to the opportunity for that to happen,” says Griffin.
(Editor's Disclosure: Doug Howlett is a former employee of the NWTF having served as the editor of Turkey Call
magazine. He was at the Federation from 1998 through 2004.)
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