CHICAGO, IL - The Board of Directors ("Board") of Brave Space Alliance (BSA) has sent a report to the Illinois Attorney General Office's Charitable Trust Bureau outlining the findings of an independent forensic accountant's investigation into the organization's finances. The investigation found evidence that former CEO, LaSaia Wade, permitted BSA funds to be diverted to unknown bank accounts, and revealed substantial questionable spending of BSA funds by Ms. Wade. BSA's board will follow guidance from the Attorney General and other authorities on the required next steps to address these issues and get the matter resolved.
The Board, BSA's law firm, Baron Harris Healey, and the forensic accountant spent several months investigating these matters, and other allegations of workplace policy violations. The BSA board suspended and later terminated Ms. Wade and has hired an external accounting firm to review and enhance financial controls, including regularly scheduled reviews of the organization's finances.
The BSA board is collectively taking action on this matter. The board is invested in keeping BSA able to serve the community. "We are also committed to keeping the BSA staff fully employed," said board chair Channyn Lynne Parker. "We are very disappointed that this happened. We are working hard to make sure BSA survives and thrives." The other board members are Tracy Baim, Kim L. Hunt, Lilly Wachowski, and Michelle Zacarias.
The Interim CEO of BSA is Jae Rice, formerly Director of Communications.
BSA is a Black trans-led LGBTQ organization on the South Side of Chicago. BSA's roots are abolitionist, and the organization supports a restorative justice model here, to the extent that BSA has any control of the outcome.