When the longtime head of a major local nonprofit is ousted from the organization she built without explanation, and literally overnight is turned into a “non-person” by a board that offers no elucidation to staff, donors or public for her departure, that comes as not just a shock but a “huge loss” to the person and the community.

That’s what happened two months ago to Vicki Soule, who over two decades had built Treasure Coast Community Health into the largest provider of healthcare services to Indian River County outside the two major hospitals.

Soule, in an interview with Vero Beach 32963, spoke out for the first time since she was summoned to an out-of-office meeting with key board members on Nov. 7, and told she would be suspended pending an outside investigation of a personnel complaint about which she was told neither the source nor any details.

In late September, Soule said a board member had hinted, without specifics, that her employment contract, set to expire Dec. 31, might not be renewed. But since she’d recently received a 3.8 out of 4 on her performance review, and non-renewal required 90 days’ notice, Soule said she had shrugged the comment off.

After 17 years, three as chief operating officer and then more than 14 as chief executive officer, her zeal for the TCCH mission had not waned. Soule and her husband had even seeded the organization’s latest fund-raising campaign with $100,000 of their own money.

“Every CEO gets some sort of complaint, that's why this was irrational behavior to tell me I was suspended,” she said. “By the law of averages, you're going to get a certain number. This was the first complaint that I was aware of since before Covid.”

But Soule said the meeting Nov. 7 turned unexpectedly contentious. “They presented it as a confrontation, they knew how it was ending,” Soule said. “It was clear that they were not going to keep me; no matter what I said, and at that point, I just wanted out. I wanted the noise to stop. I was so hurt by that kind of behavior.

“I didn't want to have the organization waste their money and go through that dirtiness,” she said. “Seventeen years uplifting that organization, letting people know what a great place it is, and now I'm going to say, yeah, bring in an outsider to stir the pot, for, they couldn't tell me how long.”

So just like that, Soule was no longer employed – not even allowed to return to her office to retrieve personal items accumulated over the past two decades. She was instantly cut off from donors who trusted her, community partners with projects in progress, and, most painfully, from her staff.

TCCH staff was told in an email not to contact her, she said. “They have basically gotten a ‘no contact’ order, which was never ever verbalized to me. Everyone was told ‘respect her privacy.’”

“It's a huge loss to me. We have deep friendships that go back more than a decade in many cases and I know that this is very hard on them, because if someone in upper management can suddenly disappear, what kind of job security do I have?” she said.

Treasure Coast Community Health issued only a few carefully crafted public statements which said, “Vicki resigned her position. We respect personnel privacy and will not share individual details. What’s most important is that our Governing Board of Directors has implemented a seamless transition plan, and our services remain uninterrupted.”

Doctors, nonprofit leaders, donors, volunteers and friends have since been reaching out daily to Soule – even during her interview with Vero Beach 32963 – and she consoles them on their own shock or anger about the situation.

All of this turmoil occurred at a time when TCCH was prepping for the October ribbon-cutting of its much-touted new West Health Center, its eighth location providing medical, vision, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy services for the insured and uninsured in Indian River County.

Money was stretched thin at TCCH during this period, but rather than make staffing cuts, Soule had deferred 90 percent of her salary from August, September and October. She’d expected to follow suit in November.

When asked to assure the public that no allegations of fiscal malfeasance were connected to Soule’s ouster, the TCCH board said: “We are stable, mission-focused and fully operational. Our financial position and funding commitments remain unchanged; donor-restricted funds will continue to be used as designated.”

Despite all the upheaval, Soule still wants the best for TCCH.

“I have a lot of confidence in the people who work there. We have a lot of people that apply for jobs that have the skill set, but what I've always emphasized is, do they have the heart, do they have the internal motivation to help others? To put themselves in that person's shoes and make a difference in their life?” she said.

“I had a strong team. Not every plank in the fence was strong, but we’d cover each other and help the younger ones, the less experienced ones, learn and grow as well.”

Soule, who in addition to her TCCH duties served on 10 nonprofit boards, clubs and committees, said she’s definitely not ready to retire, but the terms of an 18-month non-compete clause means she’s looking 15 miles outside Vero and only at employers who don’t bill Medicaid.

Soule said she’ll miss showing prospective donors the great need for local, affordable healthcare. “The most wonderful thing is when I see the light bulb go on, when people would say, ‘Oh, that has changed my perception of what this community is, and can be’.”

She could raise money for a non-healthcare cause, but helping Vero’s neediest patients is temporarily off the table.

The board named Soule’s former executive vice president Heather Miranda interim CEO, but because TCCH is designated a Federally Qualified Health Center, it must conduct a national search for her replacement.

“The Governing Board of Director’s Executive Committee is actively overseeing the transition. Clinics, programs, and outreach services are operating on normal schedules, and patient care remains our top priority. Our experienced leadership and clinical teams remain in place. We remain steadfast in our commitment to provide accessible, cost-effective, high-quality, comprehensive health care to all persons, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances,” a TCCH statement said.