Hope Villages of America, a Clearwater-based nonprofit addressing hunger, housing and abuse, is reintroducing itself two years after its former CEO resigned while facing serious allegations from volunteers. The current CEO says they have plans to connect with more people in the community and remind everyone of their mission. Hope Villages of America's CEO resigns after domestic violence shelter volunteers quitIn December 2022, the ABC Action News I-Team revealed what led up to former CEO Kirk Ray Smith's departure a committee of volunteers for Hope Villages' domestic violence shelter resigning and alerting the board to concerns about Smith's behavior toward them. At the time, the I-Team sat down with three of the six women who resigned. "I, myself, and then my committee, was on the tail end of a vulgar, profanity-laced, threatening, verbally-attacking tirade," Devin Pappas, who had volunteered for Hope Villages for 12 years, told the I-Team. Pappas and other members of the committee went to the Board of Directors with their concerns after a Zoom meeting with Smith that was held after Hope Villages' biggest annual fundraiser. They raised $72,000 that year. After waiting for the Board to act, Pappas contacted the I-Team. "We were dumbfounded by the beratement that we got and we really did not have any explanation," she said. Michelle Balon had volunteered for Hope Villages for four years and told the I-Team one of the hardest things she's ever done was to send in her resignation letter."I was shocked and I was appalled," Balon said of the Zoom call. Smith agreed to sit down with the I-Team in December 2022 but his attorney then said there would be no comment. In a statement on Hope Villages website that has since been taken down, Smith said: What could have been a private matter has now been made public, and the reality of the situation that occurred has been distorted in the public eye. What is being said about me is not accurate. This is a case of these volunteers acting out and then their feelings being hurt when this was brought to light. Now those people have gone to the media to tarnish my character. This situation began within recent weeks a group of volunteers were emotionally abusive to HVA staff members. As the leader of the organization, when I addressed the repeated unacceptable behavior, including but not limited to body shaming female employees, they chose to go to the media as victims. These individuals have gone so low as to create threats to me emotionally and physically via a website and social media, truly harassing me personally and professionally. I have been forced to contact the NAACP and law enforcement to help stop these harmful attacks. As the CEO of HVA, I will continue to focus on our mission of helping those in the Tampa Bay Area facing serious issues such as hunger, homelessness, and abuse.The Board wrote: "We stand behind our CEO and Executive Management team and are evaluating the actions that have taken place. This will likely result in enhanced policies that protect staff and volunteers at HVA. Through Hope Villages of America, we are committed to promoting, protecting, and doing no harm to the organization. We provide hope restoration with dignity to those in need through innovative programs and services. Our organization focuses on helping those in the Tampa Bay Area who are facing hunger, homelessness, and abuse and that is what we will continue to do for decades to come.After Smith's resignation, the Board thanked Smith for his service. It said Hope Villages "remains fully committed to those facing hunger, serving homeless families, supporting those in need of affordable housing, and addressing abuse."Domestic violence resourcesIn June 2023, Hope Villages appointed State Senator Nick DiCeglie as its president and CEO. On Monday, he held a news conference to talk about a strategic plan for the next three years, including marketing the work they do to share their story. "It's been my job in the last year and a half to rebuild that trust and let folks know that we have the right people on this leadership team moving this organization forward, the mission has not changed," DiCeglie said. "As you can imagine, I've had a lot of lunches, a lot of coffees, really saying all of those things and trying to instill a level of trust, not for the short term, but really for the long-term."DiCeglie told the I-Team they've come together as a team and he's really happy with where they are today. "It's night and day compared to where we were a year and a half ago. You can feel it, you can sense it, and it's really been a great thing to change that culture," DiCeglie said. DiCeglie never mentioned Kirk Ray Smith by name during the news conference, but during the I-Team's one-on-one interview, he elaborated on the challenge of restoring trust following the former CEO's resignation. DiCeglie noted that the community they serve is more and more in need of help. The nonprofit saw a 35 percent increase in people coming to their food bank and mentioned the need during an especially difficult hurricane season.