President and CEO of the Recording Academy, Deborah Dugan, has been placed on administrative leave in relation to an investigation for a misconduct allegation against her. Dugan recently stepped into the spotlight by replacing the previous President and CEO of the Recording Academy, Neil Portnow, last August.
In a statement released by the Recording Academy, the company confirmed the reason of Dugan’s administrative leave was on the basis of a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording academy team. The Recording Academy further mentioned the Board of the company has hired two independent third-party investigators to conduct individual investigations of the allegations.
“The Board determined this action to be necessary in order to restore the confidence of the Recording Academy’s Membership, repair Recording Academy employee morale, and allow the Recording Academy to focus on its mission of serving all music creators,” the statement reads. “Board Chair Harvey Mason Jr. will serve as interim President and CEO pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
The allegation has come into the limelight one week before The Grammys, which is to take place on Jan. 26. Dugan had no plan on appearing in front of the camera during The Grammys, stating she would only appear if there were something important for her to say in front of 22 million people.
“I’m not in favor that after an hour and a half, somebody comes out and gives a Recording Academy spiel,” Dugan said. “I won’t be there unless there’s something important for me to say to the 22 million people watching.”