No mismanagement found at Virginia Museum of Transportation, law firm says

ROANOKE, Va. — A review of the Virginia Museum of Transportation operations found no signs of mismanagement, the museum has announced.

WDBJ-TV reports the investigation by law firm Gentry Locke was conducted at the museum’s request after six board members resigned at a June meeting. The departing board members voiced about museum management, including how state grant money was spent [see “Virginia Museum of Transportation board members resign,” Trains News Wire, June 27, 2024].

A letter from a Gentry Locke attorney to the board said investigators “determined that the allegations leveled against VMT at the Annual Meeting were unfounded.” Executive Vice President Tom Cox told the station he hoped the report will put supporters’ concerns to rest: “I hope they take away the fact that the board and its staff have been acting responsibly and in the best interest of the museum and the community.”

One of those who resigned, Gavin Miller, told the station that questions remain because the review was not a third-party audit, but Gentry Locke said in a statement that it had been engaged “to conduct a neutral, third-party investigation into the concerns raised by the resigned board members.”