The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission has voted to retain CEO Ryan Hauck after conducting an investigation into complaints by Experience Fayetteville[1] employees about Hauck’s behavior.
Records released by the governing body for Experience Fayetteville, the city’s tourism marketing agency, show multiple anonymous complaints were filed against Experience Fayetteville CEO Ryan Hauck, who was placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
“The Commission’s decision was made after a thorough and impartial review of all concerns submitted through the appropriate channels,” the commission said in a statement issued Thursday (Sept. 18) evening. “We believe the most constructive path forward is to continue with Ryan Hauck’s leadership, paired with clear accountability measures, to reaffirm our commitment to a respectful and high-performing workplace where all are welcome.
“The Commission takes all concerns seriously, and our responsibility is to ensure that Experience Fayetteville operates with professionalism, accountability, and respect for everyone we serve. We are confident that, moving forward, Ryan Hauck will lead the organization in a manner consistent with our values and expectations.”
The statement noted that the commission will “implement training to ensure alignment with the organization’s cultural values.”
Experience Fayetteville third-party human resources vendor My HR Pros conducted the investigation.
According to the complaints released by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission, the complainants were concerned about the words Hauck said. They said his comments were “offensive” and created “a hostile and inappropriate work environment” and “discomfort and raises concerns of bias.” One complainant wanted to ensure the commission was aware of “these attitudes and to take corrective action before the CEO hurts the reputation of our organization and poisons the goodwill of our community toward Experience Fayetteville.”
According to the records, three anonymous complaints against Hauck were filed with My HR Pros. Two were filed Aug. 27, and a third was filed Aug. 31. The dates of the incidents were from July 23 to Aug. 28. Hauck joined Experience Fayetteville on July 21.
In the first complaint, the complainant cited “repeated comments made by our new CEO that I believe create a hostile and inappropriate work environment.” The complainant said Hauck was upset about his wife getting a job “when in his view she was supposed to ‘stay home and watch the kids.’” He said his wife “convinced him” to allow it but remains unsupportive because “in his words, if she misses school pickup, he is ‘the man of the house’ and ‘what does he know about child rearing.’”
“Hearing this narrative in the workplace was concerning on several levels,” the complainant said. “As a woman, I was troubled by the implication that my professional role should always come second to motherhood, and that pursuing a career could be viewed as neglecting maternal duties. As a man, the implication that childcare is exclusively a mother’s responsibility and that fathers are less masculine if they take on those duties is equally problematic. As a result of these statements, I now feel afraid to share family dynamics with co-workers out of concern that I may be judged, categorized or seen as less committed to my career.”
The complainant also noted that Hauck said “in a public setting that he needed to join a babysitting network because he would not allow a male babysitter.” He said, “Boys cannot be babysitters.”
In the second complaint, the complainant said Hauck “used the term ‘powwow.’ When told this term is offensive, he questioned whether we were on Native land, which we are, but that fact is irrelevant to the inappropriateness of the term. He then dismissed the concern altogether by doubling down and stating, ‘I am going to talk how I am going to talk.’”
The complainant was also concerned about Hauck requesting that the organization reduce “DEI and LGBTQ funding… These categories are not identified in our funding process, and no events are labeled as specifically LGBTQ or BIPOC focused. His remarks appeared to reflect a personal desire to target and reduce support for these communities, framed as ‘sharing the wealth.’”
The complainant said, “Together, these actions raise serious concerns. The use of culturally offensive language, refusal to acknowledge or correct it when challenged, and apparent hostility toward funding perceived as supporting DEI or LGBTQ initiatives undermine my understanding of our organizational values of inclusion and respect. It also creates a chilling effect, where employees may feel unsafe to speak up or fully participate if they belong to or support marginalized groups.”
In the third complaint, the complainant said, “On several occasions our CEO has expressed opinions and attitudes that are inconsistent with our organization’s values.” When reviewing plans for 2026, Hauck said, “‘I don’t see any Black people here’ despite my explanation of various initiatives, organizations, events and stakeholders of importance” to Experience Fayetteville. In a separate instance, Hauck referred to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “as ‘a cult’ though I explained that we had valued stakeholders who are members of the denomination.”
The complainant said that before Hauck’s “first day on the job, he invited a straight male member of our team to go mountain biking, despite the fact that there are other team members who are avid cyclists.” According to the complaint, its desired outcome was to make the commission aware of “these attitudes and to take corrective action before the CEO hurts the reputation of our organization and poisons the goodwill of our community toward Experience Fayetteville.”
The Fayetteville Advertising and Promotion Commission selected Hauck after a nationwide search this spring. He replaced Molly Rawn, who left the organization after being elected Fayetteville mayor in December 2024.
Before joining Experience Fayetteville, Hauck was executive director of Cody Yellowstone, the tourism organization for Park County, Wyo., known as the eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park. He also served in leadership roles in the energy industry, entertainment and events, and the public and private sectors of tourism.
Related
References
- ^ Experience Fayetteville (www.experiencefayetteville.com)