IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
Jim Henwood has stepped down as president and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles County Fair Association.
Henwood, who led the Pomona-based non-profit association for 20 years, officially retired Friday, according to multiple reports.
J. Michael Ortiz, chairman of the association’s board of directors and former president of Cal Poly Pomona, will serve as interim chief executive officer until a permanent replacement is found, the reports stated.
Henwood, who originally planned to retire at the end of this year when his contract expired, came under fire when a recent Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that he and other association executives were receiving lucrative pay – as much as $900,000 annually in Henwood’s case – while the organization struggled financially.
Henwood acknowledge that controversy in his resignation statement, saying he had “become a distraction” and that he was making it too difficult for the association to conduct its business. The association is currently the subject of several audits, according to the reports.
