HOLYOKE – Seven months after firing its executive director, the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce said it has filed a criminal complaint against Jordan Hart with the Holyoke Police Department alleging theft and misappropriation of funds.
In a statement, the Chamber alleges that Hart used its organization’s funds for personal expenses and that certain grant funds designated for specific programs were instead diverted to other purposes.
Chamber leadership said they identified financial irregularities last November and initiated an internal review, led by the Executive Committee, over the course of several months. Hart was fired in January, the statement said.
Following the review, a complaint was forwarded to the Holyoke Police Department, which has now been referred to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
The Chamber declined further comment beyond its statement, which did not state how much money or over what period Hart allegedly misused funds. Hart did not return messages for comment. Additionally, the Attorney General’s Office said it was unable to provide comment at this time about the ongoing investigation.
“In response to this incident, the Chamber has implemented new financial oversight protocols and will continue to strengthen procedures to ensure the highest standards of fiscal accountability,” the statement issued by Harry Montalvo Cuevas, president of the Chamber’s board of directors, said. “The chamber deeply regrets that this situation occurred and takes the matter with utmost seriousness.”
According to her LinkedIn account, Hart graduated from Holyoke Community College in 2014 and received her associate degree in general studies and humanities.
She has spent the entirety of her career with the Holyoke chamber, which brings together some 100 business from the region. Working her way up from executive assistant in 2013, Hart spent three years as program and services coordinator before her rise to executive director in February of 2021.
Since her termination she has been working as office and marketing manager for the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at UMass Amherst.
Samuel Gelinas can be reached at sgelinas@gazettenet.com.
