Veerinder “Vinny” Taneja, director of the Tarrant County Public Health Department, resigned this week for undisclosed reasons.
The resignation was effective Tuesday, according to the health department. In the interim, Deputy County Administrator Tom Stallings will take the reins as acting director of the department.
So far, no other details have been released about Taneja’s departure from the position, which he held since 2014.
“Tarrant County will immediately begin the process of searching for a new Public Health Director to serve the residents of Tarrant County,” a statement released by the department read, per NBC 5 DFW.
On February 5, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that in 2022, 16 Tarrant County Public Heath employees claimed that the department’s leadership was “toxic” during the COVID-19 pandemic’s peak. The workers specifically detailed a list of complaints against Taneja and Deputy Director Angela Hagy. The Tarrant County Human Resources Department initiated a review after a former employee alleged “pervasive and persistent bullying” was being carried out in the department.
Another complaint alleged that employees were directed to provide special treatment to county VIPs, offering COVID testing kits and at-home vaccinations.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Tarrant County under Taneja dealt with significant levels of COVID-19 during the pandemic, with the risk level at times raised to “high” by public health officials. Some employees reportedly claimed leadership under Taneja made the already stressful working conditions worse.
A copy of the report conducted by the HR department and reviewed by the Star-Telegram alleges Taneja made threatening calls, swore at employees, and dismissed mounting stress among the staff. While the review concluded that no laws had been broken, the investigators nonetheless wanted the county administrator to be aware of the “volume” of complaints.
For their part, both Taneja and Hagy denied the claims against them, according to the review.
