Estherville, Iowa (RI) — The former chief academic officer at Iowa Lakes Community College has filed a lawsuit — alleging she was fired for being the whistleblower who prompted an investigation of the school’s finances.
Erin Latona began working at Iowa Lakes Community College in the fall of 2022. The Des Moines Register has posted her legal petition online. It indicates Latona noticed financial irregularities at the school almost immediately. In mid-2023, she contacted the FBI, and federal officials referred her concerns to the State Auditor’s Office for an investigation. Latona says others at the school figured out she was the whistleblower, and she was fired this past February.
The lawsuit alleges Iowa Lakes Community College inflated student enrollment to get more state aid and either mismanaged or misappropriated college grants to high school students. The lawsuit says Latona was illegally fired in retaliation for the difficult but necessary decision to blow the whistle on the misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Iowa Lakes Community College is based in Estherville and has campuses in Algona, Emmetsburg, Spencer, and Spirit Lake.
KIWA Staff Photo
