Anti-harassment charity CEO out over Cuomo ties

The chief executive of Time’s Up, the prominent anti-harassment charity, resigned Thursday, the latest fallout in a crisis that threatens the organization’s survival.

For weeks, the group has been in upheaval over what some survivors of sexual abuse have called a fundamental betrayal: Its leaders appear to have allied more closely with former Gov. Andrew

Cuomo, who faces sexual harassment allegations from 11 women, than with the first accusers to come forward.

Tina Tchen, who had led the group since 2019, said in a statement that her “position at the helm of TIME’S UP has become a painful and divisive focal point.”

Explaining her decision to step aside, she said, “Those very women and other activists who should be working together to fight for change are instead battling each other in harmful ways.”

Founded in the wake of the Harvey

Weinstein revelations, backed by influential women including Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon, Time’s Up has been in what its own vice chair recently called an “existential crisis” over its mission.

The board chairwoman, Roberta Kaplan, also resigned over the Cuomo matter.

Powerful backers like Shonda Rhimes have tried to rally support and reboot. Staff members have complained about lack of direction, and outside critics have questioned whether the organization has strayed from its founding motives.

The departure of Tchen — who served as Michelle Obama’s chief of staff in the White House — raises as many questions for the organization as it resolves. She was a proponent of Time’s Up’s initial, bold mission: for female power players to use their connections for good. In her departing statement, Tchen endorsed that approach again.

“We cannot just shout on the outside for change without helping companies, government leaders and policymakers find the solutions to do better,” she said.