Those accusations bear a close resemblance to concerns laid out in February 2020, when Brogdon was the assistant vice president for human resources at University of West Georgia.

A performance recovery plan created by her former employer, obtained by The State News through a public records request, reported that Brogdon’s staff in the HR department broke confidentiality procedures, asking her to train employees on "the importance of confidentiality and the extra care that needs to be taken to verify that confidentiality is being maintained."

It also found that Brogdon’s leadership style "led to disharmony and poor morale" in the department. It told her to stop sharing personal opinions about employees, and to keep communication "brief and to the point." It asked that Brogdon "reduce unscheduled or impromptu meetings or conversations where excessive talking or inappropriate conversation may occur."

A spokesperson for the University of West Georgia declined to elaborate on the document’s findings. Brogdon could not be reached for comment.

That June, the university reported that Brogdon "made the requested improvements" outlined in the performance recovery plan. Three months later, Brogdon resigned, according to the records.

After a year and a half stint as chief human resources officer of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Brogdon was hired at MSU in 2022 as its first vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer. 

That hiring was touted at the time by then-president Samuel Stanley, who said in a release that Brogdon’s "expertise is an asset to the institution as we work to address the challenges that lie ahead to recruit and retain top-notch professionals."

It’s unclear whether MSU knew of Brogdon’s prior work history when the university appointed her.

Executive search firm Isaacson Miller facilitated the search to fill the position for an estimated $83,333, according to records obtained by The State News via public records request. Rebecca Kennedy, who spearheaded the search, did not respond to requests for comment. An MSU spokesperson declined to comment on personnel matters.

MSU records-snooping

The revelations contextualize the current claims about Brogdon’s time at MSU, which allege she enlisted an employee to covertly compile "derogatory information" stored in the personnel files of high-ranking employees. 

Brogdon enlisted a junior staffer — Unit Services Assistant Courtney Hanneman — to carry out the covert task in April 2023.

The two had become friendly in the months before, according to the complaint, which says they "enjoyed gossiping."

"(Brogdon) is like me," the complaint alleges Hanneman once said. "We love having dirt on people."

The request was reportedly made at the behest of then-board Chair Rema Vassar and the search committee tasked with choosing the university’s president, which was chaired by Trustee Dennis Denno. Vassar and Denno have since been censured by the board after an outside investigation found that they repeatedly inappropriately interfered in the university's administration, sometimes for personal gain.

Both denied asking Brogdon to make the request, though emails show that Vassar asked Denno to contact Brogdon shortly before the incident to discuss matters related to the presidential search.

Asked about Brogdon’s involvement in the presidential search in an interview this week, MSU president Kevin Guskiewicz shifted in his chair and said pointedly, it’s "not how we're conducting searches here right now."

"I'm not going to comment on how they were done in the past, but that is not a practice that I use," Guskiewicz said.

The complaint raises a concern that Brogdon could have made other similar demands, saying that Hanneman referred to herself as "(Brogdon's) mole" in the months after the covert record pulling. It also says Brogdon discussed changing Hanneman’s responsibilities to allow access to more types of university records.

Brogdon also spoke negatively about her employees, the complaint alleged. Brogdon left people out of "recognition communications and celebrations for interim duty performance" based on "race and retaliation” and made comments about staffers "needing a babysitter," saying "people need to choose between motherhood and working."

She also influenced hiring decisions in favor of personal acquaintances and spoke inappropriately in the workplace of "her dating apps and profiles," according to the complaint.

Administration reporter Owen McCarthy, senior reporter Alex Walters and administration reporter Emilio Perez Ibarguen contributed reporting.