Judge: NE Iowa Community College had cause to fire leader

Northeast Iowa Community College was justified in its termination of former president Herbert Riedel, a judge has ruled.

Riedel was announced for the presidential role in February 2022 but was placed on administrative leave in October 2023 after a series of closed sessions. Vice President of Finance and Administration Dave Dahms was made acting president of the institution.

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A private hearing was held in late March about Riedel’s possible termination, according to a news release, overseen by an administrative law judge hearing the matter. The judge ruled May 20 that the college had just cause in terminating Riedel.

“The grounds asserted for just cause termination included failure to make satisfactory improvement in areas of expectations identified in the evaluation and performance action plan,” the release stated.

According to the release, Riedel didn’t make improvements in building trust with leadership, staff and other college stakeholders, creating an “open, respectful and diplomatic relationship and reputation” with students and staff and bettering relationships with community partners. The college has two campuses, in Peosta and Calmar.

Riedel has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision, the release stated. The former president has also filed suit against the college’s board of trustees, alleging it violated open meetings laws when discussing his performance and job details during a closed session in June 2023.

According to court documents, the college denies violating laws when it voted to implement a performance action plan for Riedel to follow.

This article first appeared in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.