Photos by Ralph Freso
While defending federal workers currently under widespread scrutiny, Paula Pedene said her story shows the best way toward government accountability – integrity from within.
“Be clear about what you are not going to do,” she said in a lecture Thursday to Grand Canyon University students, many studying toward a future in public relations. “I was not going to lie for them. I saw it coming; I saw they were unethical. I could not live with myself if I lied for them. Thank God I didn’t.”
Pedene is a Scottsdale public relations professional who became a whistleblower of corruption in the Veterans Administration medical center in Phoenix more than a decade ago and was demoted and harassed by administrators after exposing delays in patient care, fraudulent data and other misconduct.
What made it even more difficult was that Pedene was the VA’s public relations manager, whose job it is to put a positive spin on an organization.
“You have to hold true to your personal values,” she said, citing the Public Relations Society of America’s Code of Ethics. “One of their mantras is honesty. First, we have to be advocates for our organizations that we represent. But we have to do it honestly.
“You have to have independence. You have to know when to speak the truth and distance yourself when things are not going well for an organization and when to be honest about that. You have to be loyal to yourself and your mission. Our mission was to care for our nation’s veterans. I wasn’t going to compromise that.”
Pedene’s lecture in the Echo Building was part of GCU’s Integrity Week and was hosted by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the new GCU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.
“This presentation is a real-world example of how to apply ethics and integrity when faced with a life-changing challenge,” said Cynthia Weaver, faculty advisor to the student chapter and a public relations and writing professor at GCU.
And it was life changing.
Pedene said afterward that she faced depression and other health issues after being “banished to the basement” by VA officials. Prayer, yoga and family support got her through to tell her story nationwide and in the 2022 book, “A Sacred Duty: How a Whistleblower Took on the VA and Won.”
“The thing you have to be careful with in public relations is omission,” she said. “Sometimes we omit saying something because it’s not flattering to the organization. But you have to be careful with omission because sometimes admitting your faults or errors can help you improve.”
Pedene took the audience of several dozen students through her story of serving in the U.S. Navy for nine years on active duty and three years in the reserves, learning broadcast journalism in the military and absorbing its core values. That came into clear focus by the time she earned her post in the VA in Phoenix and noticed improper behavior.
“Do I care? If I didn’t, I would have had an easy ride,” she said. “But I took the hard role; I became a whistleblower.”
Although she helped establish the wildly successful Phoenix Veterans Day Parade and was devoted to the mission of helping veterans, Pedene and a doctor within the organization helped spotlight misuse of funds and delayed care, which forced some in leadership to resign.
The successors “put a target on our backs,” and she was demoted to working in the library in the basement, “sharpening pencils,” she said, while they reviewed her position for a minor infraction. But she was in the basement for 22 months.
Pedene said she first went to the VA with her allegations but “it fell on deaf ears,” so she went to Congress and the media. Investigators eventually concluded that VA administrators falsified patient data to earn bonuses and veterans’ care suffered. Many died on patient waiting lists, said Pedene, who later settled with the VA for suffering demotions and harassment.
The case sparked a nationwide outcry over patient care in the agency.
“When it hit the news, it hit hard,” she said. “The truth has a way of rolling like thunder.
“We had been working on this for 1 ½ years. All that time evil was winning. I want you to know that because God gives a wide berth to people to come and follow Him. When we turn on our back on Him, things like this happen. That’s why your personal code of ethics is so important.”
Pedene was quick to defend the current scrutiny of federal workers, answering a student’s question by saying that most are doing good work. “Should we be looking at some of the waste, fraud and abuse? Yes,” she said, adding that it’s hard to do that when inspector generals, such as those who helped investigate her own case, are also being let go.
She left students with a task, citing Ephesians 6:11-17 and its call to “put on the full armor of God” to face evil and stand your ground.
“You never want to take your helmet off, ever,” she said. “The Word of God is truth. Tonight, as you lay your head on your bed, I want you to think of three values you will incorporate in your life that you will stand by and commit them to God. That will be a part of who you are. So when you are faced with a horrible situation like I was, you too will be able to stand your ground. You will have your armor on.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at mike.kilen@gcu.edu
***
Related content:
GCU News: Christian business leaders speak about how faith guides their business practices
GCU News: Annual Honors College campaign motivates students to practice integrity
