A new, extensive investigation into allegations of a hostile work environment in the Hamden Recreation Department lodged by two supervisors against Director of Cultural Affairs & Human Services Director Karen Bivens found the allegations against Bivens were unsubstantiated and determined it was the two supervisors creating the hostile work environment and bullying Bivens.

Recreation supervisors Sallie Lowry and Nicole Brown Johnson were placed on administrative leave after Hamden officials received the investigation. Over the past several years, Lowry and Johnson have filed numerous formal complaints against Bivens, alleging she was targeting them for retaliation, micromanaging, and creating a hostile work environment. A 2023 Hamden human resources investigation into Lowry’s claims supported many of her allegations.

Bivens, however, filed her own complaint with human resources in January of 2025 alleging Johnson and Lowry “have been harassing her with complaints and making disparaging and slanderous statements about her to others,” in an attempt to “thwart their work duties and assassinate her character,” therefore interfering with Bivens’ ability to do her job.

The town hired an outside private investigation firm to take an extensive look into all the complaints. The latest investigation substantiated Bivens’ claims that Lowry and Johnson were insubordinate, unwilling to perform their job duties, creating a hostile work environment, and violating the town’s bullying and harassment policy.

“The evidence supports that Lowry and Johnson are both disparaging the Director with hostile language and are creating and attempting to spread a negative perception of the Director,” the report by New Light Investigations found. “The evidence supports that Lowry is actively fostering a groupthink and bullying environment. The evidence also supports that Johnson is following Lowry’s lead and that Lowry becomes hostile to other employees who do not align with her perspective and narrative.”

The investigation into Bivens’ claims against Lowry states that Lowry, a long-time employee, has been unable to adapt to changes in the department and has filtered her view of Bivens through a lens that Bivens is “ageist and racist,” leading her to disparage Bivens and block anything the director tries to do.

“Lowry has responded to the challenging changes in the Department by launching an all-out professional war against the Director through arguments, employee-resistance, excessive complaints filings, disparagement, hostile language, and the use of the long-term employment and relationships to attempt to influence a negative and oppositional faction against the Director,” the Bivens v. Lowry report says. “Lowry reported feeling disempowered and degraded under Biven’s leadership, which further fuels her belief that Bivens is racist, to the point where she refers to her as ‘slave master.'”

The investigation into Bivens’ claims against Johnson found that Johnson was openly hostile toward Bivens, referring to Bivens by a number of derogatory names, was unwilling to perform her job duties, and took no responsibility for her actions and appeared amused by the investigation and the allegations.

“There is substantial evidence to support the conclusion that Johnson is unwilling to report to, assist, and receive directions and instructions from her Director. Her relationship with the Director is thoroughly hostile. Therefore, the investigation finds that Johnson is unwilling to perform her job duties,” the Bivens v. Johnson report said. “Johnson presented for this investigation as detached from professionalism and showed no regard for her own place within the chain of command. She made incoherent defense for her insubordination and provided self-amusing justifications for her hostile misconduct.”

“Johnson found her misconduct toward the Director entertaining; the assigned investigator found Johnson’s self-amused disposition during questioning about serious misconduct troubling,” the report continued.

The report was based on multiple interviews with unnamed witnesses who largely supported Bivens’ view of the situation, including that Lowry and Johnson were responsible for creating tension in the department. It was indicated that two witnesses, however, had previous issues with Bivens, although those claims were redacted in the report.

The investigations into Lowry’s and Johnson’s allegations against Bivens were all found to be unsubstantiated.

“Director Bivens’ management style, while described by some as direct or stern, did not rise to the level of a hostile or discriminatory work environment as defined under state or federal employment law,” the report states. “There is no indication that Bivens’ actions constituted retaliation or policy violations under CHRO or CBA grievance standards.”

Both Lowry and Johnson said they could not offer comment at this time and referred Inside Investigator to their union president, who likewise said he could not comment on the “allegations” at this time. Request for comment to the Office of Mayor Lauren Garrett were likewise not returned.

Lowry and Johnson were not the only employees to make such allegations against Bivens since she began in 2022. In 2023, several members of the town’s Art’s Commission threatened to resign “due to ‘ongoing toxicity’ with Karen Bivens,” according to the New Haven Register. Bivens denied those allegations and was supported by Mayor Garrett.

Both Johnson and Lowry have been on administrative leave for several weeks. Both are union members, meaning discipline must go through processes outlined in their collective bargaining agreements.

“Bivens’ ideal outcome in this situation is for Lowry and Johnson to exercise due diligence, be conscientious, and stop fighting with her over everything. She indicated that she had a willingness to continue working with Lowry and Johnson if their behaviors change,” the report concluded.

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