By Kim McDarison
Communicating with members of the media Friday afternoon through direct message text, Jefferson County Medical Examiner Investigator Dawn Karges-Kiernan has announced that she has resigned from that position, citing claims of unresolved issues in the workplace.
Kiernan said she brought her concerns to the Jefferson County Human Resources Department through a series of emails beginning in January.
On Thursday, April 28, Karges-Kiernan received a letter from Jefferson County Human Resources Director Terri Palm-Kostroski, which she shared Friday with Fort Atkinson Online.
The letter, which is referenced as an “investigation conclusion,” finds that: “Based on the investigation, it has been determined that in order for the Medical Examiner’s Office to operate as expected by the County, training and other remedial action needs to be provided to address concerns.”
The letter continued: “The purpose of this letter is to ensure you that the County believes the Medical Examiner’s Office can work collaboratively and professionally as a team and developing a plan to work together professionally and collaboratively will accomplish this purpose.”
Additionally, the letter notes that the human resources department “wants to provide your office with the resources, guidance and training it needs in order to continue to provide the high level of service expected by the people of Jefferson County.”
The letter next sought to establish a schedule to begin a training process.
Karges-Kiernan, communicating with Fort Atkinson Online through text messaging wrote Friday, after receiving the letter, she opted to resign.
In her message to the media, Karges-Kiernan wrote: “Becoming a Deputy Medical Examiner has been my dream job since my dad died in October 1995. It is a deep passion of mine to serve the families and be the eyes and ears for the deceased.”
According to her online Linkedin profile, Karges-Kiernan served as a deputy medical examiner and advanced EMT in Walworth and Jefferson counties.
Karges-Kiernan, according to her Facebook page, is a resident of Whitewater and a 1988 graduate of Fort Atkinson High School. She worked at the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office from 2014 until 2018.
Prior to her resignation, according to her Facebook page, she has worked as a deputy medical examiner/coroner at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, since Feb. 26 2015.
This story may be updated.
File photo/Kim McDarison
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