At the time of the City’s alleged retaliation, Jordan Villwock served as Management Services Director for the City of Ontario. He is the executive who directly ordered City Auditor Brad Neumann to violate professional audit standards—specifically directing Neumann to subordinate his independent judgment to an executive in management, in violation of Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) standards.
Rather than follow those directives, Neumann engaged in protected activity by informing Villwock that complying with them would breach professional standards. This protected disclosure occurred prior to any retaliatory action, making Villwock the first executive to be informed of the ethical conflict.
Despite being given the opportunity to correct course, Villwock escalated the matter, initiating the chain of events that led to Neumann’s removal. His conduct formed the foundation of both the request for resolution of professional disagreement and the eventual retaliation taken against the City Auditor.