Lawsuit filed against Denver life insurance company mentions Western president

Salsbury is former senior vice president of the company

By Alissa Johnson

A racial and sexual discrimination lawsuit has been filed against the former employer of Western State Colorado University president Dr. Greg Salsbury. Though the lawsuit is against Jackson National Life Insurance Company, and not Dr. Salsbury, a Denver Post article does mention Salsbury in relation to the case.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit in U.S. district court in Denver. A January 23 article in the Denver Post notes that the federal lawsuit is alleging “blatant racial and sexual abuse incidents” and provides several graphic examples.

The article also mentions Dr. Salsbury, who—according to his bio—worked for the company for 17 years prior to being appointed to Western, including roles as executive and senior vice presidents. According to the Denver Post, the allegations originated in Denver after an Atlanta office closed. “Jackson closed its Atlanta office in 2007 because, according to executive vice president Greg Salsbury, the hiring pool and the employees were ‘too black,’ the lawsuit says,” the article stated.

Western’s director of marketing communications Sarah Higgens provided a response to the article: “An article appeared in the Denver Post this week which describes a lawsuit that has been filed against Jackson National Life, alleging racial and sexual discrimination. Jackson is a former employer of Dr. Greg Salsbury. Within the article, there is a quote attributed to Greg Salsbury regarding an alleged discriminatory decision by the company some ten years ago. Greg has been advised by Jackson legal counsel not to comment on the matter while litigation is pending. To be clear, the allegations are against Jackson, not Greg Salsbury.”