WORCESTER—The City of Worcester has confirmed that Joseph Robinson, the city’s director of veterans services since November 2023, is no longer employed by the municipality following a dispute over whether he misrepresented his academic credentials at the time of his hiring.
City officials have declined to provide details surrounding Robinson’s departure, citing personnel matters. In a brief statement to The Worcester Guardian on Friday, city media and public administrator Tom Matthews said, “I can tell you Joe Robinson is not an employee with the City of Worcester.”
Robinson, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, disputes the city’s characterization of the circumstances surrounding his exit and says he did not resign. He maintains that he fully disclosed his educational status when he was hired and denies any intent to mislead the city or the public.
“I have not resigned,” Robinson previously told the Telegram and Gazette when news of his departure first surfaced earlier this month.
Dispute centers on academic credentials
At issue is Robinson’s use of the honorific “Dr.” and whether he held a completed doctoral degree at the time he was appointed to the post. When the city announced his hiring in November 2023, a press release from the office of City Manager Eric Batista stated that Robinson held “an MBA and doctorate in executive leadership from Liberty University in Virginia.”
Robinson disputed that he misrepresented his credentials, saying the language describing his education was delivered by the city.
“That language was generated and published by the city, not by me,” Robinson told The Worcester Guardian on Friday. “I did not author or draft the press release.”
Robinson said he completed doctoral coursework with a 3.91 GPA and had only a dissertation remaining, arguing that referring to someone in that academic status using such terminology is not uncommon in administrative settings.
He said the terminology becomes problematic only when titles such as “Ph.D.” or “Dr.” are used to obtain a professional license—which he said did not occur in his case. He added that state and federal law draw a clear distinction between academic status and licensure.
Robinson says he completed all doctoral coursework at Liberty University and was in the dissertation phase of the program at the time of his hiring—a status commonly referred to in academic settings as “all but dissertation,” or ABD.
“I accurately disclosed that my Ph.D. was in progress and I never used the title to obtain any professional license or regulated credential,” Robinson said. “My role did not require a doctorate, and my academic status was never hidden.”
City officials have not publicly stated whether they believe Robinson’s use of the title constituted misrepresentation, nor have they released any findings or documentation explaining the decision to end his employment.
Ultimatum to resign or be terminated
Robinson says he was instructed on Friday, Jan. 16, not to report to work and was given an ultimatum: resign or be terminated by Tuesday, Jan. 20. He told The Worcester Guardian that he was ultimately terminated effective Jan. 22 and said the city’s actions came as an unexpected surprise.
“I was informed that I should resign or face termination based on allegations of misrepresentation related to my academic credentials,” Robinson said.
In a letter dated Jan. 20 and addressed to city officials, Robinson formally rejected the resignation option and requested that the city terminate him in writing if that was its intention.
“Accordingly, I will not be resigning from my position,” Robinson wrote. “If the City of Worcester intends to terminate my employment, I request that it do so formally and provide a written statement today clearly outlining the basis for that decision.”
Robinson also wrote that he had requested copies of documents related to the hiring process—including his job application, transcripts and any third-party complaints—but had not received them as of that date.
The city has not responded publicly to those claims.
Robinson cites timing, third-party influence
Robinson told The Worcester Guardian that no concerns about his credentials were raised during his more than two years in the role prior to January.
“For more than two and a half years, I served successfully, without any disciplinary action, and with strong public and internal support,” he said. “There were no concerns raised about my qualifications or performance until these external communications occurred.”
He said the timing of the city’s actions raises questions about fairness and due process.
“The timing and sequence of events raise serious concerns about fairness, due process, and whether improper outside influence played a role in the city’s decision-making,” Robinson said.
Impact on veterans services
Robinson said several initiatives were underway at the time he was told not to return to work, including housing stability efforts, homelessness prevention programming, outreach expansion, memorial projects and planning for citywide veterans events.
“The disruption of leadership during this period unfortunately impacts continuity of care and services for Worcester’s veteran population,” he said.
Some veterans advocates have expressed concern about the abrupt change in leadership. Brian Major, a Worcester resident involved with the Building Bridges veterans outreach program, told the Telegram and Gazette that Robinson had increased the visibility of veterans services in the city and advanced several initiatives since taking office.
As of this week, the city’s official veterans’ services webpage lists the position as “vacant, veterans’ services officer/director.” City officials have not announced an interim or permanent replacement.
City remains silent
Beyond confirming that Robinson is no longer employed, Worcester officials have declined to comment on the matter.
“Beyond that the municipality doesn’t comment on personnel matters,” Matthews said in a previous statement to the media.
Robinson says he hopes the city will conduct what he describes as “a fair, transparent and independent review of the facts.”
“I remain committed to Worcester’s veterans and to upholding the values of fairness, accountability and public service,” he said.
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