External Investigation

Interlochen has established a counseling support fund to help cover future therapeutic care for impacted individuals. The Fund is overseen and administered by an independent third party, Mike Riley, a licensed therapist (MSW, MBA, LPC, LCSW, LMHC) with extensive experience working with survivors of abuse. Mike is available to provide support, help identify counseling resources in your area, and guide you through the process for accessing financial assistance. Mike will retain this information as confidential, and Interlochen will not receive any information about the nature of the counseling services accessed by participants or any details regarding their therapeutic care.

If you would like to explore this resource confidentially, please contact Mike Riley at (469) 552-5022 or interlochen@mhradvising.org.

We also heard from many impacted alumni a desire to connect with one another and to create a dedicated space for this interaction. We will be working with an external partner to facilitate opportunities for dialogue and support within our community at our 2026 Academy reunion and online. For any alumni interested in participating in one of the facilitated online sessions, please pre-register here for more information.

We recognize that the release of this report may encourage additional alumni to come forward and share their experiences. We encourage anyone who has additional information about historical sexual misconduct or experiences to share to contact the investigator directly so that our efforts can be as robust and complete as possible.

Elizabeth Sanghavi is available through October 30, 2026, to receive additional reports. Please contact elizabeth@sanghavilawoffice.com or 617-505-3010.

Please note that concerns about potential abuse or neglect involving current students or campers should be reported here.

For general questions about the report, please contact investigation@interlochen.org.

Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of the young people entrusted to our care. That responsibility shapes every aspect of how Interlochen operates today. We maintain a publicly available overview of our student safety practices and resources here.

Over many years, we have built a comprehensive, institution-wide child protection program that emphasizes prevention, encourages reporting, responds swiftly to concerns, and holds individuals accountable. Guided by Board oversight, dedicated leadership, and clearly defined responsibilities across every area of the institution, this work continues to evolve as we strengthen our policies, practices, and culture of accountability. Notably, any safety improvements made to the Academy continue to inform our safety protocols for Camp and vice versa.

Protecting students requires more than policies alone. It requires a culture, systems, and practices that work together every day to create a safe and supportive environment. These safeguards include:

• Rigorous hiring practices, comprehensive background checks, and mandatory annual training for employees and volunteers
• Clear professional boundary standards, mandated reporting responsibilities, and expectations for all adults who interact with students
• Multiple reporting pathways for students, families, faculty, and staff, ensuring concerns can be raised through trusted channels
• Coordinated supervision and response protocols involving Residence Life, Student Support Services, Health Services, Campus Safety, and school leadership
• Regular independent assessments of our safety policies, procedures, and emergency preparedness to ensure our practices continue to evolve and strengthen

Today, our policies and procedures are clear: we respond to any report of suspected abuse through a consistent process that prioritizes care for the impacted student, reporting to external authorities, a thorough investigation, and appropriate action and accountability.

We know this work is never finished. Protecting students requires constant vigilance, continuous improvement, and an unwavering commitment to earning and maintaining the trust placed in us by our students and their families.

We invite you to learn more about our current safety protocols and community standards for safeguarding our students here.

The contents of the report are challenging and include accounts of sexual abuse, trauma, and other difficult experiences. We recognize this material may be upsetting for some readers.

We are sensitive to family concerns about how to discuss this report and its contents. Below are links to online resources to help with talking to your student or child about issues related to sexual misconduct generally. These are helpful for speaking with children at all ages.

• How to Talk about Boundaries, Bodies, and Sex | Traverse Bay Children's Advocacy Center
• Safety Supports for Parents | RAINN.org
• Talking to Kids About Sexual Abuse | ChildMind.org
• 10 Ways to Teach Your Child the Skills to Prevent Sexual Abuse | ChildMind.org

If you are in crisis or need immediate emotional support, help is available 24 hours a day. You can contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or by visiting 988lifeline.org to chat with a trained crisis counselor online.

If you are seeking support related to sexual abuse or sexual assault, you can also contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit rainn.org to access confidential support by phone or online chat.

If you are in immediate danger or have a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

Concerns about potential abuse or neglect involving current students or campers can be reported here.

As a Michigan school, Interlochen also participates in the State of Michigan’s OK2SAY program. OK2SAY is a confidential student safety reporting system that allows individuals to confidentially submit tips about potential harm or criminal activity involving students, employees, or the school without involving administration. Reports made through OK2SAY are shared through a comprehensive communication system to facilitate tip sharing among students, parents, school officials, community mental health providers, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and law enforcement, as appropriate, about harmful behaviors that threaten to disrupt the learning environment. This provides another mechanism for students and families to report concerns externally and does not rely solely on internal channels. OK2SAY signs are posted on campus.

Students can also report concerns directly to any trusted adult in the community, including residential faculty, classroom teachers, counselors, advisors, and Campus Safety personnel. Employees, volunteers, and trustees participate in annual training on their mandated reporting responsibilities. This training instructs employees, volunteers, and trustees who have a reasonable suspicion of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, neglect, or exposure to unsafe environments (such as drugs or violence), to report this activity to their supervisor and/or school administration immediately. When there is a suspicion of child abuse or neglect, this information is reported to Child Protective Services.

You may also contact Campus Safety at 231-276-7575 or safetyconcern@interlochen.org or call 911 in an emergency.

We understand that this report may be a catalyst for additional alumni to come forward. We encourage anyone who has additional information or experiences to share to contact the investigators directly so that our efforts can be as robust and complete as possible. Elizabeth Sanghavi is available through October 2026 to receive additional reports at elizabeth@sanghavilawoffice.com or 617-505-3010. We understand that it can be difficult for individuals to come forward. If you choose to come forward after October, reports can still be made directly to Interlochen at investigation@interlochen.org.

Interlochen initiated this investigation after an alumna from the 1970s contacted us to share her experience with a long-tenured faculty member and administrator at the Academy. As a community rooted in trust, safety, and care, we believed it was critical to gather the facts in order to respond with integrity, candor, and compassion. Listening to the voices of our alumni with an earnest intent to understand their experiences is an essential and foundational step in acknowledging the past, addressing harm, and incorporating lessons learned to reinforce our commitment to student safety now and in the future.

Based on the initial reports we received, the scope focused on reported conduct in the 1960s and 1970s. But, with emerging information in the investigation, we made an intentional decision to expand the scope of the investigation to invite all Academy alumni from any decade to participate. The external investigators also received and included reports about misconduct at Camp. We also asked the investigators to speak with individuals who may have been impacted by or had knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein through his past association with Interlochen.

The investigators conducted nearly 180 interviews over the course of two years. Importantly, the investigators were asked to gather alumni experiences of abuse and chronicle them in the report. They did not make a credibility determination or investigate each individual report to determine whether the conduct occurred as reported. Instead, the information was accepted as true for the purposes of the report.

It was important to us that the external investigation be credible, reliable, and conducted with integrity. To ensure that the investigation would be truly independent (external, neutral, and impartial), Interlochen asked its external counsel to engage Sanghavi Law Office, LLC, a firm with no prior connections to Interlochen and bringing the relevant subject matter expertise. Elizabeth Sanghavi, a former federal civil rights attorney, and her team have extensive experience investigating historical abuse in a trauma-informed and sensitive manner. Importantly, the firm was solely engaged to serve as an external investigator and does not represent Interlochen in any other legal or advisory role. Sanghavi Law Office prepared this report independently; Interlochen had no direct influence over its content and no role in editing it.

The report includes experiences from alumni and other individuals who contacted Interlochen or the investigators directly. Interlochen and the investigators also identified and led outreach to additional alumni who may have been impacted, often based on information provided by other investigation participants. The report also includes information from Interlochen files that were requested and available, as well as interviews with current and former administrators.

The report covers accounts of sexual misconduct from the 1950s through the 2010s, ranging from inappropriate comments and violations of professional boundaries to egregious acts of sexual abuse or violence by adults employed by or affiliated with Interlochen. It includes accounts of misconduct by Academy and Camp faculty, residential life staff and Camp counselors, visiting artists, and board members who abused their positions of power and authority.

The abuse described in the report is heartbreaking and contrary to everything Interlochen stands for. While the vast majority of the incidents described in the investigation took place many decades ago, and reports of abuse at Interlochen have significantly decreased over the past 25 years, the passage of time does not diminish the experiences of our alumni. Sexual abuse committed by an adult in a position of power or trust against a student is wrong, then and now.

The report also reflects that there were very few reported incidents of abuse after 2000. In those instances where Interlochen had notice of the reported conduct, the school took responsive action in accordance with our mandated reporting obligations and commitment to student safety. Many of the individuals accused of misconduct are now deceased, and none are currently employed by Interlochen.

The report includes allegations made against 47 individuals who were affiliated with Interlochen, from the 1950s through the 2010s. Of those 47 individuals, 17 are deceased.

The investigators at Sanghavi Law Office made the decision not to name any of the individuals accused of misconduct in the report, other than Epstein. This was a fully independent process, and the investigators (not Interlochen) determined what information to include in the report.

Interlochen provided the names of all individuals accused of misconduct to the Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office, which will determine if there is a viable pathway to prosecution or other steps that should be taken to promote accountability or minimize current risk to students at other institutions. To ensure that our actions in no way undermine the integrity of any law enforcement investigation or action, Interlochen will not identify any of these individuals by name. This also helps protect the privacy of the alumni who participated in the investigation.

In one instance, the accused individual has already been criminally convicted, and the name is part of the public record:

• Thomas Clower, an arts faculty member from 2003 to 2005, was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in 2005 after Interlochen reported his conduct to law enforcement and terminated his employment.

In a handful of instances, where it would not impact any law enforcement action because the accused individuals are deceased, and where the investigators received multiple firsthand accounts reflecting repeated and pervasive conduct, Interlochen made the decision to identify those individuals by name:

• Byron Hanson [Respondent 1] was a faculty member and administrator from 1960 to 2015 and the initial subject of this investigation. The investigative team received seven independent direct reports of sexual misconduct involving Hanson in the 1960s and 1970s, with multiple corroborating accounts by other alumni.
• John "Jack" Hood [Respondent 8] was a faculty member and administrator from 1963 to 1979 who later returned in seasonal roles until 2004. The investigative team received four independent direct reports of sexual misconduct involving Hood.
• Charlie McWhorter [Respondent 19] was a former trustee from 1970 to 1999 with two independent direct reports of sexual misconduct and multiple corroborating accounts by other alumni.

Yes. We have provided the names of all individuals accused of misconduct to the Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office, which will determine if there is a viable pathway to prosecution or other steps that could be taken to promote accountability or minimize current risk to students at other institutions.

Interlochen’s records provide additional examples of conduct that was reported by the school to child protective services or local law enforcement at the time it occurred, which in some instances, led to a criminal prosecution and conviction:

• Jeremy Eden, a camp counselor from 1997 to 1998, was immediately terminated by Interlochen when reports of sexual misconduct were raised. He was subsequently criminally convicted in 1998.
• Three former employees were criminally convicted for crimes associated with possession of child pornography, which was unrelated to their time at Interlochen. These employees, who were all immediately terminated by Interlochen, are Tom Jalovec (convicted in 2007), Casey Fall (convicted in 2020), and Jonathan Ciepiela (convicted in 2024).

Yes. Interlochen previously conducted two internal reviews (in 2009 and 2019) and participated in extensive media reporting on Jeffrey Epstein’s past association with the institution. As part of this external investigation, we also asked the investigators to speak with individuals who may have been impacted by or had knowledge of Epstein.

The investigators reached out to eight individuals to invite them to participate in this aspect of the investigation and interviewed six people, including two alumni who reported meeting Epstein at Interlochen more than five years before his first criminal conviction. One alumna reported meeting Epstein and Maxwell at Interlochen and being invited to the Epstein Lodge (later renamed Green Lake Lodge), and that while there, Epstein brushed against her body over her clothes. The alumna also said that Epstein touched her inappropriately on subsequent visits to New York. Interlochen records confirmed that Epstein provided funding for this alumna’s tuition.

The second alumna said that she met Epstein in New York through another Interlochen student, that he paid for her to travel to New York after her graduation, and that the sexual misconduct involved a massage. The alumna later disclosed information about this interaction to her mother, who said she subsequently called Interlochen to report the conduct. Given the absence of records and unavailability of personnel from 25 years ago, Interlochen does not have a record of this call.

Earlier this year, the Board of Trustees approved a plan to raze Green Lake Lodge (formerly called the Epstein Lodge), which has been subsequently demolished. The lodge had, over time, come to carry associations that were not reflective of who we are as an institution or the values we strive to uphold. The demolition was done in close collaboration with local authorities, who visited the lodge prior to demolition to take photos and survey for any evidence.

In response to what we learned from this report, we are taking a series of concrete steps, including:

• Sharing the names of all individuals accused of misconduct with the Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office
• Formally apologizing to those impacted by abuse at Interlochen
• Establishing a dedicated fund to offset counseling costs for impacted individuals
• Further reinforcing our centralized administrative structure and technological systems for reporting and investigation
• Expanding education and prevention efforts across our community
• Reviewing naming recognitions associated with individuals whose conduct does not reflect our values
• Committing to create an arts installation to honor survivors and communicate the shared commitment we have to the safety of our students and campers
• Facilitating opportunities for dialogue and support within our community at our 2026 Academy reunion and through an online forum

Interlochen today is a very different institution from the Interlochen of the past. Over the years, we have worked continuously to strengthen our policies, procedures, training, and oversight for both the Academy and Camp. Student safety is a bedrock requirement and fundamental responsibility of this institution. You can learn more about our safety protocols here.

Today, our policies and procedures are clear: we respond to any report of suspected abuse with a consistent process that includes care for the impacted student, a report to external authorities, a thorough investigation, and appropriate action and accountability.

Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of the young people entrusted to our care. That responsibility shapes every aspect of how Interlochen operates today. We maintain a publicly available overview of our student safety practices and resources here.

Over many years, we have built a comprehensive, institution-wide child protection program that emphasizes prevention, encourages reporting, responds swiftly to concerns, and holds individuals accountable. Guided by Board oversight, dedicated leadership, and clearly defined responsibilities across every area of the institution, this work continues to evolve as we strengthen our policies, practices, and culture of accountability. Notably, any safety improvements made to the Academy continue to inform our safety protocols for Camp and vice versa.

Protecting students requires more than policies alone. It requires a culture, systems, and practices that work together every day to create a safe and supportive environment. These safeguards include:

• Rigorous hiring practices, comprehensive background checks, and mandatory annual training for employees and volunteers
• Clear professional boundary standards, mandated reporting responsibilities, and expectations for all adults who interact with students
• Multiple reporting pathways for students, families, faculty, and staff, ensuring concerns can be raised through trusted channels
• Coordinated supervision and response protocols involving Residence Life, Student Support Services, Health Services, Campus Safety, and school leadership
• Regular independent assessments of our safety policies, procedures, and emergency preparedness to ensure our practices continue to evolve and strengthen

Today, our policies and procedures are clear: we respond to any report of suspected abuse through a consistent process that prioritizes care for the impacted student, reporting to external authorities, a thorough investigation, and appropriate action and accountability.

We know this work is never finished. Protecting students requires constant vigilance, continuous improvement, and an unwavering commitment to earning and maintaining the trust placed in us by our students and their families.

Student safety begins before students and campers arrive on campus and continues throughout their Interlochen experience. As part of onboarding and orientation, students receive information about Interlochen’s community standards, safety expectations, professional boundaries, available support resources, and how to report concerns.

At the Academy, students participate in Student Orientation at the beginning of each academic year, which includes information about Campus Safety, reporting concerns, getting help on campus, the Student Support Team, Counseling and Advising, Health Services, wellness, and community expectations. Campers and families receive similar information through Camp orientation and materials.

These conversations continue throughout the year through Community Meetings, Advisory Groups, Residence Life programming, and regular communications from Interlochen leadership. Students are reminded that they can bring concerns forward to any trusted adult, including faculty, staff, Residence Life personnel, counselors, Health Services staff, or Campus Safety. Students also have outlets to report a concern anonymously to the administration or can bypass the administration entirely through Michigan's OK2SAY program.

Interlochen believes that creating a safe environment requires both clear expectations for adults and empowering students with the knowledge and resources to advocate for themselves and others.

Interlochen’s commitment to student safety requires ongoing evaluation, learning, and improvement. The institution regularly reviews its child protection policies, safety procedures, and response practices through multiple layers of oversight and external expertise.

Interlochen’s Board of Trustees maintains oversight of the institution’s child protection program through the Audit and Risk Management Committee, which conducts an annual review of child protection policies and receives updates regarding reports and compliance responsibilities.

In addition, Interlochen routinely engages external subject matter experts to evaluate and strengthen its safety systems, including reviews related to campus safety, sexual misconduct prevention and response, threat assessment, and emergency preparedness. Interlochen has participated in external reviews and maintains memberships with organizations that provide specialized training and resources, including The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) and ATIXA (the Association of Title IX Administrators).

Interlochen administrators and policy owners also review Academy and Camp policies and procedures annually, incorporating lessons learned, emerging best practices, and updated training requirements. This ongoing process reflects Interlochen’s belief that safety is not a one-time initiative, but a responsibility that requires continual attention and improvement.

Interlochen provides students and campers with multiple pathways to report safety concerns, including the ability to report directly to a trusted adult at Interlochen, submit an anonymous report, or use an independent reporting option that allows students and families to bypass Interlochen administration entirely through OK2SAY, Michigan’s confidential student safety reporting system.

Students may report concerns directly to any trusted Interlochen employee, including faculty, staff, Residence Life personnel, School Counselors, Division Directors, Health Services staff, or Campus Safety. Students and families may also submit concerns through:

• The online Campus Report Form, which includes an option for anonymous reporting;
• Email to safetyconcern@interlochen.org;
• Campus Safety, Health Services, or 911 in an emergency; and
• OK2SAY, which allows students, families, and community members to confidentially report concerns directly to the state without first reporting through Interlochen.

Students receive information about these reporting options during orientation and throughout their time at Interlochen. They are encouraged to speak up when something does not feel right and are reminded that they can report concerns even if they are uncertain whether the situation rises to the level of misconduct.

Interlochen’s goal is to ensure that students have multiple avenues to seek help, including options that provide anonymity and the ability to report outside of Interlochen’s administrative channels.

Every Interlochen employee has a responsibility to help protect students and campers. Under Michigan law and Interlochen policy, all employees are considered mandated reporters and are required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Employees are trained on their reporting obligations during onboarding and annually thereafter. They are required to report concerns involving suspected abuse or neglect, threats to student safety, inappropriate relationships or boundary violations, and other circumstances that may affect the health and well-being of students. Failure to fulfill one's mandated reporter responsibilities carries criminal, civil, and professional consequences.

After making any required external report, employees must also notify appropriate Interlochen personnel so the institution can respond, support the student, and take any necessary protective actions.

Interlochen’s reporting system is designed to work together: students have multiple avenues to seek help and share concerns, while every adult in the community has a clear obligation to act when they become aware of a potential safety issue.

At Interlochen, all employees are mandated reporters under Michigan state law and are required to report any suspected child abuse or neglect through Child Protective Services. This mandated reporting requirement is documented in policy, reinforced through training, and reiterated in practice.

Over the decades, the legal framework for mandated reporting of suspected abuse has expanded. While the responsibility for reporting initially rested solely with medical professionals, over the years it has expanded to include other health care professionals, mental health professionals, school administrators, and others. In Michigan, mandated reporters were first required to report suspected abuse by a teacher or teacher’s aide in 1990, by a member of the clergy in 2002, and by any individual 18 years of age or older who is involved with a youth program as recently as 2022.

RAINN defines grooming as “the deliberate act of building trust with a child, teen, or at-risk adult (such as an adult with a cognitive impairment) for the purpose of exploiting them sexually. Grooming typically starts with friendship, mentorship, or kindness that gradually turns into manipulation, control, and sexual abuse or assault. Grooming is a process, not a one-time event. It’s perpetrated over many weeks, months, or years, and typically extends to the victim’s family and community.”

Interlochen’s policies and practices are intentionally designed to prevent the types of one-on-one unsupervised interactions where grooming can occur undetected, to minimize opportunities for abuse to occur, and to elevate concerns about employee conduct that may cross professional boundaries so that they can be addressed swiftly. Multiple structures support this student welfare-centered approach, including the residential life supervision model, routine engagement between the counseling team and faculty, the use of student advisory groups, and prevention and education programming that happens through community meetings and dedicated training.

While initially focused on the Academy, the investigators also received and included reports about misconduct at Camp. Although separate programs, there are many overlapping students and faculty between the Academy and the Camp. Importantly, the lessons learned through this investigation are applicable to both the Academy and Camp, and our integrated framework for student and camper safety is the same across both programs.

Interlochen has established a counseling support fund to help cover future therapeutic care for impacted individuals. The fund is overseen and administered by an independent third party, Mike Riley, a licensed therapist (MSW, MBA, LPC, LCSW, LMHC) with extensive experience working with survivors of abuse. Mike is available to provide support, help identify counseling resources in your area, and guide you through the process for accessing financial assistance. Mike will retain this information as confidential, and Interlochen will not receive any information about the nature of the counseling services accessed by participants or any details regarding their therapeutic care. If you would like to explore this resource confidentially, please contact Mike Riley at (469) 552-5022 or interlochen@mhradvising.org.

We will be working with an external partner to facilitate opportunities for dialogue and support within our community at our 2026 Academy reunion and online. For any alumni interested in participating in one of the facilitated online sessions, please pre-register here for more information.

Interlochen is reviewing naming recognitions associated with individuals whose conduct does not reflect our values. This process will follow Interlochen’s formal naming policy, and each recognition will be evaluated through a consistent, principled process to determine whether it remains appropriate.

Any additional information compiled will be added to this investigation webpage in the future.