The push to rid the Massachusetts Convention Center of racial bias and exclusion will take center stage in a state committee hearing next month.

The Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion will be holding a public hearing in January focusing on the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s (MCCA) efforts to curb issues related to racial discrimination.

The committee is calling on several MCCA leaders to testify at the hearing, including CEO Marcel Vernon, who welcomed the hearing and told the Herald in a statement that obstacles still remain in the way of ridding the Convention Center of bias and exclusion.

“The Committee is absolutely right to focus its attention on the unfortunate fact that there has been a well-documented history of racial insensitivity, bias and exclusion at the Authority. The facts speak for themselves, and it is not very long ago that outside counsel prepared an investigative report detailing the problem,” Vernon said.

“I regard it as my obligation to speak truthfully about the problem, about the efforts that we have made since I arrived to address it, but also about the obstacles that persist and the work that remains to be done. I look forward to providing testimony to the Committee, and to answering all of their questions on the subject,” he said.

Vernon was appointed CEO in October 2024 in a unanimous vote by the MCCA Advisory Board after a nearly year-long search for a new leader. He replaced interim Executive Director Gloria Larson, who stepped in when former Executive Director David Gibbons resigned in disgrace after allegations of racial bias and discrimination publicly surfaced.

The Board appointed Vernon with the goal of prioritizing inclusivity and equity within the quasi-public organization that generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact in Boston and Springfield and employs over 400 people.

A 2023 investigation by Boston law firm Prince Lobel Tye found Black and Hispanic employees at the MCCA Black and Hispanic employees had “disproportionately worked in the lower rungs of the organization,” adding that from 2019 to the timing of the report that there had “not been a Black or Hispanic employee in a senior leadership.”

The law firm’s report concluded that management did not make it a priority to address the demographic trends by expanding recruiting efforts or developing underrepresented employees.

The report further found that Black employees felt isolated and marginalized by management, stating that “even when employees of color complain about advancement or other employment decisions, Authority management rarely understands or even considers the potential underlying racial implications of this discontent.”

The law firm recommended the MCCA add more checks and balances to its hiring process and adapt a collaborative process among management on deciding who gets an interview, rather than leaving the decision solely to the hiring manager.

State Rep. Bud L. Williams (D-11th Hampden) and state Sen. Liz Miranda (D-2nd Suffolk), who chair the joint committee, said in a press release that they want to learn what reforms the Authority and the board have implemented — and what else is needed to complete any reforms so the Authority can “regain the confidence of the public in the aftermath of the scandal.”

“It is our hope that this hearing will allow us to learn from leaders at the MCCA about the progress being made toward repairing its reputation and making us more competitive. We also want to know where we are falling short and how we can support improvements. When the MCCA functions as an inclusive, high performing agency, it has a tremendous impact on the economic and social fabric of our Commonwealth. We can’t allow the agency to fall backward like it did under its previous leadership,” said Williams.

“As we come together for this important hearing, our goal is to illuminate the true meaning and impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies, not just as words, but as essential frameworks that strengthen our communities and institutions,” Miranda said. “It is critical that legislators and the public alike understand how these efforts combat systemic inequities and foster a more just society, especially in the face of rising challenges to these values at the federal level. This hearing represents a commitment to transparency, education, and progress in advancing inclusion and civil rights for all.”

The committee hearing is scheduled for Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. at the State House.