Criminal Charges Against St. Charles Community College Whistleblower Dean Dismissed “With Prejudice”
ST. LOUIS, MO– Dr. Nicole Nunn-Faron, former Dean of the College of Education at Harris-Stowe State University, has had all charges against her permanently dismissed by the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The dismissal was filed “with prejudice,” a critical legal distinction meaning the case is permanently closed and can never be refiled. Dr. Nunn-Faron and her legal team have maintained from the start that the charges by her former employer, St. Charles Community College (SCC), were baseless and retaliatory. Dr. Nunn-Faron is one of seven women, most in high-level positions, who are part of an ongoing EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) discrimination and constitutional law violations lawsuit (Case #: 2411-CC00796) alleging systemic discrimination after they were targeted by SCC for speaking out against racial and gender discrimination. Dr. Nunn-Faron stood up for minority students and colleagues on three separate occasions. The whistleblower women allege a retaliatory pattern of adverse actions, including demotions, “sham investigations,” dismantling of programs and isolation. Dr Nunn-Faron is the former Education Department Chair and a Curriculum Committee Chair for SCC and held state-level positions, including Past President of the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) Community College Division, Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators (MACCE) and Associate of Arts in Education redesign committee. SCC’s own campus police department filed the charges just days after mediation broke down in the case, but months after the alleged incident. St. Charles County Police had no involvement in the investigation or the case. Through discovery in the criminal case, Dr. Nunn-Faron’s defense team obtained an internal memo by the SCC’s Chief Information Security Officer, dated less than two weeks after the charges were filed, which stated, “it was determined that no data breach, data compromise, or unauthorized disclosure had occurred.” “A dismissal ‘with prejudice’ is a final and complete end to this case, and we credit the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for doing the right thing by dismissing this case in its entirety and with finality,” said Justin Gelfand, legal counsel for Dr. Nunn-Faron. “As both a federal prosecutor and a defense lawyer, I have never seen a computer crime case before where the person accused of the crime called IT first and where no one, including St. Charles Community College, has ever been able to articulate even a possible motive for the alleged crime,” Gelfand added. “This is a complete victory for Dr. Nunn-Faron, and I hope she will now be able to rebuild her reputation and her career.” The professional and personal consequences of these now-dismissed charges have been significant. Prior to these events, Dr. Nunn-Faron was a recognized leader in her field, serving on state-level education boards and a thought leader on curriculum and education policy. In September 2024, she was terminated from a new position as Dean of the College of Education at Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU). Her termination letter explicitly cited the pending charges as a primary basis for her dismissal. The public nature of these allegations, covered by local media, effectively halted her career. Dr. Nunn-Faron has applied for 497 jobs since that time. “This dismissal is more than a legal victory. It is the first step toward reclaiming my life and the professional reputation that I built over decades,” said Dr. Nicole Nunn-Faron. “Myself and many others spoke out against wrongdoing, and in return, my career was systematically targeted. The timeline of events shows a clear act of retaliation designed to silence us. Part of rebuilding my life will be advocating for other whistleblowers and for meaningful education reform to protect those who are targeted for speaking the truth.” Other Alleged Retaliation CasesThe whistleblower lawsuit involving seven women is one of numerous actions alleging a pattern of retaliation at SCC. Approximately 40 people have been identified as being similarly targeted, including others who are parties to ongoing cases and complaints against the college. A Petition filed in July 2025 in another St. Charles County Circuit Court case alleges that after the employee objected to a “pattern and practice of discrimination in employment based on race,” the college engaged in a “sham investigation,” intimidation, marginalization and isolation. The American Federation of Teachers – Missouri previously filed grievances and alleged similar tactics, including dismantling an entire academic program to eliminate the position of a union leader and targeting members with baseless investigations.
Black News 
ST. LOUIS, MO– Dr. Nicole Nunn-Faron, former Dean of the College of Education at Harris-Stowe State University, has had all charges against her permanently dismissed by the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The dismissal was filed “with prejudice,” a critical legal distinction meaning the case is permanently closed and can never be refiled. Dr. Nunn-Faron and her legal team have maintained from the start that the charges by her former employer, St. Charles Community College (SCC), were baseless and retaliatory.
Dr. Nunn-Faron is one of seven women, most in high-level positions, who are part of an ongoing EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) discrimination and constitutional law violations lawsuit (Case #: 2411-CC00796) alleging systemic discrimination after they were targeted by SCC for speaking out against racial and gender discrimination. Dr. Nunn-Faron stood up for minority students and colleagues on three separate occasions. The whistleblower women allege a retaliatory pattern of adverse actions, including demotions, “sham investigations,” dismantling of programs and isolation.
Dr Nunn-Faron is the former Education Department Chair and a Curriculum Committee Chair for SCC and held state-level positions, including Past President of the Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) Community College Division, Missouri Advisory Council of Certification for Educators (MACCE) and Associate of Arts in Education redesign committee.
SCC’s own campus police department filed the charges just days after mediation broke down in the case, but months after the alleged incident. St. Charles County Police had no involvement in the investigation or the case.
Through discovery in the criminal case, Dr. Nunn-Faron’s defense team obtained an internal memo by the SCC’s Chief Information Security Officer, dated less than two weeks after the charges were filed, which stated, “it was determined that no data breach, data compromise, or unauthorized disclosure had occurred.”
“A dismissal ‘with prejudice’ is a final and complete end to this case, and we credit the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for doing the right thing by dismissing this case in its entirety and with finality,” said Justin Gelfand, legal counsel for Dr. Nunn-Faron. “As both a federal prosecutor and a defense lawyer, I have never seen a computer crime case before where the person accused of the crime called IT first and where no one, including St. Charles Community College, has ever been able to articulate even a possible motive for the alleged crime,” Gelfand added. “This is a complete victory for Dr. Nunn-Faron, and I hope she will now be able to rebuild her reputation and her career.”
The professional and personal consequences of these now-dismissed charges have been significant. Prior to these events, Dr. Nunn-Faron was a recognized leader in her field, serving on state-level education boards and a thought leader on curriculum and education policy. In September 2024, she was terminated from a new position as Dean of the College of Education at Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU). Her termination letter explicitly cited the pending charges as a primary basis for her dismissal. The public nature of these allegations, covered by local media, effectively halted her career. Dr. Nunn-Faron has applied for 497 jobs since that time.
“This dismissal is more than a legal victory. It is the first step toward reclaiming my life and the professional reputation that I built over decades,” said Dr. Nicole Nunn-Faron. “Myself and many others spoke out against wrongdoing, and in return, my career was systematically targeted. The timeline of events shows a clear act of retaliation designed to silence us. Part of rebuilding my life will be advocating for other whistleblowers and for meaningful education reform to protect those who are targeted for speaking the truth.”
Other Alleged Retaliation Cases
The whistleblower lawsuit involving seven women is one of numerous actions alleging a pattern of retaliation at SCC. Approximately 40 people have been identified as being similarly targeted, including others who are parties to ongoing cases and complaints against the college. A Petition filed in July 2025 in another St. Charles County Circuit Court case alleges that after the employee objected to a “pattern and practice of discrimination in employment based on race,” the college engaged in a “sham investigation,” intimidation, marginalization and isolation. The American Federation of Teachers – Missouri previously filed grievances and alleged similar tactics, including dismantling an entire academic program to eliminate the position of a union leader and targeting members with baseless investigations.
