Robert Kollar is rebuilding his career after a now-dismissed harassment charge tarnished his reputation and led him to resign as director of human resources for the Penn Hills School District.
In May, a judge threw out the case, which alleged that Kollar placed his midsection on an individual’s back, but Kollar’s still struggling to find work in human resources and is instead bartending.
“The word is that I’m some kind of evil predator,” Kollar said.
It all started in December, when Kollar said he walked into an office in Linton Middle School and briefly placed his hands on the back of a man’s chair. A week later, district officials informed him of a complaint and opened an internal investigation that found no wrongdoing.
From there, the man went to Penn Hills police, who filed charges in February. Someone hung a copy of the citation in the break room, according to Kollar, causing him great embarrassment.
He resigned shortly after, despite a strong belief in his innocence.
“You lose credibility when you’re going through this, even though it was all frivolous,” Kollar said. “The school district needs to focus on educating kids, and I didn’t want to stand in the way.”
A district spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
In June, the Penn Hills School Board hired Joveline Pettus to replace Kollar.
Kollar, 58, joined the district in 2018 after taking human resources and finance roles at Boston Public Schools. He holds a master’s degree in human resources and said his career is his “calling.”
As he deals with the fallout of the harassment accusation, Kollar said he is grateful for those who stood by him and looks forward to 10 more years in human resources.
“I’m in a great space,” Kollar said. “When something bad happens, and you’re a good person, something good is going to come out of it. And I’m just waiting for that good.”
