The Region : Convicted Evangelical Director Retained

The new executive director of the San Diego Evangelical Assn. board of directors will get to keep his job, despite concealing from board members that he once served time in prison. The board of directors voted unanimously to retain James R. Whitby, who was hired more than a week ago on a 90-day trial basis. “I feel confident we have made the right decision and will seek the leading of God for the future,� said association president Paul Whitmoyer. Whitby, convicted in 1978 in a securities fraud case, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in El Reno, Okla., and released to a halfway house in August, 1980. Whitby apologized to board members for not telling them about the case, maintaining he was falsely convicted and was guilty only of stupidity for trusting people involved with him in a fund-raising campaign for a missionary project.