Interlochen Sexual Abuse Report Released; 47 Individuals Accused of Misconduct
Interlochen Center for the Arts released the full findings Tuesday of an investigation conducted by an outside firm into historical sexual misconduct on its campus, including at its Academy and Camp.
Hired by Interlochen after an individual reached out in 2024 to report an incident from decades prior to conduct a full investigation into other potential victims, Sanghavi Law Office conducted 180 interviews to document alleged abuse between the 1950s and 2010s. According to the firm, 47 individuals associated with Interlochen are accused of engaging in sexual conduct with students during that timeframe. Seventeen of those individuals are now deceased, and none are employed by Interlochen today.
Alums reported “a range of behavior by adults affiliated with Interlochen, some of which included grooming, flirting, comments of a sexual nature, touching of a sexual nature, vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, oral intercourse, and engaging in long-term ‘relationships,’” the firm found.
Alums reported that this conduct “occurred in a variety of locations on and off campus including, for example, in faculty houses (both when other students were present and when a student was alone with a faculty member), in on-campus buildings, in cars, while traveling for school-related trips, while traveling for non-school related trips, on a lake close to Interlochen, in on-campus bathrooms, and in residence hall rooms,” the report states.
“Further, alums reported conduct by adults in various roles at Interlochen, including arts faculty members and academic teachers (including visiting instructors), residence life staff members, donors, trustees, and visitors who were present on Interlochen’s campus,” the report continues.
Victims described “devastating” impacts from the abuse, including loss of academic interest, ongoing PTSD, years of therapy, impacts on personal relationships, and disruption to their career paths. Some students said they stopped playing music or gave up pursuing the performing arts altogether because of their experiences. Others were afraid to attend reunions or return to the Interlochen campus as adults for “fear of encountering faculty or staff members who abused them,” the report states.
The report also investigates Jeffrey Epstein’s connection to the Interlochen campus. Six alums met with investigators, two of whom reported that Epstein engaged in physical contact of a sexual nature with them. One of those alums reported him brushing against her inappropriately while on the Interlochen campus. Epstein was a donor from 1990 to 2003 and funded both scholarships and the construction of a named lodge. Interlochen renamed that lodge to Green Lake Lodge in 2009 and demolished it last month. Authorities were invited to the lodge to photograph its exterior and interior for “any future evidentiary use” before it was destroyed, according to the report.
Most of the abuse described in the report occurred prior to 2000, with few reported incidents in the last 25 years. The majority of accused individuals have not been identified, both to protect victim confidentiality and to not “undermine the integrity of any law enforcement investigation or action,” according to Interlochen. The full list of accused individuals has been turned over to the Grand Traverse Sheriff’s Office and Grand Traverse County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review, Interlochen said.
While Sanghavi Law Office does not disclose names in its report, Interlochen made the decision to identify a handful of accused individuals, either because they’ve been publicly charged already or because they’re deceased and were connected to “multiple firsthand accounts reflecting repeated and pervasive conduct,” Interlochen said. In the first category, Thomas Clower, who was 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.
Interlochen said its records show additional examples of misconduct. Those include Jeremy Eden, a camp counselor from 1997 to 1998, who 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 sexual abuse material, 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).
Interlochen also chose to name three individuals accused in the report who are now deceased. Byron Hanson, who was a faculty member and administrator from 1960 to 2015, was the initial subject of the 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 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 was a former trustee from 1970 to 1999 with two independent direct reports of sexual misconduct and multiple corroborating accounts by other alumni. One of Interlochen’s residence halls, McWhorter House, bears his name.
Sanghavi Law Office named several factors that could have historically contributed to abuse on campus. Those include limited communication between students and their families, vulnerability of certain students (due to age or sexual identity), adult/student power dynamics, adult access to students, gaps in oversight and a permissive environment, and barriers to reporting.
In addition to releasing the full report publicly and reporting names to authorities, Interlochen said it was taking several steps in response to the findings. Those include “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, (and) facilitating opportunities for dialogue and support within our community at our 2026 Academy reunion and through an online forum.”
“The abuse described in the report is heartbreaking and is contrary to everything Interlochen stands for,” said Interlochen Center for the Arts President Trey Devey. “We are grateful to everyone who came forward to share their experiences, and we are deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community. We also want to say clearly: Interlochen will not tolerate predators or those who enable them. Our campus exists to protect, educate, and empower every student.”
In a press release, Interlochen said that its organization “today is a very different institution from the Interlochen of the past. Over several decades, we have made significant progress in strengthening student safety, including enhancing our policies, procedures, training, and oversight for both the Academy and Camp. These efforts reflect an ongoing responsibility to learn, adapt, and improve as our understanding of student safety and best practices continues to evolve.”
More information on Interlochen’s current safety protocols is available here. Interlochen is encouraging anyone who has additional information or experiences to share to contact investigators directly. Elizabeth Sanghavi is available through October 2026 to receive additional reports at elizabeth@sanghavilawoffice. com or 617.505.3010. After that date, reports can be made directly to Interlochen at investigation@interlochen.org.