# Christopher Barnett Resigns From Board of Trustees

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Last fall, a large-scale donation was announced for Temple’s College of Public Health. Less than a year later, the donor, founder of ABA Centers of America, Christopher Barnett, has resigned from Temple’s board of trustees and canceled the donation before any installments were paid.

 The [fifty-five-million-dollar donation](https://temple-news.com/temple-announces-55-million-gift-renames-college-of-public-health/) was set to be the largest in Temple’s history. Temple Update reached out to students of the College of Public Health to hear their reactions to its cancellation.

“I was very surprised, because at the time his name was getting plastered all over our buildings, and we were getting emails about the prize or the money, so I was very surprised that it was going to be taken away.” Said Sydney Phonamnuaisuk, a senior Nursing student in the College of Public Health.

Twenty million dollars of the funds would have been allocated to the ABA center’s autism lab at Temple. It would also fund academic programs, scholarships, and a student basic needs center.

 “Upon finding out where it was going- and it was going to research and stuff- it definitely was still horrible; we were losing that,” Said Phonamnuaisuk

In a [statement](https://now.temple.edu/announcements/2026-09-08/important-update-temple-community) made by Temple President John Fry with Temple’s Board of Trustees, Fry stated that Barnett has stepped down from the board after a life-threatening medical event. The statement also clarified that Barnett has cooperated with the university, as his company, ABA Centers of America, is currently under investigation for fraud, and that the decision to terminate the donation was mutual.

Temple Update reached out to the university for an additional statement; they had no comment.

Barnett’s name has since been removed from the College of Public Health.

Last fall, a large-scale donation was announced for Temple’s College of Public Health. Less than a year later, the donor, founder of ABA Centers of America, Christopher Barnett, has resigned from Temple’s board of trustees and canceled the donation before any installments were paid.

 The [fifty-five-million-dollar donation](https://temple-news.com/temple-announces-55-million-gift-renames-college-of-public-health/) was set to be the largest in Temple’s history. Temple Update reached out to students of the College of Public Health to hear their reactions to its cancellation.

“I was very surprised, because at the time his name was getting plastered all over our buildings, and we were getting emails about the prize or the money, so I was very surprised that it was going to be taken away.” Said Sydney Phonamnuaisuk, a senior Nursing student in the College of Public Health.

Twenty million dollars of the funds would have been allocated to the ABA center’s autism lab at Temple. It would also fund academic programs, scholarships, and a student basic needs center.

 “Upon finding out where it was going- and it was going to research and stuff- it definitely was still horrible; we were losing that,” Said Phonamnuaisuk

In a [statement](https://now.temple.edu/announcements/2026-09-08/important-update-temple-community) made by Temple President John Fry with Temple’s Board of Trustees, Fry stated that Barnett has stepped down from the board after a life-threatening medical event. The statement also clarified that Barnett has cooperated with the university, as his company, ABA Centers of America, is currently under investigation for fraud, and that the decision to terminate the donation was mutual.

Temple Update reached out to the university for an additional statement; they had no comment.

Barnett’s name has since been removed from the College of Public Health.

Last fall, a large-scale donation was announced for Temple’s College of Public Health. Less than a year later, the donor, founder of ABA Centers of America, Christopher Barnett, has resigned from Temple’s board of trustees and canceled the donation before any installments were paid.

 The [fifty-five-million-dollar donation](https://temple-news.com/temple-announces-55-million-gift-renames-college-of-public-health/) was set to be the largest in Temple’s history. Temple Update reached out to students of the College of Public Health to hear their reactions to its cancellation.

“I was very surprised, because at the time his name was getting plastered all over our buildings, and we were getting emails about the prize or the money, so I was very surprised that it was going to be taken away.” Said Sydney Phonamnuaisuk, a senior Nursing student in the College of Public Health.

Twenty million dollars of the funds would have been allocated to the ABA center’s autism lab at Temple. It would also fund academic programs, scholarships, and a student basic needs center.

 “Upon finding out where it was going- and it was going to research and stuff- it definitely was still horrible; we were losing that,” Said Phonamnuaisuk

In a [statement](https://now.temple.edu/announcements/2026-09-08/important-update-temple-community) made by Temple President John Fry with Temple’s Board of Trustees, Fry stated that Barnett has stepped down from the board after a life-threatening medical event. The statement also clarified that Barnett has cooperated with the university, as his company, ABA Centers of America, is currently under investigation for fraud, and that the decision to terminate the donation was mutual.

Barnett denies the allegations.

Temple Update reached out to the university for an additional statement; they had no comment.

Barnett’s name has since been removed from the College of Public Health.