There's been an abrupt leadership change atop the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, the agency charged with enforcing civil rights law and investigating discrimination complaints in the workplace, housing and other areas of civil life.

José Evans, a former Republican Indianapolis city-county councilor who took the helm in March, resigned Aug. 22 after five months on the job . The same day, Gov. Mike Braun appointed J. Philip Clay, a Republican real estate investor who ran unsuccessfully for a Statehouse seat last year, to replace Evans.

The circumstances surrounding the switch up are unclear. Two former employees and contractors of the agency spoke during a public commission meeting in May about a work environment under Evans characterized by "aggressive behavior" and a "climate of int

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