A former Santa Clara Valley Water CEO is speaking out for the first time after an investigation found he sexually harassed employees. Rick Callender in an interview with NBC Bay Area on Tuesday denied he sexually harassed any employees. “I have absolutely never sexually harassed any employee whatsoever,” Callender said. “My reaction to the findings was I was dumbfounded. I’ve always supervised and stood for protecting people’s rights.” Valley Water employees recently lashed out at the district board for allowing Callender to resign after a law firm’s investigation found he had sexually harassed employees. The board then offered him an advisory position at his current $520,000 salary for one year. The chair of the Santa Clara Valley Water Board of Directors in a statement said “We do not condone this behavior from any employee.” The statement adds “Because of a single director’s behavior that violated our policies, Valley Water occurred significant legal lability, which would have resulted in years of protracted litigation, and millions upon millions in legal fees.” Callender said the investigation took texts and photos out of context and he is now planning legal action against another director, who did not respond Tuesday to NBC Bay Area’s email request for comment. ...read more read less