📣 URGENT UPDATE – MARCH 30, 2025 PTK Got a Court Order to Stop My Free Book

Over 17,000 of you signed this petition — and now, Phi Theta Kappa has gone to court to block me from publishing my free book, Saving PTK: The Whistleblower’s Fight for Truth and Change, before it’s even been released.

Without notifying me, PTK obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) from a judge in my hometown. That order now prohibits me from publishing the book — which includes:

• My personal story as a survivor — a story I’ve spoken publicly about for over a decade
• Public records and lawfully obtained FOIA documents
• Whistleblower accounts from former employees

⚠️ This is called prior restraint — one of the most serious forms of censorship under the First Amendment. And it’s being used to silence a survivor.

PTK did not challenge the truth of what I wrote — in fact, their CEO described it in court as merely “unflattering.”

But they still got a court to silence me.

💥 This fight is about:

• Free speech
• Student rights
• Whistleblower protections
• And stopping powerful organizations from hiding the truth.

👉 If you support this cause, please help me fight back in court.
Even $5 or $25 makes a difference.

🔗 https://www.givesendgo.com/savephithetakappa

Please continue to share this petition and speak out.

They have the lawyers.
We have the truth.

With gratitude,
Toni Marek
U.S. Army Veteran • Whistleblower • Survivor

_______

Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), under CEO Lynn Tincher-Ladner, faces serious allegations of deceptive marketing, misleading scholarship benefits, and a toxic workplace. Multiple former employees describe bullying, broken promises, and a culture that—at least in their view—favors revenue and personal gain over student welfare. 

 

This petition calls for a complete overhaul of PTK leadership, demanding transparency, accountability, and a renewed commitment to recognizing genuine academic excellence rather than perpetuating questionable practices. We don’t seek to destroy PTK—only to save PTK from these issues and restore its core mission of truly serving students.

Join us in demanding transparency, accountability, and the reform PTK HQ needs. Sign the petition today!

 

 

~~~~ Further Explanation & Evidence ~~~~ 

🚨 Toxic Bullying Concerns by ex-PTK Employees and ex-Student Officers

Watch this news story to learn more about me and my emotionally scarring experience with PTK.

I am a victim of Phi Theta Kappa, and I need your help to make a lasting difference.

Numerous whistleblowers and former PTK employees describe a culture of fear, broken promises, and leadership prioritizing money and status over PTK’s actual mission to serve students. Here's what some report:

• Jessie (PTK Member & Former Employee): Promised a scholarship that never came through; claims PTK leadership only cares about boosting numbers and revenue. Saw CEO’s salary skyrocket, CEO’s spouse hired, and believes in her opinion that both members and employees are mistreated by leadership’s alleged greed.
• Wendy (25-Year Employee): Describes a toxic work environment with cursing, humiliation, and retaliation, ultimately leaving her with PTSD. Feels the mission is overshadowed by self-promotion and urges employees and others to speak out.
• Rebekah (PTK Member & Former Employee): Calls Tincher-Ladner a root cause of PTK’s problems, in her opinion. She believes the “Top 10%” promise was deceptive, and staff promises (raises, remote work) were repeatedly broken. Believes fear and favoritism define the current culture.
• Many others are afraid to put their name in public for fear of retaliation.

We need to hold PTK leadership accountable for their actions to prevent more students and employees from experiencing what we have had to endure. By signing this petition, you support the stance that it's time to say no more to misleading practices and bullying in PTK and stand up for the rights of all students and employees. Please, sign this petition.

🚨 Here’s why else you should care and demand accountability:

1️⃣ The “Top 10%” Lie Concerns

• PTK claims to recognize the “Top 10%” of students, but public records clearly suggest this isn’t true—often over 30%, sometimes over 60+% of students on campus are invited. These misleading claims encourage students to pay for a distinction that doesn’t exist, costing students and their families millions annually.
• See the evidence for yourself directly from the colleges: The "Top 10%" of students includes 62.5% at Miramar College​, 39% Grayson College​, 38.9% at Jackson College. 

2️⃣ Misleading Scholarship Claims

• PTK promises “$246 million in member-only scholarships” and that “the average member gets $2,500 a year.” Many of these scholarships are publicly available to all students, and the true "average member" median exclusive PTK scholarship benefit is perhaps closer to zero, leaving students and families disappointed and misled.

3️⃣ Gross Financial Mismanagement

• PTK’s net income plummeted by $5.6 million from 2021 to 2023, dropping from a $4.7 million surplus to a $900,000 deficit. 2024 was likely much worse. Financial instability like this can threaten the very programs students rely on. Who ultimately pays the price when finances are mismanaged?

4️⃣ Ballooning CEO Salary and Nepotism Concerns

• During this financial decline, CEO Lynn Tincher-Ladner’s salary skyrocketed by 49% over two years, from $259,674 in 2021 to $386,564 in 2023. No other key employee received a substantial raise during this period. Today, in 2025, Tincher-Ladner's salary is likely still larger.
• Tincher-Ladner's spouse holds a senior position within PTK Foundation (though paid by PTK), creating a perception of conflicts of interest and raising genuine questions about resource allocation, governance and private inurement.

Phi Thea Kappa board members hold a fiduciary responsibility not only to the public good but crucially also to the students attending the colleges that employ them. Where is the PTK Board? 

See the Deceptive Advertising Issue for Yourself

In our view, social media videos like this one illustrate the emotional manipulation caused by PTK's false narratives. Watch the video to see firsthand how PTK’s misleading claims may exploit emotions and break trust.

Public Records Expose the Truth

Public records from Miramar College, where PTK Board Member Michael Odu works, reveal that 62.5% of students at the campus were deemed eligible for PTK membership under the claim that they were in the “Top 10%.”

Quotes from a Misleading PTK Invitation to Join:

• "You're in the top 10% of students on your campus,"
• "$246 million in member-only transfer scholarships,"
• "The average member gets $2,500 a year"

It’s time for PTK to face the facts, overhaul the leadership immediately and restore integrity to its mission. Current leadership must be held accountable for misleading millions of students over the past few years. Please...Sign this petition now.

We encourage anyone who believes they have been misled by this company to contact their state attorney general’s office or the Better Business Bureau.

The evidence and findings here should be judged on their own merits, irrespective of PTK attempts to discredit those raising concerns.

Disclaimer: This petition reflects the good faith opinions of the petitioner and contributors, and is not endorsed by Phi Theta Kappa headquarters. The views and experiences shared are those of the petitioner and contributors, aimed at fostering transparency, accountability, and reform.