Education Executives Recruits President for Ohio State University
September 27, 2023 – Santa Barbara, CA-based Education Executives has assisted in the recruitment of Walter “Ted” Carter as the 17th president of Ohio State University. He will start in his new role on Jan. 1. Kristina Johnson, who held the role since 2020, stepped down in May. It was also recently announced that Peter Mohler, the university’s executive vice president for research, innovation, and knowledge, will serve as acting president, coordinating closely with Mr. Carter, through the end of the calendar year. He is also chief scientific officer of the Wexner Medical Center.
“President Carter brings an unparalleled combination of strategic leadership and true service, and we could not be more thrilled to welcome him and his family to Ohio State,” said board chair Hiroyuki Fujita, who also served as chair of the presidential selection subcommittee. “We were absolutely determined to find the next great leader for Ohio State in today’s highly complex and competitive higher-education environment. With input from our university community and the highest recommendations from those who have worked with president Carter during his extraordinary career, I believe we have done just that.”
“President Carter represents the qualities, skills and attributes our faculty, staff and students sought in a leader,” said Janet Box-Steffensmeier, distinguished university professor, Vernal Riffe professor of political science, and professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Sciences.
“Academic and research excellence, increased access and greater affordability are key to his vision for Ohio State – themes we heard time and again while collecting input from the university community,” said Phillip Popovich, Ray W. Poppleton research designated chair in the department of neuroscience in the College of Medicine.
Mr. Carter is known for strategic ingenuity and a highly collaborative leadership style honed over almost 40 years in higher education and the United States Navy. Currently, he serves as president of the University of Nebraska System, overseeing four campuses of almost 70,000 students, faculty and staff, including their academic medical center. Prior to that, Mr. Carter led the U.S. Naval Academy as its longest continuously serving superintendent since the Civil War. During his tenure, the Naval Academy achieved multiple top national rankings while setting institutional records for student success.
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“I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to serve as president of Ohio State, an institution founded upon and well known across the globe for research, teaching and an enduring commitment to service,” said Mr. Carter. “The work being done across Ohio and beyond to shape the future of research and innovation, workforce development, the arts, health care, college affordability, and college athletics is remarkable. These are areas of particular passion for me, and I can’t wait to begin my journey as a Buckeye.”
Storbeck Search Recruits SVP of Talent, Culture & HR for Ohio State University
Higher education-focused search firm Storbeck Search, part of the Diversified Search Group, has helped to place Jeff Risinger as senior vice president of talent, culture and human resources at Ohio State University. The assignment was led by Steve Leo and Vicki Henderson of Storbeck Search and Matt Vossler of Diversified Search Group. For the past several months, Paul Patton, senior advisor to the president, has served as interim human resources leader. “As Ohio State’s top advisor on workplace and human resources issues, Dr. Risinger will provide leadership across the university to support our values, help advance our diversity and inclusion efforts, and continue to foster a Buckeye culture that positively impacts our entire community,” said university president Kristina M. Johnson.
Founded in 1870 as a land-grant university, Ohio State University is a leading research university and the model for Ohio’s public higher education institutes. Its student body includes almost 66,000 students, and the university offers more than 200 majors and programs — plus 500 specializations for undergraduates, in addition to 127 master’s degree programs, 102 doctoral degree programs, nine professional degree programs and an estimated 12,000 course offerings.
Respected Recruiters
Santa Barbara, CA-based Education Executives specializes in the identification, recruitment, and mentorship of senior leaders for comprehensive research universities, academic medical centers, and scientific entities. Education Executives consultants have conducted over 300 successful searches for senior academic leaders across the nation.
The search firm is led by president Ilene H. Nagel. Previously, she served as the global leader of the higher education practice for Russell Reynolds Associates. Before becoming a search consultant, Dr. Nagel had more than 30 years’ experience as an academic, with professorial appointments in several AAU research universities. Most recently, she served as the executive vice chancellor (chief academic officer) at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before that, Dr. Nagel was dean of the graduate school and associate provost for research at the University of Maryland, College Park. Previously, she was on the law faculty at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she was a tenured full professor, with a joint appointment in the College of Arts and Sciences.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
