A report released Tuesday by The Ohio State University is answering questions a lot of people have about the sudden resignation of former university President Ted Carter Jr.
The report concludes Carter misused his position as Ohio State’s president to seek resources from the university and university partners for Krisanthe Vlachos, the host of a podcast filmed at WOSU.
Furthermore, the report finds Carter sought resources for Vlachos from several outside entities including corporate partners, state government departments and a national veterans organization for her business ventures, a conflict with ongoing university projects and priorities.
According to the report, Carter's actions violated several university policies: Outside Activities and Conflicts, Fiscal Stewardship, and Expenditures - adding:
Sufficient evidence exists that Carter should have seen that Vlachos’ efforts both internal and external to the university implicated this reporting requirement because her efforts, if successful, would have resulted in misuse or misappropriation of public funds. Carter failed to take steps to respond appropriately.
Concerning Vlachos, the report said she had "extraordinary access" to Carter while he served as president. The pair had at least 24 meetings, both in-person and online, and she took at least five trips with Carter.
The report also found no additional personnel actions were recommended following Carter’s resignation and the April 14 resignation of Senior Vice President Chris Kabourek. The report also noted Kabourek "went far beyond any other employee in supporting Carter’s efforts to assist Vlachos, both inside and outside the university."
Investigators noted they conducted 60 total interviews, including 12 individuals external to the university. Carter declined an interview through his attorney and Vlachos did not respond to the university's interview request.
Carter was replaced by Ravi Bellamkonda, who was appointed as Ohio State's current president by the Board of Trustees without a broader search.
In a statement Tuesday, Bellamkonda said "It is important for me and our leadership team to share this material with all of you so that we can all process the results together as a Buckeye community. The investigation was launched immediately following the resignation of Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. and focused on the circumstances around his resignation and the improper use of his position. It was conducted jointly by the Office of University Compliance and Integrity and the Department of Internal Audit, which are independent functions for the university reporting to the Board of Trustees’ Legal, Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee."
Bellamkonda further stated, "We are grateful for the careful and thorough work of these offices over these last several weeks."
The report ends with five key conclusions:
- Maintain the processes of the President’s Office and the independence of the Board Office in reviewing travel and expenditure requests submitted by the President, as well as transparent scheduling processes for the President.
- Units should review their practices on leadership requests for assistance.
- Consider revisions to ethics and insider threat training for senior leaders.
- Reinforce the importance of culture and shared values at the senior leadership level.
- Continue to respond as appropriate to any state and federal agency inquiries.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
