The search begins for the Ohio State President Kristina Johnson's replacement
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Nearly three months to the day after Ohio State University President Kristina M. Johnson announced her resignation, Ohio State has announced its plans for the search for the 17th president.
Like the search for former President Michael V. Drake’s replacement – the one that produced Johnson – the Presidential Search Committee will be split into two groups: a selection committee made of trustees, and an advisory committee made of faculty, staff and students.
Ohio State has selected Education Executives as its external search firm for candidates.
"The board will engage with the Buckeye community as we select and welcome the next university president to Ohio State,” Hiroyuki Fujita, board chair and chair of the Presidential Search Committee.
There is no timeline to complete the search process, university spokesperson Ben Johnson said in an email. Kristina Johnson will resign after spring commencement.
When searching for Drake’s replacement, the University Advisory Subcommittee sought community feedback and offered guidance to the selected trustees. The Presidential Selection Subcommittee was ultimately the decision-making arm of the search committee, and it was also tasked with managing the use of the external search firm Isaacson, Miller.
According to its website, Education Executives specializes in leadership searches for research institutions and medical centers. It has previously produced top administrators for Johns Hopkins University, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and the UCLA Hospital System.
Members of the Presidential Selection Subcommittee include:
- Hiroyuki Fujita (chair), founder and CEO of Quality Electrodynamics
- Jeff Kaplan, former secretary and senior adviser to the board
- Elizabeth Kessler, partner, Jones Day Columbus
- Tom Mitevski, executive vice president of DGD Group
- Lewis Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle
- Reginald Wilkinson, president of Collecting the Dots, LLC
- John Zeiger, founding partner of Zeiger, Tittes & Little LLP
Members of the University Advisory Subcommittee include:
- Laurel Van Dromme (chair)
- Martha Belury, College of Education and Human Ecology
- Carol Bradford, dean of College of Medicine and vice president for health sciences at the Wexner Medical Center
- Molly Ranz Calhoun, president and CEO of the Ohio State University Alumni Association
- Jorge Clavo Abbass, president of Council of Graduate Students
- Michael Eicher, senior vice president for advancement and president of Ohio State University Foundation
- Isil Erel, Fisher College of Business
- Russell Hassan, John Glenn College of Public Affairs
- Ayanna Howard, dean of College of Engineering
- Michael Ibrahim, director of School of Music
- Cathann Kress, vice president for agricultural administration and dean of College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
- Scott Levi, College of Arts and Sciences
- Anthony Long, president of the Inter-Professional Council
- Andrew Pierce, president of the Undergraduate Student Government
- Paul Rose, Moritz College of Law
- Taylor Schwein, graduate student trustee
- Gene Smith, athletic director in the Department of Athletics