COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State acted swiftly on Thursday to move past the abrupt resignation of the university’s president over the weekend, elevating its chief academic officer into the role.
Trustees voted to appoint Executive Vice President and Provost Ravi Ballamkonda as Carter’s successor, bypassing the traditional nationwide search to name its fourth president since 2020.
Ballamkonda’s appointment comes as a clearer picture began to emerge of former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.’s “inappropriate relationship” with the female host of a podcast for military veterans.
Ballamkonda, a bioengineer and neuroscientist, joined the university in 2021, after holding leadership, research or teaching positions at Emory University, Duke, Georgia Tech and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He earned his Ph.D. in medical science and biomaterials at Brown.
Less than a week earlier, the board of trustees confronted Carter about a tip from outside the university. He disclosed that he had “made a mistake in allowing inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership,” according to his public statement, and submitted his resignation. The retired Navy vice admiral was just two years into a five-year contract under which he made more than $1.1 million a year, plus bonuses and residency at Ohio State’s president’s mansion.
Expressing surprise and disappointment, Board Chair John Zeiger accepted his resignation Sunday and the university said it was investigating Carter’s “inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources to support her personal business.”
JobsOhio, the state’s privatized economic development office, said Carter’s resignation was “possibly connected” to his relationship to Krisanthe Vlachos, host of what was supposed to be a four-episode veterans’ podcast pilot, The Callout, for which it paid in full at $15,000 an episode. It’s now moving to claw back its $60,000, the office said.
“Ohio State is a trusted partner and Admiral Carter, sharing our passion for military and veterans, recommended The Callout Podcast as an opportunity to build and engage a military and veteran audience in Ohio,” the office posted on X, “and connect them to the massive job opportunities coming to Ohio’s super sectors like advanced aerospace/defense and energy.”
Vet Earn USA LLC, an Ohio business registered by Vlachos on Dec. 19, is central to the investigation, said Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson.
Vlachos was also paid $10,000 by JobsOhio toward a theater production for veterans called “Last Out” Elegy of a Green Beret.” It was part of the office’s Hometown Heroes program, which brings free programming to military, veterans and their families.
