Search committee for associate vice president of institutional equity announced

Max Garrison
Tue, 13 Apr 2021 19:43:23 +0000
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Ohio State announced the members of its search committee for the Office of Institutional Equity associate vice president in an email to faculty Thursday. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor

Ohio State announced the search committee members for the Office of Institutional Equity associate vice president in an email to faculty Thursday, and the list includes university leadership and representatives from student governments.

The committee will be chaired by Ohio State’s associate general counsel Brandon Lester and will search for someone to fill the role overseeing several university offices — including Americans with Disabilities Act, Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity, Protection of Minors and Title IX — after Katherine Lasher stepped down from the role in October 2020.

Committee members include Undergraduate Student Government President Jacob Chang; Katie Hall, interim associate vice president for shared services and human resources; Tanisha Jenkins, associate vice president for Student Life; Javonte Lipsey, a graduate teaching associate and chief of staff for the Council of Graduate Students; Scott Lissner, Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator; Janine Oman, senior associate director for the Department of Athletics; Don Pope-Davis, dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology; and Ryan Schmiesing, vice provost for the Office of Outreach and Engagement.

The search will also be supported by Vice Provost Kay N. Wolf and Allison Thomas, a talent acquisition consultant, Executive Vice President and Provost Bruce McPheron said in the email.

According to the email, faculty can email Thomas to recommend potential candidates.

The Office of Institutional Equity was established in 2018 to replace the Sexual Civility and Empowerment Office. SCE closed in June 2018 after an external review determined the unit did not comply with requirements to document and report sexual assault complaints, according to a university press release. An audit later found that SCE failed to report 57 felonies.

Lasher assumed the role Aug. 1, 2019, and prior to coming to Ohio State, she served as the senior leader and Title IX coordinator and affirmative action office for the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity at Central Michigan University. Her Ohio State salary as of June 2020 was $265,000.