- A 47-page report released Tuesday by Ohio State concludes that former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. misused his authority for nearly two years to direct university resources to a close personal associate, Krisanthe Vlachos.
- Investigators found Carter also pursued resources for Vlachos from outside the university, including from JobsOhio, which approved $60,000 for her podcast and is now seeking to recover those funds.
- The report, compiled from 60 interviews, has been referred to five agencies — including the Ohio Ethics Commission, Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber, and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost — for potential follow-up.
The Ohio State University released a 47-page internal investigation report on Tuesday detailing how former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. spent nearly two years leveraging his office to benefit a personal associate at the expense of the university’s mission and institutional partners. Carter resigned on March 7 after disclosing to the Board of Trustees that he had an inappropriate relationship with someone seeking public resources for her personal business. That person was later identified as Krisanthe Vlachos, a podcaster who recorded her show at the WOSU studios at 1800 N. Pearl St., adjacent to the Columbus campus. The report was conducted jointly by Ohio State’s Office of University Compliance and Integrity and the Department of Internal Audit.
Report Details Two Years of Systematic Efforts to Benefit Vlachos
Investigators found Carter put his own interests and those of Vlachos ahead of the university’s, concluding he had a close personal and business relationship with her that he allowed to improperly influence his actions and impair his judgment.
The resources Carter directly sought for Vlachos included employment at the university, space on campus to conduct her business, staff and technical support for her podcast, staff assistance for her other business projects, university investment in her proposals, and financial support from key external university partners.
Vlachos had at least 24 meetings with Carter — both in-person and online — and took at least five trips with him during his tenure. Investigators described her access to the president’s office as “extraordinary.”
Carter concealed the extent of his conduct by using personal email, scheduling personal meetings outside official calendar systems, and keeping individual requests separate so no single employee could see the full scope of his efforts. The report states that neither the inappropriate nature of the relationship nor the extent of Carter’s efforts was apparent to university staff at the time for this reason.
The report found Carter’s actions violated three distinct Ohio State university policies: Outside Activities and Conflicts, Fiscal Stewardship, and Expenditures.
The report also found Carter and Vlachos falsely represented or exaggerated to outside parties Carter’s engagement of university donors to support her business projects — conduct investigators described as “discordant or in conflict with ongoing university projects and priorities.”
JobsOhio Approved $60,000 for Vlachos Now Seeks Recovery
Carter’s conduct extended well beyond Ohio State’s Columbus campus. Investigators found Carter sought resources for Vlachos from an outside company, Anduril, as well as from Ohio state government departments including the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and the Ohio National Guard.
JobsOhio, Ohio’s economic development agency, approved $60,000 for Vlachos to produce four episodes of her podcast following a December 10, 2025 meeting focused on an app she wanted to develop to help veterans access higher education and jobs. JobsOhio is now attempting to recover those funds.
Vlachos produced her podcast, titled “The Callout,” at the WOSU facility at 1800 N. Pearl St. under a contract requiring her to pay approximately $93,000 for 50 episodes between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. Carter appeared on the podcast as recently as January 2026, before all episodes were deleted following his resignation.
At the December 2025 JobsOhio meeting, Carter directed JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef to act on Vlachos’s behalf, saying: “You need to get this done.”
Despite the breadth of Carter’s efforts, the investigation found Vlachos was never hired as a university employee or consultant, never received direct university funds, and was never given improper university space to operate from. Investigators credited university staff and internal processes for blocking those outcomes.
Second Senior Official Resigned State and Federal Inquiries Underway
Former Senior Vice President for Administration and Planning Chris Kabourek resigned on April 14, with the report finding he went further than any other university employee in supporting Carter’s efforts on Vlachos’s behalf including drafting a business proposal for an app she sought to develop. Kabourek also failed to stop Carter’s conduct or report it after concerns were raised to him by other staff.
The report recommended no additional personnel actions beyond Carter’s March 7 resignation and Kabourek’s April 14 departure.
The report has been shared with Ohio Inspector General Randall Meyer, the Ohio Ethics Commission, Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, and two federal agencies. Ohio State stated it will continue responding to those inquiries as they proceed.
Board of Trustees Chair John Zeiger called the findings “deeply disappointing,” but said it was gratifying that the university’s internal systems and staff prevented misuse of Ohio State’s resources.
Current Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda — appointed by the Board of Trustees on March 12 without a broader search said in a statement Tuesday that the investigation was launched immediately following Carter’s resignation and was conducted by offices independent of university leadership.
The report recommends Ohio State establish independent reviews of presidential travel and expenditure requests, revise ethics training, and reinforce expectations around shared values at the senior leadership level.
Carter declined an interview request from investigators. Vlachos did not respond to Ohio State’s outreach.
Sources
The Ohio State University, Office of University Compliance and Integrity / Department of Internal Audit, Investigation Report (47 pages), April 21, 2026
Ohio State University Board of Trustees, Press Release, April 21, 2026
The Lantern (Ohio State student newspaper), Investigation Coverage, April 21, 2026
Author
Staff Reporter | ColumbusFrontline.com Reporter covering Ohio State University, Franklin County government, and Columbus public institutions since 2019.
Last Updated: April 22, 2026
This report is based on information available at time of publication. Details may change as the investigation continues. ColumbusFrontline.com will update this article as new information is confirmed.