Former Ohio State president Ted Carter “betrayed the university” by using the power of his office to help podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos, according to a newly released investigative report that paints a far more damaging picture than the vague “inappropriate relationship” Carter initially acknowledged.
The report, which was released by the university on April 20, concludes that Carter “misused his position as Ohio State’s President to seek and provide public resources to Vlachos” and repeatedly put her interests ahead of the university’s.
Investigators found that Carter spent nearly two years pressuring employees to help Vlachos find a job, secure office space, build her business, and gain access to some of the university’s most powerful figures.
According to the findings, Carter worked carefully to keep those efforts hidden. Investigators say he relied on his personal email, scheduled off-calendar meetings, and deliberately spread requests among multiple employees so that “no one person had the complete picture” of how deeply involved he had become with Vlachos and her projects.
The report says Carter pushed WOSU to support Vlachos’ veterans-focused Callout Podcast, encouraged university leaders to help her create a veterans networking app, and tried to open doors for her with JobsOhio, Student Veterans of America, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services, and defense contractor Anduril.
At one point, investigators found, Carter was “attempting to use Ohio State resources to benefit Vlachos personally and professionally.”
University officials stopped short of saying Vlachos received direct financial benefits. The report notes that Ohio State employees repeatedly blocked her from being hired, denied her requests for campus office space, and refused to move forward with her business ideas.
Still, investigators concluded that Carter’s actions “betrayed Ohio State’s Shared Values” and created “significant reputational harm” for the university.
Those findings dramatically expand on what was already known when Carter resigned in March from his $1.5 million-a-year post. At the time, Carter admitted only that he had given a woman “inappropriate access to Ohio State leadership” while trying to help her with her personal business. He never publicly identified the woman.
Within days, however, reports linked Carter to Vlachos, host of the Callout Podcast. Carter had become a constant presence on the show, appearing in nine of the 14 episodes Vlachos released this year, even though the podcast drew only a few hundred viewers per episode.
Vlachos frequently posted photos of the two together at veterans events and, in one caption from the Student Veterans of America conference in Colorado Springs, described Carter as her “dear friend and mentor.”
Earlier reporting also showed that the relationship extended beyond the podcast. Vlachos’ show had secured sponsorship from JobsOhio and partnered with Ohio State, AEP, and the Columbus Region on a veterans-focused performance project.
Months later, Ohio State appeared as a sponsor for Vlachos’ “Gaff-N-Go Rodeo” event in Virginia, where Carter delivered remarks.
The university’s report now suggests those connections were part of a much larger pattern. Investigators found that Vlachos had “extraordinary access” to Carter, including at least 24 meetings and five trips together while he was president.
Several employees interviewed during the investigation said they immediately suspected Vlachos was involved when news of Carter’s resignation broke.
The fallout has now widened beyond Carter himself. Chris Kabourek, one of Carter’s closest advisers, resigned earlier this month after investigators found he continued assisting Vlachos even after other university officials had raised concerns.
