Kari Lehman named vice provost for OHIO Online

Ohio University Executive Vice President and Provost Elizabeth Sayrs has named Kari Lehman as the vice provost for OHIO Online, effective Aug. 1.

Lehman currently serves as the executive director of graduate and professional programs in the Ohio University College of Business.

Lehman will serve as the strategic and operational leader of OHIO Online, in collaboration with the academic colleges, academic support units, the Division of Enrollment Management, University Communications and Marketing, the Office of Information Technology, and the Office of Instructional Innovation. Her position replaces the role formerly held by Dr. Brad Cohen before he led the Strategy and Innovation Office.

“OHIO Online continues to grow and develop to best serve the needs of undergraduate and graduate students, and we are pleased to have Kari Lehman moving into this essential role,” Sayrs said. “Her knowledge, experience and leadership skills will benefit Ohio University greatly, and I am looking forward to working with her.”

Lehman has worked for the College of Business since 2016, serving as the administrative director of graduate and executive education from 2016 until 2018, and then as assistant dean of graduate and professional programs from 2018 until 2021, when she began her current role.

Under her leadership and in partnership with faculty, the College of Business Graduate Programs office supported the development and launch of three new graduate degree and ten graduate certificate programs.  In addition, Lehman’s team created the Graduate Career Acceleration Team (GradCAT), providing meaningful, industry-leading career support to all College of Business graduate students.  Most recently, the College of Business team, in collaboration with University leadership, led the selection, contract negotiation, and launch of the new online program manager, Wiley, to support an enhanced student experience and continued growth of OHIO’s online graduate programs. 

Before joining Ohio University, Lehman worked for 20 years leading business development and consulting teams at corporate learning organizations including Mind Gym and Richardson Sales Performance.  Lehman and her team led engagements with Fortune 1000 companies including BMO Harris Bank, Southwest Airlines, Ameriprise Financial, Neiman Marcus, Schwab, and KeyBank on their leadership development, customer engagement, and culture strategies. 

Lehman earned her M.B.A., an M.S. in chemical engineering and a B.S in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University.