President Gonzalez announces restructuring of University human resources

The following message was shared with the Ohio University Community on Oct. 3, 2023.

To the Ohio University Community,

Since the beginning of my term as President, I have had the opportunity to engage with many of our talented faculty and staff, and it is obvious that you are among our most valuable assets here at OHIO. It is important to me that you feel appreciated and supported in your efforts to make OHIO a great place to work and learn. 

The world of work is one of four pillars of focus for the working groups that have been charged with developing dynamic strategies that will inform our institutional strategic plan over the coming months. To begin this process with a position of strength, I have decided to reorganize University human resources into an independent organization that will report directly to the Office of the President. 

I have named veteran human resource management professional Mary Elizabeth Miles to serve as the interim vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer.

Mary Elizabeth most recently served as vice president of human resources at the University of Louisville, where she had great success in moving human resources from operational and transactional to a more strategic role. She is a strong advocate of professional and leadership development, and in previous roles, she has developed policies and action plans to address faculty and staff engagement and success. She will begin this new role at OHIO on November 16, 2023. 

Due to the reorganization, Colleen Bendl will be leaving the University. Mike Courtney will serve as interim CHRO until Mary Elizabeth moves to Athens next month.  I am grateful to Colleen for her many years of service to OHIO. During her tenure, Colleen led a Campus Climate Task Force and implemented their recommendations for improvement. She also oversaw a five-year market study conducted by Deloitte LLP in 2019 and played an important role in the creation of the University’s current people strategy. We wish her the best in her future endeavors. 
 
Sincerely, 

Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez 
President