Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr. resigned over an inappropriate relationship. Ohio State released an internal investigation about the relationship Tuesday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
Former President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr.’s inappropriate relationship with a podcaster led him to involve several top university officials in schemes to help produce podcast episodes, and further her personal business, according to a report the university released Tuesday.
Carter abruptly resigned on March 7, after just two years into the role citing an inappropriate relationship with a person the report identified as Krisanthe Vlachos, host of “The Callout Podcast,” a military and veterans podcast.
Newly-released details contained in the report of Ohio State’s investigation of Carter’s inappropriate relationship show the lengths to which Carter went to help Vlachos.
They include Carter’s efforts in getting Les Wexner’s funding and assistance for an app Vlachos wanted to develop, the use of Ohio State employees for Vlachos’ gain, the role of one Ohio State administrator in helping Vlachos and potential state ethics law violations. The report also shows university officials balked at helping Vlachos, and put limits around her access to Carter’s office.
The following is a summary of the key details of the 46-page report.
Misuse of presidential authority
Over Carter’s two years serving as Ohio State’s president, he used his authority to make over-the-top efforts to advance Krisanthe Vlachos’ business interests, the report found.
The investigation said that Carter asked at least 14 separate university employees to assist Vlachos with her personal and professional endeavors. The individuals involved often described these requests as unusual, since he rarely contacted them otherwise.?
The reports lists the names of university employees contacted by Carter, including Chris Kabourek, whose recent resignation was revealed in the investigation to be connected to Vlachos’ and Carter’s inappropriate relationship.?
Carter’s pursuit for Vlachos’ advancement included possible employment at the university, space for her business on campus, university support for her podcast and assistance for other related business projects.??
For example, the report shows Carter asked Elizabeth Parkinson, the senior vice president for marketing and communications, to help produce Vlachos’ podcast. The report states members of Parkinson’s communications team did this on two separate occasions.
The report also states Carter used the authority and influence of his position to secure benefits for Vlachos and her business by leveraging his extensive professional relationships and the university resources at his disposal.
For example, Carter asked Kabourek and Rob Lowden, the vice president and chief information officer to help build and find funding an app Vlachos wanted to build for veterans, details of which are explained later in this report.
After one such meeting, on Aug. 26, Lowden emailed Kabourek and said “Clearly not a tech angle. I just simply don’t see what an investor will get out of this.”
Who is Vlachos?
Vlachos was listed in the report as the person with whom Carter had an “inappropriate relationship,” leading to his resignation.
“The Callout” podcast she hosted is meant to connect the military and veterans with energy and utility jobs using AI. Per prior Lantern reporting, the podcast had 146 subscribers on YouTube.
The report states Carter and Vlachos first met in Washington D.C. at a veterans and energy forum in March 2023, when Carter was president at the University of Nebraska System.
In the report, witnesses often described Vlachos as “persistent,” “unprofessional” and, above all, “weird.”?
She reportedly would contact people unexpectedly, use contacts to her advantage and would copy individuals in emails. Carter was often name-dropped and used as a leverage point, according to the report.?
Vlachos was also known to come up with presentations and ideas on the fly, with one employee commenting in the report, “I have first-year students who could do a better job of presenting.”?
She was reported to be very demanding, make odd requests or out-of-pocket comments, such as asking to house-sit for professors, making references to living out of her car. The report also states she did not follow standard professional courtesies.?
Outside of witness descriptions, Vlachos used two different names when connecting with Carter and Ohio State, Vlachos and Vlahos.?
However, her married name was Karagiannis. Her LinkedIn profile did not indicate relevant experience in entrepreneurial fields. She has also been a defendant in at least 12 court cases, all pertaining to minor issues, according to the report.?
Vlachos did not respond to an interview at any point during the investigation. Vlachos did not respond to a request to comment.
Vlachos’ app proposal
A large portion of the investigation’s report focuses on Vlachos’ desire to create an app that would link veterans with training programs needed for employment paid for by available government funding.?
The report states Vlachos made an attempt to partner with Paul Hylenski, CEO of Vet Mentor AI — an app that helps veterans with navigating disability claims using AI — hoping this would help develop her broader vision for her own platform.?
Vlachos presented this idea at an Oct. 2, 2025 meeting with employees Carter contacted on Vlachos’ behalf to describe the app’s components. After the meeting, the employees agreed that her app should not move forward because of its lack of relevance to the university, multiple technical challenges and no solutions to address those challenges.?
Despite Carter’s efforts, university employees never provided Vlachos any technical assistance and Ohio State never funded any project related to her idea, the report stated.?
Additionally, Carter connected Vlachos with JobsOhio and Anduril — two key university partners — to talk about the advancement of her podcast and app, but the first meeting date is unclear.?
Anduril is a national defense technology company that recently began sponsoring Ohio State athletics to promote its drone production facility near Columbus. JobsOhio is the state’s economic development agency.
Carter sought Les Wexner’s assistance in Vlachos’ app
The report stated that Vlachos had Carter get in contact with Les Wexner, chair of the Wexner Medical Board and founder of L Brands, to ask if Wexner would help purchase technology and build out the app.
The report said Wexner’s attorney was contacted as part of the investigation. The attorney, who is unnamed, said Wexner never discussed or met with anyone, including Carter, about Vlachos or her app.
In a text message to Hylenski, Vlachos purportedly said that Carter called Vlachos and spoke with Wexner about the app. The text message said Wexner wanted to meet Vlachos and Hylenski in person.
“Wexner plans to move forward.. with money…with us…to fix the VA bullshit & elevate [National Veterans Memorial and Museum],” Vlachos said in a message to Hylenski.
Hylenski, Vlachos and Carter discussed meeting before talking with Wexner. In Carter’s calendar, there was a personal appointment on Nov. 4, 2025 from 1-2 p.m., according to the report.
There is no mention of Wexner meeting with the three in the report.
Ohio State employees refused to work with Vlachos and provide university resources
Despite Carter’s connections and efforts, other university employees largely stood firm on boundaries and policies in place, resulting in obstacles to Vlachos obtaining university benefits.?
Specifically, Vlachos was never hired as a formal university employee, received university funds and her access to university buildings outside WOSU was limited. Additionally, she was held accountable to pay her balance with WOSU’s contract and individual employees attempted to raise concerns about Vlachos.?
Vlachos obtained a BuckID to gain access to the WOSU building, in compliance with university guidelines, but her request to receive access to University Square South, or USS, where Carter’s office was, was denied.?
Vlachos used her BuckID 1,745 times on 95 separate days between July 8, 2025 and Jan. 13 to enter WOSU.?
Carter also attempted to give Vlachos access to his office in USS through the garage. This was stopped after Hannah Bechtold, senior director for administration and operations at the President’s Office, spoke with Carter and pushed Vlachos to enter through the main entrance.?
Bechtold also denied Vlachos access to Carter’s office without having explicit permission each time.?
After Carter was in an Oct. 23, 2024 podcast episode, he asked Ben Johnson, assistant vice president for media and public relations, to further assist Vlachos on her podcast.?
Though the communications team helped film a second podcast episode in Page Hall and did not charge Vlachos for the work, Johnson advised Carter that the team could not keep assisting Vlachos, according to the report.
Additionally, at least 14 university employees received a direct request from Carter to assist Vlachos in various forms.?
Though some requests were honored, such as finding a venue for a performance that had been cancelled through the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, employees largely enforced WOSU contract policies and safety measures pertaining to building and resource access.
The role of Chris Kabourek
Kabourek, former senior vice president for administration and planning and senior advisor to Carter, was Vlachos’ primary point of contact at Ohio State, the report said.
Kabourek assisted Vlachos in obtaining the contract with WOSU. In a text message, she asked Kabourek to help with production costs and a work space at WOSU “where [she] could be completely immersed in my process.”
In a separate discussion, Kabourek said that as a public university, Ohio State is heavily restricted on subsidizing outside entities, but “would welcome a chat to discuss further.”
On June 26, 2025, WOSU signed a $93,000 contract with Vlachos for podcast production services for 50 episodes and the ability to use a desk at WOSU.
He met multiple times with Carter, Vlachos and other university employees in an attempt to gain more assistance in developing the app.
Kabourek drafted Vlachos’ app into a project plan, including a $20,000 university contract of university private donations for a pilot of the app.
In addition, Kabourek assisted in working with JobsOhio and OH.io, a startup designed to transform Columbus into a major AI and tech hub, to obtain partnerships with Vlachos for her podcast and app. This included meetings, emails and text messages working with her and the businesses.
Potential Ohio ethics law violations
Once he began his role as university president in 2023, Carter requested ethics training, which he was provided and signed an agreement that acknowledged he received a copy of Ohio Ethics Law and attended two annual ethics law training sessions designed for university trustees.?
Carter’s potential ethics violations go against the multiple resources provided to him.?
When referencing conflicts of interest, Ohio Revised Code 102.03 (D) and (E) state that public officials or employees cannot authorize the use of authority to add anything of value to someone in respect to that person’s duties, or accept anything that may have a substantial impact on their duties.?
The Ohio Ethics Law also prohibits public employees from having excessive interest in the benefits of a public contract within their agency, which can be either personal or financial.?
Based on university policies and Ohio Ethics Law, Carter may be investigated to determine if his relationship with Vlachos substantially impacted his objectivity, violated the provision that states he cannot be overly invested in a public contract or if his actions implicate any other potential issues under Ohio Ethics Law.?
The article was updated on April 22 at 9:09 a.m. to correct the Ohio Revised Code 102.03 (D) and (E) explaination.
