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K-State Today

May 17, 2013

Four finalists to be interviewed for CEO and vice provost for K-State Olathe

Submitted by April Mason

Four finalists have been identified for the position of CEO and vice provost of the K-State Olathe campus. Ali Malekzadeh, dean of K-State's College of Business Administration and chair of the search committee, announced the finalists: 

  • Ed Robb, who holds a DVM and is a senior global research and development executive from Parkville, Mo.
  • Thomas Overbay, who holds a DVM and is a partner in Expedite Animal Health, an independent service provider to the animal health industry, from Louisburg.
  • Greg Kopf, a senior executive and scientist currently serving as associate vice chancellor of research administration at the University of Kansas School of Medicine.
  • Prema Arasu, who holds DVM and Ph.D. degrees and serves as vice provost and associate vice president of international programs at Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.

"The search committee has worked diligently to identify quality candidates and believes these candidates in particular stood out as having the necessary qualifications and experience for this key position at K-State," Malekzadeh said.  “The pool was highly competitive and we look forward to learning more about each of these candidates when they visit our campuses in Olathe and Manhattan.”

April Mason, provost and senior vice president, said she is eager to hire a CEO and vice provost who is experienced in developing programs that will support the expanding animal and human health partnership opportunities in the Greater Kansas City area and also will be committed to building upon the foundation established under the leadership of Dan Richardson.

"It will be crucial to bring in an individual who can keep the K-State Olathe campus moving forward as we implement our K-State 2025 strategic plan," Mason said. "Our ability to provide graduate and executive programs and partner with business, community and educational leaders in research and outreach activities make this a unique opportunity for our next CEO and vice provost.”

The schedule of candidates is:

  • Robb — May 19-21
  • Overbay — May 21-23
  • Kopf — June 2-4
  • Arasu — June 3-5

Each candidate will participate in a public forum scheduled from 4-5 p.m. May 20, 22, June 3 and 4 at K-State Olathe. For those unable to attend in person, the presentations will be streamed live and archived for viewing later. The link for the public forum will be activated just before the scheduled start time and will be posted on the provost’s website with the full schedules and application materials for each candidate.