Dear Colleagues:

I'm writing to update you on some key transitions in leadership. As you're aware, former Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Pete Gilbert left UMB last summer, and I chose not to replace him. Instead, several University leaders have assumed roles and responsibilities that position UMB for continued operational efficiency and sustained academic excellence.

As chief accountability officer and vice president of operations and planning, Roger Ward, EdD, JD, MPA, now directs a portfolio of departments and initiatives that promote institutional effectiveness and assure accountability. Roger has primary responsibility for strategic planning, enterprise risk management, and institutional research. He has a leadership role on the MPowering the State steering committee, serves as UMB's Middle States accreditation liaison officer, and oversees several offices that promote compliance and transparency, including the offices of research integrity, conflict of interest, human research protections, and education and equal access.

Roger also has oversight of Human Resource Services—a responsibility that will be helped considerably by the hiring of Matthew Lasecki, MS, our soon-to-be associate vice president of human resource services. Mr. Lasecki is currently vice president of human resources at Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., but he's no stranger to Baltimore or to UMB. He worked for 10 years in the human resources department at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Mr. Lasecki will join the University on Nov. 16, and we look forward to welcoming him as part of the UMB team.

Roger will keep his position as vice dean of the Graduate School, but will transfer duties associated with Universitywide academic affairs to Chief Academic and Research Officer and Senior Vice President Bruce Jarrell, MD, FACS. In addition to his existing responsibilities, Bruce will oversee many of the University's most critical institutional relationships, such as those with the University System of Maryland and the University of Maryland, College Park (MPowering the State).

There are four more transitions of note: The offices of government affairs and community engagement now report to Jennifer Litchman, MA, chief communications officer and vice president and special assistant to the president; the Center for Information Technology Services now reports to Bruce; and, on an interim basis, the Department of Police and Public Safety will report directly to me.

There is one coming change to our leadership structure that's decidedly bittersweet. Chief Administrative and Financial Officer and Vice President Kathleen Byington, MBA, will leave UMB in late November for Yale University, where she will be associate vice president for business operations. Without question, we'll miss Kathy's exceptional business acumen and her disciplined stewardship of UMB's assets—but, of course, we wish her the best as she takes advantage of this extraordinary opportunity.

Kathy's duties will be assumed on an interim basis by two senior members of her leadership team: Associate Vice President for Budget and Finance Scott Bitner, MBA, will take on all financial management aspects of the job, and will report to me. Robert Rowan, MS, associate vice president for facilities and operations, will handle responsibilities related to UMB's operations and our buildings and grounds; he will report to Bruce. I thank Scott and Bob for their willingness to move into these essential and demanding roles. We'll immediately begin a national search for a new chief business and financial officer, and that search will be led by Bruce.

I thank my entire leadership team for ensuring that these transitions were seamless and that we sustained—across the board—gap-free services and functions. Many UMB leaders have taken on multiple job responsibilities since summer (on top of the multiple responsibilities they already held), and they rose ably to every challenge we faced. I am deeply and sincerely in their debt.

Sincerely,

Jay A. Perman, MD
President