Dear Wayne State community, 
 
I am pleased to announce that Rohini Ananthakrishnan will join our university community as Wayne State’s inaugural vice president for digital strategy and operational excellence. Rohini emerged as the ideal candidate following a thorough national search. Please join me in thanking Chair Bethany Gielczyk and the rest of the Search Advisory Committee, as well as the search firm Opus Partners, for their outstanding effort in this process. Pending a formal vote by the Board of Governors at its June 26 meeting, Rohini will start in this leadership role on August 4, 2025. 
 
Rohini brings to Detroit more than 23 years of leadership experience in information technology, advanced reporting, data analytics and enterprise-wide process improvements at the University of Denver (DU). She served in several roles of progressively increasing responsibility, most recently as interim chief information officer and vice chancellor of information technology. Rohini earned her master’s degree in computer information systems and built a reputation for advancing outcomes through campus-wide engagement to align technology, data and process improvements with university goals.  
 
Rohini carries an impressive record of leadership, innovation and partnership. Her people-centered approach, with deep and wide-ranging stakeholder participation, is consistent with the values and approach of our Wayne State leadership team. She will be key to advancing our strategy and systems integration to better utilize data and information in actionable ways that help achieve our mission in Detroit and far beyond. 
 
"On behalf of the search committee, we are thrilled to welcome Rohini to Wayne State," said Bethany Gielczyk, senior vice president for finance and business affairs. "Her collaborative leadership style and deep experience in digital transformation stood out at every stage of the process. We’re excited for the vision and energy she brings to this new role." 
 
Rohini will lead the division that includes Computer and Information Technology, Institutional Research and Data Analytics and other business-related analytic functions, will report directly to me, and spearhead the development of enterprise systems that support planning, analysis and decision-making across the university. Her work will accelerate progress on our strategic plan goals by increasing operational efficiency and modernizing systems to support the success of our students, faculty and staff. 
 
Throughout her career, Rohini has consistently championed innovation, launching enterprise-wide tools and technologies to improve services and strengthen participatory governance of digital technologies and information. She has chaired initiatives to create inclusive digital environments, including hiring the first digital accessibility position at DU, incorporating accessibility into the technology acquisition process and serving on the steering committee of the Accessibility council at DU.  
 
Rohini is known for building relationships and working collaboratively across teams. She has served on the Women Inspiring Leaders, a nonprofit organization and will begin this summer as a board member for Higher Education Resource Services (HERS). She is an alumna of MOR Leaders Program and HERS Leadership Institue. Her leadership is shaped by a strong appreciation of engaging varied perspectives and a deep commitment to leadership through service. She will be on campus a few times over the spring and summer semesters to get started with the onboarding process and to learn more deeply about the division team members, institutional capacity and our university community.  
 
Thank you to the numerous campus stakeholders and members of the University Leadership Council who participated in this successful search. I also want to extend gratitude to Rob Thompson for his leadership of this new division as we engaged in this search.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Rohini Ananthakrishnan to Wayne State University.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Kimberly Andrews Espy 
President