Former Ohio State University President Ted Carter first met the military podcaster Krisanthe Vlachos just a few months after he started his tenure at the university. That meeting would eventually lead to the retired three-star admiral’s sudden resignation and an internal university investigation into their relationship.
Questions have swirled in the last week about the relationship between Carter and Vlachos that led to his resignation as Ohio State’s president on March 7. Carter stepped down after admitting to an “inappropriate relationship” with “someone seeking public resources to support her personal business,” according to a university statement.
More: Carter’s relationship included dinner with OSU leaders, business lobbying
Though Ohio State has not named the woman, a statement from JobsOhio pointed to Vlachos, who had hosted Carter on her podcast multiple times. Vlachos hosted The Callout Podcast, another platform she used to connect veterans to power lineman careers.
Carter and Vlachos have not responded to requests for comment by The Dispatch. But public records and digital footprints show the two were connected through interests in veterans affairs and the energy industry, and multiple sources have confirmed their relationship was also romantic.
Ted Carter held his first State of the University as Ohio State’s president on Thursday.
When did Carter and Vlachos meet?
Vlachos first met Carter in March 2024, just a couple of months after he officially started his role as Ohio State’s 17th president.
In a now-deleted podcast episode from May 2025, Vlachos said she first met Carter at a Veterans in Energy Leadership Forum held in Washington, D.C. [As of March 12, all content from The Callout Podcast on YouTube and Spotify has been taken down, and the show’s Instagram account is no longer available.]
The event is an annual conference that brings military veterans from dozens of energy and utilities companies together for several days of programming.
Carter was a frequent ‘co-host’ on Vlachos’ podcast
Vlachos started hosting The Callout Podcast in 2020, according to her LinkedIn. The podcast primarily aimed to connect military veterans to a career as power utility lineworkers.
Carter was one of the show’s most frequent guests in the last year, appearing in at least nine episodes. He called himself in one episode a “frequent flyer” on the show.
On the now-defunct podcast’s website, Carter was previously listed as a co-host. According to the podcast’s description on LinkedIn, The Callout Podcast aimed to connect “veteran or active-duty service members as co-host, each bringing their own perspective to conversations that matter.”
Clips from podcast episodes posted to Vlachos’ LinkedIn shows Carter interviewing guests on the show, often someone from the power industry or a fellow veteran. At least two episodes of the podcast featured interviews with members of Ohio State’s Military & Veterans Services office.
Carter recorded his podcast appearances in what appears to be a home office, as well as multiple times from the president’s office at University Square South. The most-recent episodes were recorded from a studio at WOSU Public Media.
Vlachos had a contract with WOSU to rent space for her podcast from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, according to a production agreement between the two. A proposed budget for the 50-episode series, however, shows that the estimate was first prepared in February 2025.
Vlachos registered Vet Earn USA LLC with the Ohio Secretary of State on Dec. 19, 2025. The limited liability corporation lists its business address as 1800 N. Pearl St. in Columbus, which is the address of WOSU Public Media. WOSU is licensed to Ohio State and operates public radio and television stations at university facilities.
Carter attended Gaff-N-Go Rodeo with Vlachos
In May 2025, Vlachos partnered with Ohio State and Carter in support of the Gaff-N-Go Rodeo in Richmond, Virgina. The rodeo is an annual gathering of power lineworkers from across the country to compete in traditional lineworker tasks, like climbing poles and rescuing injured workers.
Carter was a keynote speaker at the event’s awards banquet. According to an itinerary of the trip obtained through public records, Carter spoke for 15 minutes at the awards banquet on May 17, followed by a “banquet dinner w/ Rodeo, CSuite leadership & Krisanthe.”
Vlachos thanked Carter in a LinkedIn post after the event for his “continued service being present to support the Rodeo from start to finish.”
“Your awards banquet keynote was incredible with a standing ovation of 1500 Linemen, industry leaders and their families!” Vlachos wrote.
Carter’s business receipts filed with Ohio State, however, do not indicate he spent university money on Vlachos at the event. Ohio State authorized the trip a month before the rodeo and committed $2,221.16 for his travels. He expensed about $1,745 in first-class flights, Uber rides and business dinners to the university.
Carter and Vlachos were romantically involved, sources say
Multiple source told The Dispatch of two events where Carter and Vlachos were seen showing public displays of affection.
The first was at a dinner on Nov. 17, 2025, at Butcher & Rose in downtown Columbus, where Carter was among a group of Ohio State cabinet members and executives from Google and Student Veterans of America, of which he was a board member at the time.
The Butcher & Rose dinner was planned to bring leaders from each group together before the three entities hosted an Ohio Roundtable on Student Veteran Success the following day.
According to sources and documents reviewed by The Dispatch, Carter asked two weeks before the event if Vlachos could join the dinner, after an initial guest list had been set. He quickly followed up that he would be happy to cover the cost of Vlachos’ attendance. Vlachos was added to the guest list.
Sources told The Dispatch that Carter and Vlachos showed public displays of affection at the event.
In January, Ohio State’s SVA chapter was one of many student groups to attend the organization’s national conference, dubbed “NatCon,” in Colorado Springs. The 18th annual NatCon, hosted at The Broadmoor resort.
Sources told The Dispatch that Carter asked if Vlachos could introduce him at the conference, an honor typically reserved for a current student veteran.
In a since-deleted LinkedIn post following the event, Vlachos said it was her first time at an SVA NatCon, as well as her first time introducing Carter, who she described as her “dear friend and mentor.” Vlachos shared a photo from the event featuring her, Carter and interim SVA CEO Cory Boatwright.
Multiple sources told The Dispatch that Carter and Vlachos were seen together at the conference, including engaging in public displays of affection. Sources said a number of people questioned Carter and Vlachos’ relationship at NatCon, many of whom assumed that the two were married or didn’t know Carter’s wife. Lynda Carter, who married Ted Carter in 1982, was not present at the event.
Sources described Carter’s actions as “cavalier,” “weirdly brazen” and out of character from the image he publicly portrayed.
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State’s Ted Carter’s relationship with Krisanthe Vlachos
