Jeff Kaplan

Jeff M.S. Kaplan was named President of The Ohio State University Foundation, Senior Vice President and Special Assistant to the President, The Ohio State University, in April 2011, following the unexpected death of his predecessor, Andrew A. Sorensen.

Jeff has served in several leadership roles at Ohio State, most recently as senior vice president for administration and planning, where he focused on aligning the University’s physical and operational units with the institution’s academic mission. In that capacity, he oversaw a team of some 3,500 people in the departments of facilities operations and development, transportation and parking, public safety, trademark and licensing, UniPrint, and business advancement, among others. Jeff also led the university’s acclaimed comprehensive master planning effort resulting in a common vision and framework for future development of the campus. In his new role, Jeff oversees all fundraising for Ohio State, as well as implementation of an advancement model that aligns fundraising, alumni relations, and communications operations within the University. He also serves as special assistant to the president in a variety of other areas, including medicine and athletics.

Jeff's leadership experience at Ohio State began in the 1970s, when he worked in athletics, admissions, and business administration. He returned to Ohio State in 2007 as vice president for business development and collaborative advancement at the Medical Center and as interim vice president for development. Jeff returned to Ohio State after serving for seven years as associate vice chancellor and chief administrative officer at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Prior to that, he held senior posts at Saint Thomas Health Services and Baptist Hospital in Nashville and Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Foundation, US Health Corporation, Riverside Methodist Hospital, and OhioHealth in Columbus.

Jeff earned his J.D. degree from Ohio State's Moritz College of Law and a bachelor's degree cum laude from Yale University. He and his wife, Darcy, have four children, JJ, Michael, Karen, and Halle.