Kristina Johnson loses compensation if she speaks poorly of Ohio State, agreement says
Former Ohio State President Kristina Johnson would lose compensation if she speaks negatively about the university, according to a signed agreement between the two parties obtained by The Dispatch.
That same agreement prevents Ohio State's Board of Trustees and any employees within that office from disparaging Johnson at the risk of legal action.
An "Agreement and General Release," signed by Johnson on Nov. 13, 2022, is required by the former president’s employment contract, Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said. The agreement "aligns with that employment contract and does not include any additional compensation," he said.
Under the release agreement, Kristina Johnson will receive one year of her base salary, not including performance awards or other supplemental income. Based on her current salary as of September 2022, she will receive $927,000. That severance is paid out over 12 months beginning 60 days after her departure date.
She will also receive a one-time lump sum payment of $278,100, and she agreed to resign from her tenured faculty position in College of Engineering's Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
The agreement was released following a successful legal challenge by Jessica Langer — an Ohio State graduate and former editor-in-chief of The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper — with the The Court of Claims of Ohio earlier this year. Langer had requested "any contract, memorandum of understanding, non-disclosure agreement or other signed document" between Ohio State, the Board of Trustees and Johnson related to her departure. It was originally denied due to attorney-client privilege.
"I felt like this was right for the public to know. As a public university, transparency should be at its core," Langer said. "We want the honest truth and this victory shows that the truth will always come out."
The Dispatch previously filed a public records request with Ohio State asking for any contracts or agreements related to compensation made between Johnson and the university as a result of her announcement that she would be leaving at the end of the academic year in May. Ohio State officials responded at the time that any other contracts or agreements between Ohio State and Johnson related to her resignation that exist are protected from release by "attorney-client privilege and/or attorney work product."
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Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson would not comment further. "We’ll let the agreement speak for itself. Ohio State looks forward to welcoming our next president soon," he said.
Kristina Johnson, who officially left the university following spring commencement in May, announced her sudden resignation in November 2022 after The Dispatch first reported the news of her departure.
Ohio State trustees said at the board's May meeting that the presidential search committee is making "great progress" in finding the university's next leader.
Sheridan Hendrix is a higher education reporter for The Columbus Dispatch. Sign up for her Mobile Newsroom newsletter here and Extra Credit, her education newsletter, here.
shendrix@dispatch.com
@sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kristina Johnson and Ohio State can't disparage each other, deal says
