After a national search and several on-campus interviews and presentations, Raaj Kurapati, AIFA, a seasoned executive with more than three decades of experience in public higher education and private industry, has been named the new executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer for the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).
Kurapati comes to UTHSC after having served since 2018 as the executive vice president and chief operating and financial officer for the University of Memphis (UofM). In this role, Kurapati was responsible for all administrative and financial units of the University of Memphis, with prominence in civic, legislative, philanthropic, and community outreach activities, as well as overseeing all financial and operational activities.
Kurapati now fills the position formerly held by Kennard Brown, JD, MPH, PHD, FACHE, who retired last month after 25 years of dedicated and highly impactful service to the university. As executive vice chancellor and COO, Kurapati will be responsible for coordinating the day-to-day administrative operations and management of the campus’s central administration, as well as other duties in line with his extensive experience.
“I am humbled and honored to have been selected to be the next executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at UTHSC,” Kurapati said. “I believe the unique set of skills I have acquired and refined over the course of my career, having worked both in private industry and public higher education, will allow me to positively contribute to the phenomenal team at UTHSC and assure continued excellence in all the great work underway throughout the state of Tennessee.”
Read more at our UTHSC news site.