Ohio State University names new chief compliance officer
The Ohio State University has appointed Gates Garrity-Rokous as its new chief compliance officer. Garrity-Rokous, who will begin September 24, most recently led the development and implementation of GE Capital America’s compliance program. He has more than 17 years experience in the healthcare and financial services industries, with broad expertise in developing, assessing, and managing ethics and compliance programs for complex organizations.
Ohio State created the new Office of University Compliance and Integrity in February and began the search for a new Chief Compliance Officer. The new office is responsible for streamlining the university policy-making process, administering a university-wide compliance training program and developing a compliance monitoring program.
"The Ohio State University is fortunate to have attracted the talents and skills of Gates Garrity-Rokous, who joins our community as the Chief Compliance Officer," said Geoffrey S. Chatas, senior vice president and chief financial officer of the university. "Here at Ohio State, Gates will lead the Office of University Compliance and Integrity, and work to build a centralized compliance model. He’ll work to strengthen a culture that encourages ethical conduct and compliance with the laws and regulations applicable to the university and to monitor policy and program effectiveness."
Garrity-Rokous comes to Ohio State with a tremendous background and experiences in developing and managing large-scale compliance programs. "Under Gates's leadership, the university will strive to build a best-in-class compliance function that will be recognized as a model among higher education institutions," said Christopher M. Culley, senior vice president and general counsel at the university. "With this hire and the creation of the new compliance office, the university is underscoring that at Ohio State, integrity is paramount in all that we do."
Prior to working at GE Capital, Garrity-Rokous was a partner at Wiggin & Dana LLP in New Haven, Connecticut, advising corporate clients on compliance issues. He previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Officer with the Department of Justice, where he directed all federal healthcare fraud investigations, both civil and criminal, in the state of Connecticut. He also served as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, and U.S. District Court, Connecticut. He earned a law degree from the Yale Law School in New Haven, in 1992, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Yale Journal of International Law. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy from Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., in 1986. He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa, for more than two years.
Founded in 1870, The Ohio State University is a world-class public research university and the leading comprehensive teaching and research institution in the state of Ohio. With more than 63,000 students (including 56,000 in Columbus), a major medical center, 14 colleges, 80 centers, and 175 majors, the university offers its students tremendous breadth and depth of opportunity in the liberal arts, the sciences, and the professions.
