After helping new President Jeffrey S. Lehman ’77 with his transition into office, Barbara L. Krause ’86 is now a permanent fixture in Day Hall as the senior advisor to the president.
Lehman made the announcement on Aug. 29 and Krause started her new role on Sept. 1.
Krause has assisted Lehman as the transition director and a counselor to the president-elect. She had previously served as the executive secretary for the presidential search committee and was associate university counsel and the assistant secretary of the corporation.
“I’ve been very fortunate to work with the President during the transition period, helping him to think strategically and to research various issues as he prepared to assume the presidency,” Krause said. “I’m very excited to continue to do similar work on an ongoing basis.”
There was no senior advisor position prior to Lehman’s arrival. Lehman said that many university presidents have similar individuals in their administrations because of the ever-changing responsibilities and functions of the position.
“The role of the university president has evolved in ways that make it both more difficult and more important to plan how my time is used,” he said. “There are dozens of truly non-delegable daily tasks that leave surprisingly little room in the day for long-range planning, so what time remains needs to be used carefully.”
According to Krause, she will be “advising the president on a wide variety of issues.” This includes helping him make efficient use of his time as he prepares for his first year, and letting the president know about the various groups he needs to become familiar and in contact with.
“Ms. Krause will work with other members of the senior administration to provide me with strategic counsel and recommendations, research and analysis,” Lehman said. “She will undertake special projects at my direction, represent me in a range of venues — both on and off campus — when my schedule prevents me from being present in person and provide support to my office on matters relating to the Board of Trustees.”
After receiving her undergraduate degree at Duke University and captaining the women’s basketball team for two years, Krause attended Cornell Law School in 1986. Nine years later, Krause came back to East Hill and was the judicial administrator for three and a half years.
According to the president, Krause was “extraordinarily effective” as his transition director and that she has worked with a wide range of issues around campus.
Lehman said he does not plan to create any more new positions in the senior administration, although the search for two university relations vice-presidents is still ongoing.
In July, Lehman asked Henrik N. Dullea ’61, former vice president of university relations, to resign. This paved the way for the university relations department to be restructured into two categories: communications and media relations, and government and community relations.
“I do expect that each of the two vice-presidential searches currently under way will probably be completed this calendar year,” Lehman said.
Archived article by Brian Tsao