Kemper has directed University Human Resources for 13 of his 18 years at Ohio University. Human Resources has 29 full-time employees and a $1.9 million operating budget that supports the areas of benefits, compensation, employee and labor relations, human resource staffing and records services, and human resource systems.

Vice President for Finance and Administration Bill Decatur said he plans to name an interim replacement for Kemper within the next two weeks and conduct a national search for a permanent replacement.

"I'm appreciative of Jim's long and distinguished service to the university," Decatur said. "He has made many contributions that have made a major difference at the institution."

A native of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Kemper joined the university in 1989. He has held the positions of manager, assistant director and associate director of personnel services; director of personnel/human resources; and assistant and associate vice president for human resources. 

Prior to joining Ohio University, Kemper served as director of human resources at Longaberger Manufacturing in Dresden, Ohio, and as assistant dean for continuing education at Muskingum Area Technical College in Zanesville, Ohio.

At OSU, Kemper will direct the office that provides strategic human resource advising to the university's executive leadership.

"My new position at OSU is the appointment of a lifetime given my extensive experience in all aspects of human resources," Kemper said. "It was a nice match at this point of my career, and I am thrilled for the opportunity."

A three-time graduate of Ohio University, Kemper earned his doctorate in higher education in 2001, an MBA in 1982 and a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1979. He earned the senior professional in human resources lifetime certification from the Human Resource Certification Institute in 1996.

Last fall, Kemper was awarded the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources' Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his 16 years of dedicated service to the organization. In 2000, he was awarded the CUPA-HR Midwest Region's Distinguished Service Award.

"I am deeply grateful for the opportunities Ohio University has allowed me over the past 18 years to develop my career," Kemper said. "I will always treasure and value the relationships I have formed with faculty, staff, students and university stakeholders and will be forever thankful.

"I'll miss the people I work with the most," he added, "but I'm leaving behind a very talented staff that is customer-focused and capable of providing innovative leadership into the future."