Unwavering in his commitment to Temple, Ken Kaiser prepares to retire
During the early afternoon of a day in May, the direct reports of Temple University Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ken Kaiser, FOX ’89, ’94, ’03, along with some other colleagues arrive in Feinstone Lounge, the administrative boardroom located on the top floor of Temple’s Sullivan Hall.
Just a minute later, Kaiser arrives and no sooner than he walks in, his colleagues begin giving him guff about his choice of attire: a sport coat with a polo shirt underneath.
“Yeah, but you see, here’s the thing: You can wear anything under a sport coat,” Kaiser responds with a smirk.
Only one day earlier, the group had been together to attend the universitywide Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2025, the hallmark event of the university’s academic calendar. This particular gathering at Feinstone is much more routine. It is also much more poignant and bittersweet.
Prior to the start of its regular team meeting, the group decided to gather for a photo with Kaiser, who recently announced that he would be retiring from Temple after a 30-plus-year career. The camaraderie, banter, and genuine respect and appreciation among the group was clear. It is something that was built over years of working together, which remains a tremendous point of pride for Kaiser.
His direct reports, Sharon Boyle, Kathryn D’Angelo, Jaison Kurichi, David Marino, Jennifer Griffin, Jonathan Reiter, Langston Huzzy and Gennaro Leva, average more than 16 years of employment at Temple.
“They are such a great group of people, and I have worked with them for so long, too. Almost every one of them has been with me at least 10 years,” said Kaiser during a recent interview where he reflected on his career. “When it came to hiring, it was always my goal to bring in people who are smarter than me, and without exception, that is my team.
"When it comes to recruiting and hiring, I always look beyond the resume,” Kaiser continued. “They’re obviously qualified or otherwise, I would not be interviewing them. Instead, I focus on whether I think they will fit in with the team. And if the answer is no, then I wouldn’t consider them. It is really about the intangibles, and that is what I have always cared about.”
A kid from Northeast Philly
On June 30, 2025, Kaiser will officially retire from Temple after more than 30 years of dedicated service. In that time, he has held positions that range from university privacy officer, director of finance and administration for Ambler and then for institutional advancement, senior associate vice president for finance and human resources, treasurer, and chief financial officer, all the way to his current role of senior vice president and COO.
He has served eight different presidents (one on three occasions) and has helped navigate the university through times of challenge and through times of incredible prosperity. Along the way, he picked up two more Temple degrees, earning an MBA in 1993 and a master’s degree in management information systems and e-business in 2003.
Yet, before any of that, he was just a kid from Northeast Philadelphia with a choice to make. As it turns out, the choice he ultimately made may have greatly altered the trajectory of his life.
“For me, when it came time to think about colleges, it was either Penn State or Temple. My mom had gone to Temple, and I really liked the gritty underdog image of Temple,” Kaiser said. “So, that’s where I went.”
Initially an accounting major, Kaiser eventually switched to finance, and he was hired at AT&T after graduation.
“It’s funny, now when I talk to my kids, I’m like, ‘Trust me, that was a good job back then. People were impressed,’” Kaiser recalled with a smile.
A career in higher education, especially one in which he would return to Temple, did not seem to be in the cards for Kaiser, but he did have a desire to further his education. And what better way to do that than by being employed at Temple, where he could take advantage of tuition remission.
“My sister-in-law worked at Temple, and she shared my resume at the tail end of the process when they were hiring a budget analyst. So, I only got that opportunity because of the connection to her,” he said. “And I interviewed with (Budget Director) Dick Chant and (Executive Director of Finance) Bill (Orr), and we really hit it off well and they hired me. I thought, I’ll get my MBA and then I’ll move on.”
While Kaiser did move on, it was not from Temple. Rather, it was within Temple. While he enjoyed his colleagues (especially running with them around the former track along 15th Street at lunch), after eight years in that office, he longed for something new, so he took a position out at the Ambler Campus. After a few years there, he was back at Main Campus, this time as the director of finance and administration for institutional advancement before later becoming university privacy officer.
Leaving, only to return
In 2005, Kaiser was wrestling with a decision. He wanted to continue moving up the ranks at Temple, but he did not see a path for him to reach something akin to his current position of COO.
“I eventually recognized that since I had been here since I was 24, I was not viewed as a serious candidate for higher-level positions. I knew I needed to leave, but I always hoped to eventually come back. But I knew that I had to go out and give this a shot if I ever wanted to come back for a high-level position,” Kaiser said.
He paused.
“That was very hard. It was harder on my family than I thought it would be. My wife Denise and I had three young kids, and they had grown up with Temple as we lived right near the Ambler Campus. We regularly attended basketball games and shows at the Tomlinson Theater, and they really identified with Temple and had such pride in it. I remember their response was, ‘What? Dad, you’re leaving Temple?’ It was really difficult. When I left, I’ll never forget that my colleagues in Institutional Advancement got me a Temple rocking chair. I was supposed to say a few words, but I couldn’t even get them out. I was so emotional.”
When Kaiser departed Temple, it was to assume the role of vice president and chief financial officer at Montgomery County Community College. It was a gamble that paid off as it took less than three years for him to return to Temple—he was hired in 2008 as senior associate vice president for finance and human resources working under Anthony Wagner, Temple’s CFO at the time.
“He was a great mentor, and he was great at empowering me to take an idea and run with it,” Kaiser said. “He wouldn’t say, ‘Hey, can you put this together,’ and then take my work and go to the board with it. Instead, he would ask me to do something and then bring me to the board meeting with him. He would say, ‘Hey, I want you to talk to the guys about X, Y and Z,’ which really allowed me to quickly build a reputation with the Board of Trustees and then-President Ann Weaver Hart.”
The leadership approach Wagner took with Kaiser is one Kaiser has taken with his own team. He prides himself on trusting them and working to set them up for success. It is something that Boyle, Temple’s vice president for human resources, will deeply miss.
“I am immensely grateful to have had the opportunity to work for and learn from Ken,” said Boyle, who has worked closely with Ken for over 20 years. “He has the rare leadership ability to make tough decisions at a high level but also earn the trust and confidence of colleagues at all levels. He knows how to create a true team culture that brings out the best in each player. And that always results in the best for Temple.”
Empowering his team
When Kaiser’s retirement was announced to the university community on April 15, 2025, Temple President John Fry wrote, “The most important illustration of Ken’s impact here at Temple is not only through what he accomplished as an administrator but rather the way in which he empowered his team. If you talk to just about anyone who has ever worked for Ken, you will find that he is universally loved. He has consistently put his employees in a position to succeed, but more importantly, he then gave them the space to do it. Ken saw the potential in everyone he worked with, and he trusted them to see projects through to fruition.”
This is a familiar theme that emerges in talking to those who worked for Kaiser over the years. And whether you worked with him for two or 20 years, Kaiser’s impact is equally significant.
“Ken Kaiser is the kind of leader who truly makes a difference, not just in the direction of an institution, but in the lives of the people who work beside him,” said Griffin, Temple’s vice president for public safety and chief of police, who was hired by Kaiser in July 2022. “His unwavering support, steady guidance and belief in empowering others have shaped a culture of trust and excellence that will resonate long after his retirement. Ken leads with heart, humility and vision, and it has been an honor to serve under someone who inspires confidence, fosters growth, and always puts the mission and people first.”
Huzzy, who has served as Kaiser’s director of administration for eight years, agreed.
“I’d be remiss not to acknowledge the profound impact Ken has had on my professional journey since joining his staff eight years ago. More than a supervisor, he’s been an advocate, sponsor and model of principled leadership. Of all the leaders I’ve supported, none have been more consequential. As a millennial professional, I’ve learned immensely from his steadiness, thoughtfulness and ability to maintain professional excellence while never compromising a deep family commitment. I’m truly grateful and will carry his example with me always,” Huzzy said.
But beyond his reputation as an excellent leader, Kaiser has also been a friend to all who have worked for him. He takes a genuine interest in his colleagues’ lives, and he prioritizes their well-being. As evidenced by his affinity for wearing polos under sport coats, he is also not afraid to have some fun at the office.
For colleagues like Reiter, senior associate vice president of business affairs and administration and one of Kaiser’s team members, this is something that he will miss most.
“For the past decade, I’ve had the incredible privilege of working closely with Ken, an experience that has shaped me both professionally and personally,” Reiter said. “Beyond being a mentor and role model, Ken has been a true friend—someone whose kindness, humor and genuine care for others have left a permanent mark on our team and Temple.”
Navigating challenges and opportunities
Someone who knows Kaiser as well as anyone is D’Angelo, who serves as senior associate vice president in the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and is also Kaiser’s current chief of staff. Together, the two have worked closely for 20-plus years, and Kaiser recruited her from another Temple office to work directly for him in 2010.
“Ken has been unwavering in his dedication to Temple’s mission and the community of people that learn and work here,” she said. “He has led and supported us through times of both challenge and growth, leaving a legacy that will continue to shape and strengthen the university for years to come.”
One of the first challenges that D’Angelo and Kaiser worked through together was the Great Recession. In thinking back to that time, Kaiser recalled how stressful it was, but years later, his memories are more positive, mostly because of the people that he shared those challenging times with.
“During the Great Recession, I remember working with Jaison (Kurichi) and Katie (D’Angelo) and then Sharon (Boyle) from an HR perspective. We just came together and were able to see a crisis through,” Kaiser said. “These are not light and easy times. These are the times when you’re in the trenches, but there is something to be said for going through crises with people that you can really trust.”
Even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaiser was able to reflect on positives.
“The pandemic was a really stressful hard time, too, but after that, when you reflect on everything that you have been through, you realize that we have great people at Temple,” he said. “That is something I have come to realize time and time again.”
The next chapter
As he prepares to depart the university where he spent 32 years of his professional life, Kaiser reflected on some more of the good times.
He highlighted Temple’s rise in enrollment, which reached a peak of more than 40,000 students in 2017. He also spoke of the physical transformation of campus, much of which took place under his watch.
“I remember that when I was an undergraduate student, it was difficult to find a place to eat,” Kaiser said. “The physical transformation has just been remarkable.”
Hanging behind Kaiser throughout the interview is a framed photo from Sept. 5, 2015, the day that Temple football beat Penn State 27-10. It is another memory that Kaiser will always treasure.
“That was, hands down, one of the best days of my life. I’ll never forget it,” he said. “The day after that game, I went to my daughter’s basketball game wearing a Temple flag wrapped around me because I knew there would be a lot of Penn State fans there. That day just showed we’re fighters, and that ties into the mission of Temple.”
It is a mission that has kept Kaiser at Temple, as either a student or employee, for more than 35 years. As he prepares to turn the page on a new chapter, Kaiser said he looks forward to spending more time with his wife and children.
While he knows his ties to Temple will change, he also knows they are strong enough that they will never break.
“I will definitely come to Temple games and events,” Kaiser said. “If I could get involved in an advisory group or something, I would be open to that, too. I’d also love to adjunct and teach a class. I don’t know exactly what my future involvement at the university looks like, but I love Temple, so I won’t be far away.”
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