USC official named UF's next chief operating officer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Southern California’s associate senior vice president for career and protective services has been named the University of Florida’s next senior vice president and chief operating officer, UF President Bernie Machen announced today.

Charles E. “Charlie” Lane will assume his new position effective April 1. He will be responsible for UF’s Division of Business Affairs, Office of Human Resource Services, Division of Information Technology and Chief Audit Executive.

“Charlie has developed a wealth of leadership experience in both the public and private sectors that covers a broad range of expertise,” Machen said. “That is just the background we need at an institution as comprehensive as the University of Florida. I am looking forward to working with Charlie and am confident he will play a key role as UF moves along the road to preeminence.”

“I’m inspired by the course that President Machen has set for the university and am looking forward to working with him and his senior management team to accomplish UF’s many exciting goals,” Lane said. “I believe that UF is uniquely poised to rise in the rankings, especially with the remarkably talented faculty and staff in place. This is an exciting time to be joining the UF family; I’m very eager to identify ways in which the operations that I am responsible for can support the preeminence initiative.”

Lane was named USC’s associate senior vice president for career and protective services in January 2005. He is responsible for administering the university’s programs pertaining to security, risk management and insurance, workers’ compensation, disability, employee recruitment and development, faculty development, emergency planning, environmental health and safety, and sustainability.

Lane joined USC in 1991 as director for environmental health and safety. Before coming to USC, he administered health and safety programs at the University of Houston, Intermedics and Texas Instruments. He is a lecturer at the USC Price School of Public Policy and a visiting professor at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China.

Lane received his master’s in public administration from USC in 1996 and a doctorate in public administration from USC in 1998. He and his wife, Natasha, live in San Marino, Calif., with their daughters, Grace and Hope.