Tech tower of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. (Photo: Mistercontributer via Wikimedia Commons)

Georgia Institute of Technology has hired a new general counsel and vice president for ethics and compliance in the wake of a financial scandal that cost four high-ranking university officials their jobs last summer.

Ling-Ling Nie will assume an expanded role that formerly was titled vice president for legal affairs and risk management. In addition to leading legal affairs, she will serve as Georgia Tech's chief ethics officer, oversee building and maintaining programs surrounding ethical behavior, and work with the human resources and internal audit departments to ensure that all ethics complaints are reviewed and that investigations are moving toward conclusion, a university spokeswoman said in an email.

“The title has been changed to General Counsel and Vice President for Ethics and Compliance to more accurately reflect the duties and responsibilities of the position and the Institute's commitment to Ethics and Compliance,” she said.

Nie, who could not be reached for comment about her new position, joins 15,000+-student, public Georgia Tech from Panasonic Corp. of North America, where she most recently served as chief compliance officer and assistant GC overseeing more than 25 subsidiaries and division companies. She was based in the greater Atlanta area during her time there, according to her LinkedIn profile.

In a news statement, the university said it conducted a national search after the position, which now reports directly to Georgia Tech president G.P. “Bud” Peterson, was expanded last summer.

In July, Georgia Tech's then-VP of Campus Services Paul Strouts, Parking and Transportation Services Executive Director Lance Lunsway and Director of Digital Networks Tom Stipes resigned as Georgia Tech auditors investigated allegations that they misused resources, had improper vendor relationships, or violated other ethical rules or state laws, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Earlier that month, the university announced that Executive VP of Administration and Finance Steven Swant would no longer serve in that role, according to the report.

“The combination of Ling-Ling Nie's legal and compliance leadership experience in business and government and her thought leadership in ethical standards uniquely qualify her for this newly expanded role at Georgia Tech,” Peterson said in the statement. “We look forward to partnering with her as we continue to enhance the ethical culture and clarify expectations across the Institute.”

Before joining Panasonic in July 2012, Nie, a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law, spent five years at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she served as senior adviser to the GC. She also served as the U.S. Mint's legal counsel and deputy agency ethics official.

“I am excited about the opportunity to apply my background in industry and government to champion Georgia Tech's commitment to Institute-wide integrity,” Nie, who earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia, said in the statement.