As associate executive director for operations, Kimberly Harper has responsibility for internal operations, administrative and financial management, and staffing. Among other duties, she partners with the leadership team in strategic planning, oversees project management, and is responsible for all human resources and hiring processes, including diversity initiatives, staff training, and development. Harper came to the Buffett Institute in 2018 from the University of Nebraska's Information Technology Services department, where she was the assistant vice president for IT strategy and planning. Over the past 13 years she provided strategic planning and direction of ITS's budget and financial management, project and portfolio management, and human resource management functions. Before coming to ITS, Harper worked for the Office of the Provost, where she served as an institutional research analyst. She earlier worked in the market research industry as a data analyst and consultant. Harper holds a master’s degree in social psychology from Kansas State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska ̶ Lincoln.