Kadish previously served as undersecretary for health and human services for the state of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2006.
Kadish will assume the position on June 15, well before Kim is inaugurated as president on July 1. College President James Wright's senior adviser, Dan Nelson, will become the director of the Outdoor Programs Office this summer. Sheila Culbert, who served as Wright's adviser until June 2008, left the College to become headmaster of Loomis Chaffee, a boarding school in Connecticut.
"I've worked with [Kadish] intensively for more than three years, and greatly value his wisdom, warm personality and truly outstanding organizational skills," Kim said in a College press release.
Kadish said in an interview with The Dartmouth that he will work closely with Kim to gain a better understanding of the needs of the College community.
"I'll function for [Kim] by helping him with his first set of special initiatives that will come together," he said.
As director of the division of global health equity at Brigham and Women's, Kadish fulfills the role of chief operating officer.
The positions requires him to manage interactions among Brigham and Women's, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.
"I've had only three and a half years of experience working in an academic environment," Kadish said. "I have good experience, but I think there are things that I can learn."
Kadish referred to his limited experience inside academia as "both a plus and a minus."
Kadish received his undergraduate degree from Tufts University in 1978 and a Masters Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982, the College press release said.
"I feel like I have good experience in making complicated organizations work well," he said.
Kadish said he hopes to "meet 10 people every day," and that connecting with members of the Dartmouth community will be his first priority.
Frank Gado '58, a former member of the Association of Alumni's executive committee, questioned the decision to appoint a College outsider to the position.
"If [Kim] needs advice, it seems strange that the advice he's getting is from Harvard," Gado said.
Kim likely chose Kadish because of their close relationship, Scherr said.
"For that particular position, it's very important that they have a good working relationship," he said.
Kadish said that he and Kim "work very well together."
"I think you'll see [Kim] doing all that's in his power to connect what's great about Dartmouth with what's great about the world," he said.
Staff writer Conrad Scoville contributed to the reporting of this article.
