Renee Snee appointed new Chief Human Resources Officer of UCAR

Renee Sneed has been selected as Chief Human Resources Officer of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), effective June 3. Sneed comes to UCAR from Tulane University, where she has overseen Human Resources programs since 2017.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join UCAR’s outstanding HR team, supporting scientific research that has a measurable impact on society,” said Sneed. “Human resources is a people-centered field, and helping to enable world-class science at this organization could not be a more people-centered endeavor.”

As CHRO, Sneed will lead efforts already underway to help UCAR transform its HR services in response to a changing internal and external landscape, including the Scientific Appointment Modernization (SAM) initiative, improving performance evaluation, HR process and procedure updates, and more.

“Renee brings extensive experience in a similar work environment at Tulane, along with a dedicated focus on people in her work,” said Alisha Swofford, UCAR Chief Operating Officer. “I couldn’t be more excited to have her join our organization. In her interview, Renee said, “Every open position is an opportunity to take the organization to the next level,” and I believe we have done that with her appointment. Renee is a humble leader who brings not only incredible HR leadership experience, but also kindness, sincerity, determination and a commitment to excellence that will have a dramatic impact on our organization from day one.”

As assistant vice president of Human Resources and Institutional Equity at Tulane, Sneed transformed HR for the university by introducing innovative practices in compensation, benefits, workforce planning, recruiting, performance management and employee relations. She also made inclusivity a priority, launched cultural awareness programs and diversified talent acquisition.

Before joining Tulane, Sneed was the CHRO for a global architecture and interior design firm, where she championed employee resource groups (ERGs), developed flexible work policies years before the COVID-19 pandemic, and introduced employee satisfaction and pulse surveys during her tenure . almost 20 years.

“We believe Renee brings the perfect combination of creativity and experience to this important role at a transformative time for UCAR HR,” said Antonio Busalacchi, president of UCAR. “Her track record in higher education and finding innovative ways to develop HR services – while providing a steady guiding hand to her teams – make this news a major win for our entire organization.”

UCAR is a nonprofit consortium of 126 North American colleges and universities focused on research and training in Earth system science.

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