UCAR

UCAR is excited to announce the opening for the role of the UCAR Community Programs (UCP) Director. The role of the UCP Director is critically important to our community, and we seek a nationally recognized scientific leader with exemplary management and fundraising experience.

A Search Committee has been tasked with identifying three to four finalists for in-person interviews in Boulder in early 2025. The finalists will meet with UCP constituent groups, including scientific staff, software engineers, Business Shared Services and administrative staff, educational designers, early career staff, and managers from across UCP’s programs.

Search Committee for the next UCAR Community Programs (UCP) Director

The following individuals have generously agreed to lead the search for the next director. They represent the breadth, depth, and diversity of key stakeholders in our community, and they will each bring tremendous expertise and insights to the search process.

Kristen Averyt, a former UCP External Review Committee member and Executive Vice President of Science at the American Geophysical Union (AGU), will chair the committee. Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm with expertise in recruitment for scientific and research organizations, will support the committee.

Kristen Averyt (Committee Chair)
Executive Vice President, Science
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Former Member, UCP External Review Committee

Ray Ban
Trustee, UCAR Board of Trustees
Managing Director, Ban & Associates, LLC
Former Executive Vice President, The Weather Channel

Otis Brown 
Director, North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies
Former Dean, Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science, University of Miami
Former Chair, UCP External Review Committee

Shuyi Chen
Chair, UCAR Board of Trustees 
Professor, Department of Atmospheric & Climate Science, University of Washington

Belay Demoz
Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
Co-Chair, UCP External Advisory Committee

Wendy Gram
Deputy Director, COMET, UCP

Emma Hagen
Program Specialist, UCAR Center for Science Education, UCP
Chair, UCP Early Career Assembly

Hanne Mauriello 
Director, Scientific Partnerships & Service Center 
Director, CPAESS, UCP

Bonnie Meinke
Director, External Engagement and Business Development, UCAR

Gretchen Mullendore
Director, Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology (MMM), NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR)
Member, UCP External Advisory Committee

Peter Neilley
Director, Weather Forecasting Sciences and Technologies, The Weather Company
Member, UCP External Advisory Committee 
Incoming Trustee, UCAR Board of Trustees

Mohan Ramamurthy
Director, Earth Observation & Data Services Center, UCP
Director, NSF Unidata, UCP

Marissa Vara
Higher Education Specialist, UCAR Center for Science Education, UCP
Lead, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, UCP

Additional information on the committee members can be found in Search Committee Member Bios.

Recruitment Timeline:

  • November - January: Stakeholder interviews, recruitment, and vetting of potential candidates
  • February - March: Downselect candidates and semi-finalist interviews 
  • Late March - April: Onsite interview with finalists and final selection

Final Notes:

The position is currently open and all are encouraged to nominate someone or apply for the position via the Isaacson, Miller Candidate Application Portal.

We value feedback from our community and would love your input as we undergo the search for the next UCP Director. Please feel free to share your thoughts via the Community Feedback Form.