NASA leader Anne Roemer to helm human resources at William & Mary

Anne Roemer - a human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience at NASA - has been named William & Mary's next chief human resources officer.

Anne Roemer - a human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience at NASA, including two years of astronaut selection oversight - has been named William & Mary's next chief human resources officer. She will start Nov. 3.

Roemer is currently the deputy chief human capital officer for NASA. In that role, she leads a team of about 280 and partners with the chief human capital officer to provide human resources support to the agency's 18,000 employees.

As CHRO at William & Mary, she will provide strategic oversight of all human resources functions, from employee relations to talent engagement.

"I am honored to join the William & Mary team later this fall as the next CHRO," said Roemer. "People are any institution's most important asset, and I look forward to partnering with faculty and staff in continuing to build a welcoming and supportive workplace."

Roemer will report directly to Executive Vice President Mike Todd and serve on the President's Cabinet. She succeeds Debi Jarvis, who has led human resources in an interim capacity since June.

"Anne Roemer stood out from a national pool with her strategic and thoughtful approach to HR leadership," said Todd, who led the search committee. "She has deep experience building high-performing teams and leading change in support of an organization that conducts world-class research and delivers cutting-edge educational programs. She brings the vision and expertise to ensure William & Mary continues to recruit, retain and support the outstanding faculty and staff who make this university thrive."

At William & Mary, Roemer will lead a team of 35 and direct all human resources processes and operations at the university. Her purview will include employee relations, business partners, the Human Resources Information System and transactions, total rewards and communications and talent engagement.

Her priorities will include making sure human resources provides excellent service and fostering campuswide relationships to sustain William & Mary's collaborative and collegial culture.

Roemer has been in her current position with NASA since 2023. In that role, she is responsible for the operations and management of the Office of the Chief Human Capital Office, including its $84 million budget.

Previously, she served as the human resources director for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where her responsibilities included strategic decision-making around recruiting, developing, and retaining more than 3,000 civil servants to support the International Space Station and NASA's return to the Moon and beyond to Mars.

She first joined NASA in 2000 as a presidential management fellow, before taking on progressively more responsible roles at NASA's Johnson Space Center. While with NASA, Roemer also managed its Astronaut Selection Program and was responsible for the 2017 and 2021 astronaut selection cycles, helping to modernize the process. From 2017 to 2018, she co-led NASA's Human Capital Transformation Project, which established an agency-wide approach to human capital management and reshaped the service-delivery model in human resources.

She has received numerous awards and honors for her work, including NASA's Outstanding Leadership Medal and NASA's Exceptional Service Medal.

"Congratulations to Anne Roemer on her new role as chief human resources officer at William & Mary," said NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails. "Anne's impact at NASA over the past 25 years has been extraordinary - from shaping the astronaut selection process to strengthening our workforce for missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. She leaves an incredible legacy here, and we wish her all the best as she brings her talents to William & Mary."

Roemer holds an international relations degree from Roanoke College and master's in international administration from the University of Denver. A native of Ohio, she and her husband have twin daughters.

Erin Jay, Senior Associate Director of University News

• share by email
• share on Facebook
• share on X
• share on LinkedIn

• share by email
• share on Facebook
• share on X
• share on LinkedIn

Related Stories