Ale Kennedy selected as chair-elect of College and University Professional Association for Human Resources

Ale Kennedy, associate vice president and chief human resources officer, has been selected to serve as chair-elect of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) national board of directors. She will begin her new role on July 1.

Following her year as chair-elect, Kennedy will serve as chair of the board for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

Kennedy has a long history of service and support to CUPA-HR at all levels of the association. She currently serves as the Southern Region Representative to the national board of directors. Prior to that, she served on the Southern Region board, including as chair, and on the Georgia chapter board, where she served as secretary for three years.

“Ale is one of the country’s most outstanding higher education HR leaders. We are so fortunate that she will serve as chair-elect of CUPA-HR’s board of directors,” said Andy Brantley, CUPA-HR president and chief executive officer.

Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer Rick Petillo shared how in her role as AVP and chief human resources officer for the University Kennedy has prioritized efficiency and innovation intended to better serve and support University partners.

“Ale is recognized as a leader nationally in the HR community and in higher education more broadly. Clemson is very fortunate to have Ale in her role and she has contributed greatly to our successful navigation of significant changes during her tenure,” said Petillo. “I am so glad to see Ale’s contributions to the HR profession be recognized with this honor and I am confident she will continue making a significant positive impact in her for with CUPA-HR.”

Kennedy has more than 25 years of higher education experience and has served as Clemson’s chief human resources officer since 2021. Prior to assuming the CHRO role, she served in the position in an interim capacity and in a variety of other leadership roles. Prior to joining Clemson in 2016, Kennedy was the interim associate vice president for human resources at Georgia Southern University.

Kennedy received her undergraduate degree from Clemson and her doctorate in Education from Georgia Southern University.

About CUPA-HR

CUPA-HR serves higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Serving more than 40,000 HR professionals and other higher ed leaders at nearly 2,000 member institutions and organizations around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education salary, benefits and demographic data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.