College Station, Texas, United States, October 2025 – Texas A&M University College of Engineering, one of the nation’s premier engineering schools with over 20,000 students, has announced the appointment of Melissa Thallemer as its new Chief People Officer. In her new role, Melissa will lead human capital strategy, organizational development, and people initiatives across the College, focusing on fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture that supports faculty, staff, and student excellence.
Melissa Thallemer brings more than two decades of progressive HR and leadership experience across higher education, retail, and corporate transformation environments. She is widely recognized for her expertise in executive development, organizational transformation, and human capital strategy, with a deep passion for integrating culture, leadership, and business performance.
Prior to joining Texas A&M University, Melissa was the Founder and President of Leadership Reinvented, LLC, where she leveraged her 20+ years of executive experience and certification as a Board Certified National Counselor to help organizations enhance productivity, innovation, and employee engagement. Through leadership coaching and organizational systems work, she supported executives and teams in achieving measurable growth in performance and culture.
Previously, Melissa served as Chief Transformation Officer at VENUS Fashion Inc., where she led enterprise-wide digital and business transformation efforts. As a Board Member and C-Suite Executive, she oversaw IT, marketing, people and culture, and the transformation office. Her leadership was instrumental in aligning strategy, technology, and organizational effectiveness to drive business agility and cultural renewal.
Before that, she held multiple senior leadership roles at Chico’s FAS, Inc., where she served as Director of Human Resources for the Soma brand, corporate divisions, and distribution centers. Melissa designed HR strategies for over 5,000 employees, leading initiatives in organizational design, talent management, succession planning, and leadership development, while ensuring compliance and employee engagement across national operations.
Melissa’s early career includes an 11-year tenure at Target Corporation, where she progressed through key HR leadership roles, including Human Resources Manager, Senior Business Partner, and Senior Labor Relations Representative. At Target, she gained deep expertise in employee relations, labor relations, and operational HR management, driving leadership capability and organizational performance across large-scale retail and distribution operations.
In addition to her executive experience, Melissa continues to contribute to education and thought leadership as an Adjunct Faculty Member at Tulane University School of Professional Advancement, teaching business and leadership studies. She is also a Consultant Member of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle, and has co-developed diversity and inclusion workshops through Consciously Operating in a Diverse Environment (CODE), supporting meaningful progress in workplace equity and inclusion.
About Texas A&M University College of Engineering
The Texas A&M University College of Engineering is the largest college on the Texas A&M campus, enrolling over 20,000 students across 15 departments. It is recognized globally for its academic rigor, research excellence, and leadership in developing the next generation of engineering innovators.
Committed to advancing education, research, and workforce development, the College fosters collaboration among students, faculty, and industry to solve complex global challenges. With its distinguished faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and vibrant learning community, Texas A&M Engineering continues to be a leader in shaping the future of technology and innovation.
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