Jon S. Tuma new AURA VP of Human Resources

  Jon Tuma, AURA VP of Human Resources

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) is pleased to announce that Jon Tuma will join the AURA Corporate Office on January 29, 2024, as our new Vice President of Human Resources. 

Jon is an accomplished Human Resources (HR) professional with a strong ability to assess organizational needs and implement effective action plans to prepare organizations for the future. He brings more than 20 years of experience innovating strategic talent management across all areas of HR. Prior to his last role as Head of People and Culture for a technology and health company, Jon held executive HR roles in organizations of similar size. He has led HR operations across 30+ states and has worked in 9 countries. 

Jon Tuma holds an MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell University.

Eager to bring his collaborative spirit to the Aura team, Jon commented that he is over the moon to join AURA. “I love that everyone I have met is so deeply committed to two things I am passionate about: supporting great employees and furthering the advancement of space exploration.”

Jon will report directly to the President of AURA and serve as a crucial member of the AURA senior leadership team. He will define new and innovative ways to hire, engage, evaluate, and develop our staff. In addition, he will lead and align strategies across AURA’s traditionally separate NASA- and NSF-based HR organizations, enabling Aura HR to support one shared vision, set of goals, and employee-orientated approach.

“We are delighted to welcome Jon to AURA. As our first VP of HR, he will bring his extensive experience, knowledge, and willingness to innovate our HR organization, ensuring AURA continues to strive to be a better place to work for all our employees,” said Matt Mountain, President of AURA.

Jon Tuma will be based at AURA’s Washington DC office.