AccuWeather names new CEO after founder Joel Myers steps down to become executive chairman
As part of a “calculated” succession plan, longtime AccuWeather employee Steven R. Smith has officially been named the locally-based company’s new CEO, replacing founder Joel Myers.
Smith, who first began working as an AccuWeather intern in 1997, will oversee business operations and focus on growth opportunities in his new role. Myers, who founded AccuWeather in 1962, will take on the title of executive chairman, where he’s expected to remain actively involved in strategies such as new product development.
AccuWeather made the formal announcement Wednesday, and the change is effective immediately.
“Steve and I have been working in lockstep on this succession plan to ensure a smooth and effective transition,” Myers said in a written statement. “Now that the time has come, it is with great pleasure that I make his appointment official.
“Steve has been by my side leading the growth and transformation of AccuWeather for over 25 years, and I am proud to say that the student has become the master. He has been instrumental in our success, and this new appointment reflects my full confidence in his leadership of this great company I founded over 60 years ago.”
Smith graduated from Penn State in 1999 and, since then, he’s worn many different hats at AccuWeather. He served as president since 2019 and, prior to that, he was elevated to chief information officer (2007) and then chief digital officer (2013), all positions within the executive management team. When he first arrived at AccuWeather, he took on the role of data acquisitions manager and received gradual promotions to reflect his importance to the company’s digital transformation.
“Carrying the mantel of such an authentic brand as AccuWeather is an awesome responsibility, and one that I embrace wholeheartedly,” Smith said. “I am fortunate that I will continue to have Joel and the rest of our visionary leadership team by my side as we build upon our legacy of superior accuracy and write this exciting next chapter in AccuWeather’s history together.”
Myers took over as CEO in 2019 after his younger brother, Barry Myers, stepped down to pursue a Cabinet role under former President Donald Trump’s administration. Barry eventually withdrew his name from consideration due to health concerns, following a federal investigation that found a “severe and pervasive” culture of sexual harassment at the company. (Barry Myers previously said his family’s company was “unjustly mischaracterized.”)
AccuWeather, a privately owned weather-forecasting company, bills itself as “the most recognized and most used source of weather forecasts and warnings in the world.” It is the 16th-largest employer in Centre County.
