Snavley grew up on a farm north of Dayton, Ohio. He earned his bachelor’s and mas-ter’s degrees at Bowling Green State University. While studying history as an undergraduate there, he decided to live in the “international” dormitory during his freshman year and spent time studying in Austria. “It was a very enjoyable and broadening experience,” he remarked. During his senior year, Snavley became involved in politics and was later elected to a local government position following his graduation. “It was very grass-roots ... it was an interesting experience to learn the political system at that level,” remembered Snavley.

He later worked in personnel while attending law school at night at the University of Toledo. “It was very demanding—attending classes four nights a week [and] reading case books during your lunch break,” he recalled.

During his time spent at law school, he was hired as assistant to the president of the University of Toledo. “About two weeks after I started the job, the president told me he wanted me to start making regular trips to the state capital and do lobbying, as well as administrative work. So I would drive to the capital every week between my classes on Tuesday and Thursday nights,” said Snavley, with a smile. The opportunity to engage in the political process and earn an education at the same time gave him “the best of both worlds.”

Snavley stayed in Toledo for a few years after completing his law degree but felt the time had come to move on. He joined the administration at Syracuse University and served as the director of government relations for four years. It was at about that time that the position of vice president for government relations was created at Rensselaer, which was later expanded to include community relations. Snavley has served in that position since he joined Ren-sselaer’s administration in 1987. “Previously, there were staff people who went to the state capital and monitored special projects,” he remembered.

“There are a lot of opportunities here. Rensselaer has more enriching opportunities than most other institutions—from leadership training to the ability of students to get involved in a whole range of social activities. So, take advantage of the opportunities here,” offered Snavley in advice to the students. “View it as a training ground for your career.”

During his free time, Snavley is actively involved as a member of a number of food and wine groups and he has invested in a wine store. He is also a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club and enjoys hiking and sailing. “I don’t have a sailboat ... yet,” he grinned. He can be reached at snavll@rpi.edu.