Renee is the Director of Education and Community at Planetree International, a mission-driven non-profit setting the global standard for person-centered excellence across the continuum of care. Renee joined Planetree International after over 20 years of higher education experience in the health sciences and academic administration. Most recently, she served as the Chief of Staff at Salem Academy and College in Winston Salem, North Carolina. During her tenure in academia, Renee also held the role of Associate Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of New Haven, where she managed academic and student affairs for the school's more than 700 students and 30 faculty, including the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of more than 25 academic programs. Her long history as a tenured faculty member and administrator also includes student recruitment, donor relations, and numerous academic committees and task forces, including the university-wide COVID-19 task force and both university decennial accreditation and disciplinary accreditation.
Renee is an extraordinary and collaborative professional, a widely published academic, and a teacher and leader whose service, recognized by several highly coveted awards for excellence in both, reflects her dedication to education and lifelong learning. Much of her personal and professional life has focused on engaging others in serving those in need, including helping underserved children in Honduras, the Lakota, Navajo and Cherokee tribes, and serving as a faculty member of the AmeriCorps Student Leaders in Service Program.