An Impact Player and Trusted Advisor

For the past decade, René has been building or transforming small companies. She is an experienced executive with 20+ years P&L responsibility in rapidly growing, technology-driven companies.

René is currently COO at Kynectiv, an early-stage technology company that provides a decision simulation platform. Clients include life sciences companies, large government and private sector health systems, and medical schools.

As co-founder of Fire Engine RED, a marketing company serving colleges, she built all of the staff and line functions at the 100% virtual, self-funded business, including SaaS, professional services, and analytics divisions. Within 5 years, the company became a market leader within higher education, surpassing 400 clients and being awarded Inc. Magazine’s “Top Small Company Workplaces”.

She also does business modeling, growth planning, data science and operational consulting for both for-profit and non-profit mid-sized companies.

René listens carefully to those closest to the situation and challenges the status quo. She can quickly identify and correct areas of weakness in the business model or misalignment between strategic direction and supporting activities. Having dealt first hand with management issues ranging from technical, facility, labor, and government regulation (harder) to communications, culture and ethics (softer) and worked in such varied industries, she can spot the obstacles to value and draw upon a wide-range of solutions.

Prior to her entrepreneurial roles, she led large, multinational projects while working for Elf Atochem NA, Inc. (now Arkema), TV Guide, and IBM (EMEA headquarters).

Geographical Experience

  • United States
  • North America
  • Europe

Board Experience

  • Board Chair, Independence Public Media Foundation – current
  • Board Director, WYBE Public Television – 1998 to 2018
  • Board Director, Cancerhawk – 2015 to 2017

Professional Accolades

  • Founder and Chair of Executive Leaders for Advisory Boards (ELAB)
  • Co-Founder Women Chief Executive Officers (WCXO)
  • Working Group Leader; SIM Measuring the Value of IT – 1996-1997
  • Ambassadorial Scholar, Rotary International Foundation – 1992-1993