Renee Moe (BA ’99, MBA ’09) went to college with a career goal of seeing the world. Instead, she earned a leadership position working to change it.
Renee is president and CEO of United Way of Dane County, a position she rose to from her start in the organization as an intern while still an undergrad at UW–Madison.
“Seeing people accomplish more than they ever thought possible, this is what I love,” she says.
Renee’s goal had been to become a reporter in the Beijing bureau of The New York Times, but the chance to create change in the community pulled her in. An executive MBA gave her another tool to help her accomplish that goal.
“I had access to dozens of CEOs and their staff teams in the community and thought I’d be much more equipped to speak their language and lead my own department if I had a business degree,” she says.
Studying change management, organizational development, and other core courses at WSB has helped Renee lead her organization through challenges such as the economic downturn and the pandemic. Challenges are a constant with an organization such as the United Way, yet Renee never questions for a second her choice of working for the local community instead of covering the global one.
“This is exactly where I’m supposed to be,” she says.