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While some first-year students arrive at �鶹��ѡ undecided on their major and career choice, Renee Richard, ’76, had her path for the future mapped out. That steadfast resolve has led Renee to a successful, decades-long career in law and finance.

Renee was recently appointed as president and CEO of the Cuyahoga Community College Corporate College. In late 2022, she earned the YWCA Women of Achievement Award and the Black Professionals Charitable Fund Associations Black Professional of the Year Award, just months apart from one another.

“I genuinely appreciate and am very honored to receive both awards,” she said. “I am particularly honored and humbled to receive the Black Professional of the Year Award recognition from my peers, in that it is a recognition that I have amassed a body of work over my career that they are identifying with in some significant way.”

That body of work has included private and public sector stints with major accounting and law firms, including her recent positions at Cuyahoga Community College: general counsel, vice president of legal services and risk management and her current post as president of the college’s corporate training and business growth center.

Her work has presented opportunities for her to serve and give back to the Cleveland community–the community she was raised in–as well.

“In the private sector, I worked at three of Cleveland’s largest corporate law firms as bond counsel on numerous low-income housing bonds and building housing for low-income families that led to massive housing developments like the Arbor Park Village in Cleveland, which was completely redone recently,” Renee said. “I drive there on my way to work, and it still looks great 15 years later. That’s very gratifying.”

Renee had a vision when she first came to �鶹��ѡ. She knew she wanted to study finance and law, so she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the university, before graduating with a Juris Doctorate from Cleveland State in 1988. 

“When I graduated from East High School in Cleveland and was headed to Kent State, my mother, who was a bookkeeper, encouraged me to go into accounting,” Renee said. “I went to law school after Kent with the thought of becoming a tax lawyer. I wound up in public finance, which allowed me to use law and accounting.”

She credits her success to her hard-working parents, her siblings’ common sense and an emphasis on doing what’s necessary to achieve her goals.

“My parents did it by example - not a lot of conversation,” Renee said. “My mom set an example going to night school to get her bookkeeping training while we were in school. Seeing Mom and Dad leaving for work, I saw a team taking care of our family.”

She and her husband Derrick both strived to set that same example for their three, now adult, children. 

Renee also credits her time at �鶹��ѡin forming her into the person she is today. She fondly remembers her time spent on campus listening to the Isley Brothers and Earth Wind & Fire in Twin Towers, attending Thursday night dances at The Institute of African American Affairs and working with Black United Students. She encourages incoming and future �鶹��ѡstudents to manage their time wisely, network in their chosen fields of study and enjoy the �鶹��ѡexperience, just as she did. Her daughter Toshianna Richard, ’21  , recently followed in her footsteps, graduating from �鶹��ѡwith a Bachelor of Arts in political science and criminology and justice studies. Toshianna was a member of the �鶹��ѡGymnastics team during her four years at the university.

“What I said to my daughter is, ‘Immerse yourself in the culture at Kent, make connections and networks but, most importantly, focus on doing and learning something you can be happy with,’” Renee said. “Anybody can do anything if you commit yourself to doing the work.”