Renee Watson - Responsibilities include coordinating, facilitating, implementing and monitoring the County’s Small, Minority & Women Owned Business Enterprise (SMWBE) Program, Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Liaison and Title VI Coordinator. She acts as a liaison with offices and

departments to ensure that SMWBEs have access to county

procurement, contracting and professional services opportunities. She reviews current practices to assess and recommend improvements to increase participation. Renee works in cooperation with the Purchasing Agent, offices and departments to explore these concepts and analyze the advantages and disadvantages to modifying current practices. In addition, she works directly with community organizations, other public entities and vendors to promote participation and access in local, state and federal and private sector procurement opportunities. She is a member of the County Manager’s Executive Leadership Team.

Renee holds a Master Contract Compliance Administrator (MCCA) Certification from Morgan State University. She is identified as a national expert and conducted a workshop on Disparity Studies at the American Contract Compliance Association Conference. She was selected as a National Urban/Rural Fellow and awarded her MPA – Urban Planning and Rural Economic Development, Baruch College, CUNY. She holds a BBA – Management/Marketing from the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is a graduate of Sam Houston High School in San Antonio, Texas.

She has also worked as the Chief of Staff for State Senator Rodney Ellis, Houston and Councilman George Stevens, San Diego, CA. She was selected as one of the San Antonio Business Journal’s “40 under 40” Rising Stars. Renee is an alumnus of Leadership SAISD, Master Leadership Program (MLP) San Antonio, Leadership Texas, The PhD Project, People to People Ambassador Program - China, Leadership America, Leadership California, and Leadership San Antonio.

Her most recent awards and recognition include the following: Champion for Diversity & Inclusion Award, San Antonio Business Journal; Servant Leader Award, Blacks In Government (BIG) San Antonio Chapter; Athena Leadership Award, North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce; Citizen’s Academy, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) – San Antonio District; Freedom Award, Ford Tribute to Women Business Leaders, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce; San Antonio District Office Women in Business Champion of the Year Award, SBA; Regional Coordinator, Central Region, American Contract Compliance Association; Instructor – “Hire Yourself Ex-Offender”, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Inmates Program, Detention Center; Bubba Moeller Award for Community Service, The Associated General Contractors of America - San Antonio Chapter (AGC): and the "America's Top Diversity Champion" Award from DiversityBusiness.com. Renee has served as the Diversity Committee Chair for the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) San Antonio Chapter and member of the ISM National Learning Solutions Advisory Committee. She has also served on the Sierra Club – Alamo Group Executive Committee.

The 2023 Founder's Day Celebration is a time to pay tribute to leaders who played a significant role in establishing the vision and mission of the NAACP in the fight for civil and human rights without discrimination; our founders worked to transform that vision into reality. The founders and members had countless hours of toil and efforts to fight racial disparities that are still so prevalent in American education, jobs, housing, health care, and criminal justice systems; therefore, they have a special place in the heart of our members.

This day we remember our founders' glorious past, successes, and achievements that have continued since 1909. This event also benefits our Education Committee’s efforts for the scholarships we give every year. Our last in-person celebration was in 2020, the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, so we are enthusiastic about the fellowship with the community.

2023 Theme: Diversity in the Community – We are stronger together 

Diversity is a little-known superpower if we learn how to harness it.  Saying it simply -- We Are Stronger Together.

In these challenging times it is easy to think of racial diversity as the only diversity of our time.  We should never forget that Bell County has a history of diversity.  For example, there is racial diversity in this area populated by Native Americans, Caucasians, African Americans, Mexicans, Asians and others.  There is ethnic diversity such as German, Czech, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and more.  There is generational/age diversity. There is gender diversity.  There is cultural diversity.  There is economic diversity.  There is social diversity.  There has been, and continues to be, interaction and intertwining of these diverse groups.  Some of that interaction and intertwining is full of joy, laughs, and celebration, but some of it is fraught with tears, anger and pain.

As with many parts of this country, Bell County is diverse and how we respond to that wealth of diversity determines our ability to see that we are STRONGER TOGETHER.   Our mission is never to forget the past, and to use that past as a springboard to a better, more inclusive future.  

One of the reasons businesses are attracted to Bell County is the potential workforce.  We are stronger together when we harness the potential of that entire workforce.  Educating our workforce and eliciting the talent and creativity of our residents is a way of making us stronger together.  

The question is, do we know how to harvest that diversity of talent and creativity?  Do we want to try to do so?  The answers to those questions can help us explore how we mold our future to be stronger together.