Ren Lee
Ren Lee (they/she) is a social justice advocate, informal educator, science enthusiast, and the executive director for The Sanctuary for Independent Media in Troy, New York.
Ren began their nonprofit career working in museums at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago where they developed a love for science communication as a facilitator and a knack for community building both inside and outside the institution. Ren also worked at the Dallas Museum of Art where they helped create the organization’s first Employee Resource Groups.
In 2023, Ren came to the Capital Region to work with the Museum Association of New York managing a traveling Smithsonian exhibition, Voices and Votes, as part of a state-wide project focused on museum capacity building and community civic engagement.
Ren’s work around diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and justice has led to the creation of organizations like CAMPout, an affinity group for LGBTQ+ museum professionals in the Chicagoland area and Agate Creatives an organization dedicated to anti-racism and the dismantling of white supremacy culture in nonprofit organizations like museums.
Ren has a Master’s degree in Museum Studies focusing on Museum Management from the George Washington University and a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and French from Texas A&M University. They also have certifications in Non-Profit Management, Change Leadership, and DEI In the Workplace.
In their downtime you can find Ren puttering in their garden, going on hikes with their dog, Trudy, or playing DnD online with their friends from all over the country.
