Renee Wheeler spearheads Start Early’s (formerly known as the Ounce) People & Culture work to integrate human resources initiatives into the organization’s strategic goals.

She has more than 25 years of human resources experience in the nonprofit sector, supporting strategic human resource planning, performance and talent management, federal and state law compliance, employee benefits and compensation. Previously, Renee spent 20 years serving in a variety of human resources roles at Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness, a nonprofit providing health, wellness and child welfare services to over 105,000 children and adults in over 600 communities in Illinois.

Renee earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern A&M University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and a master’s degree in human resource management from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She is an active member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) at the local and national level and the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR).

Renee grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago and currently resides in Tinley Park, Illinois.