25 Women for 2024: Reenee Williams-Walter is a survivor with purpose

Reenee Williams-Walter is a chameleon, simultaneously blending in and hard to not to notice. “I look for opportunities to do new things, be an asset, and get results,” she said. “I’m in the background, keeping everything moving forward and making progress.”

She is tenacious, she is hardworking, she is creative, and this year, she is one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know.

Williams-Walter began her career in the fast-paced music and entertainment industry as a publicist and production assistant for the Soul Train Awards. “I worked on some of the biggest red carpet events in the industry,” she said. “Music and PR was my life, but even though I learned a lot and honed some great skills, I knew it wasn’t long term.”

Seeking a change, she joined the corporate team of H&R Block, bringing her public relations skills to offices across three states to manage business marketing strategies. She was an obvious choice for Operations Manager, Sales Director, and General Manager for YouFit, for whom she spearheaded the $1.5 million-dollar gym buildout and renovation in Tallahassee.

Now, she’s traded the corporate world for nonprofit work in her current role at CareerSource Capital Region.  Williams-Walter is now the Rapid Response Coordinator assisting businesses with proactive strategies to prevent and minimize employee layoffs and business closures. “I am the connector,” she said. “I might not have the resources you need, but I can get you to them. I like connecting people with solutions.”

She calls herself “the P.L.U.G,” her way of demonstrating “partner leverage for ultimate growth.”  “We all need each other,” she said. “There is plenty to go around, and none of us needs to focus on what is in it for us. Everything comes around!”

Williams-Walter is a Certified Business Engagement Professional and a Certified National Workforce Development Professional. She serves as a board member for the Foundation for Leon County Schools and is a commissioner for the Tallahassee and Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

You’ll also find her in leadership roles with TalTech Alliance, Council on Cultural Arts, Access Tallahassee member, and as part of the KCCI Bicentennial Cohort Class. Her energy and enthusiasm for serving others has earned her the distinction of being named as the Tallahassee Chamber Ambassador of the Year.

She lives intentionally and in the moment, because she knows how easily life can change. As one of the survivors of flight 1549, the US Airways flight piloted by Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger that landed on the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009, she remembers the day she thought could be the end.

“I remember the smell of the smoke, I can still see the flames,” she said. The ice cold water saturated her FSU sweatshirt, nearing her chest as she worked with her fellow passengers to get everyone to safety. "I have a testimony for life. I have a purpose in life,” she said. “I'm abundantly blessed and always abundantly thankful."

In her free time, Reenee finds joy in traveling with her husband and stepdaughter, gardening and stargazing, and conquering class IV white water rapids. Don’t be surprised if you see her with a karaoke mic in her hand, encouraging you to join her.

When you do, she will tell you that there is a purpose for your life. “I want to be a witness and share the good news with people, that there is hope for a better tomorrow,” she says. “ I look to scripture for comfort and to encourage others. In most things, there is good, no matter how bad it can seem.”

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 25 women for 2024: Reenee Williams-Walter looks for a purpose