Maryville University announces the hiring of Renelle Spinks as the Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Spinks is passionate about empowering students toward attaining post-secondary success and reaching their full potential. That begins with helping students find their voices, she said.

“College is an important environment where students learn more about themselves and who they want to be,” Spinks said. “I look forward to helping students learn to advocate for themselves, so they’re not afraid to speak up and share their opinions or ask questions. I also want to help them learn how to advocate for others.”

Spinks said her work will be centered on feedback from the Maryville community, especially feedback from students.

“Maryville’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion has a strong foundation with student organizations representing many different cultural backgrounds. The fact that these groups exist shows that our world has changed, but I’m a firm believer that there’s always room for improvement,” she said. “I look forward to creating programs and events based on what our students see and what they’re not seeing.”

Spinks is a Southeast Missouri State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Disorders and a Master of Public Administration degree. She began her career in education as a college adviser with the Americorps Missouri College Advising Corps.

She then served as an academic coach and peer mentor group coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Student Services at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. In this role, she connected students to resources across campus to assist them along their college journey.

Most recently, Spinks served as the college and career persistence manager for KIPP: St. Louis Public Schools, where she created and implemented the post-secondary persistence framework and strategy to help alumni in their careers, college and workforce options.