Building on experience
Renée Walker stands among the flags at
Kelly Services Inc. in Troy that represent the
37 countries in which Kelly has locations.
Renée Walker, ’00, already had a wealth of professional experience behind her when she decided to get her bachelor’s degree.
“It’s a daunting thing to go back to school,” she says. “It’s a real commitment. But I realized that without an education, at some point it would be a deficit for me.
“If you’re getting good opportunities, you might not think it’s important to get a degree, but I see it more as part of my tool kit now – building upon the practical experience I already had.”
Walker manages corporate public relations for Kelly Services Inc., a global human resources company that has offices in 37 countries and provides employment to 750,000 people globally.
She leads her three-person team in handling public relations, media relations, and reputation management for the Americas region, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
“The staffing industry is very dynamic. The world of work is constantly evolving, so we have a very unique story to tell,” Walker says.
“As a communicator, it’s been a great experience to relay a positive message that our company helps people find employment and at the same time helps employers grow.”
Walker has worked for Kelly Services for nearly six years, beginning in the government affairs area where she provided legislative regulatory advocacy and managed Kelly’s political action committee. She moved to corporate public relations in 2004.
When Walker attended CMU, she was working for Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer during his two terms in office.
As assistant to the mayor and then executive assistant, she was the center point of contact for major city events, such as the Grand Prix, fireworks displays, the opening of Comerica Park, Thanksgiving Day parades, Detroit Red Wings celebratory parades and rallies, and foreign and domestic dignitary visits.
Walker took a leave from the mayor’s office to serve as political director for the Clinton/Gore ’96 Michigan General Committee, for which she developed and implemented an urban media strategy, supervised media relations, and facilitated strategic campaign operations. She also served as a member of the 2000 Democratic National Convention Site Advisory Committee.
Walker’s mentor in the mayor’s office encouraged her to pursue her education, for which she is grateful. She earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational administration.
“CMU helped me take what I knew and expand it,” she says. “The professors were able to bring real-world experiences. If you’re a nontraditional student, you really want to know that the knowledge you’re getting is from someone who’s been there and done it.
“My degree became a foundation for me. It opened up a lot of avenues.” •
