She is vice chair of the board of directors for the Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA and has been a personnel commissioner for the County of Marin since 2022.
GREENBRAE, CA, August 02, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — Azalea Renfield, MPA, MPP, MS-HRM, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Renfield is a distinguished professional in the field of restorative and reparative development. She currently serves as the executive director of Williams & Russell CDC, where she oversees a significant community and economic development project in Portland, Oregon, aimed at honoring and enriching the Black community. This initiative focuses on creating wealth and promoting a healthier economy by providing affordable rental apartments, homeownership and business opportunities for the community, particularly those impacted by displacement. She ensures the projects are completed on time and according to schedule while also securing funding and collaborating with city government and nonprofit partners to restore the lost and vacant 1.7-acre block for the Black community.
Prior to her current role, Ms. Renfield was the economic development and housing manager for the City of Belmont, in California, from 2023 to 2024. In the preceding year, she served as assistant to the city manager in East Palo Alto, where she provided essential support in various administrative functions to and for the City Manager.
Ms. Renfield’s career also includes her tenure as community services manager of the city manager’s office in East Palo Alto from 2019 to 2022 after initially joining the office as interim community services manager in 2019. Earlier in her career, she contributed to a variety of organizations, such as serving as a rent stabilization counselor II for the Rent Stabilization Program in the City of East Palo Alto, a senior eligibility analyst at the City and County of San Francisco-Human Services Agency, and a human resource generalist at California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) from 2014 to 2015. She also was a paraprofessional high school teacher for the San Francisco Unified School District, a care provider to the elderly & disabled for the San Francisco Public Authority In-Home Support Services (IHSS), and a public policy intern for both Falcon Capital Advisors and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to her professional achievements, Ms. Renfield has made significant contributions through her civic involvement. She is vice chair of the board of directors for the Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA and has been a personnel commissioner for the County of Marin since 2022. She has also contributed as a committee member of the Citizen’s Committee on Community Development for the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development since 2018. Additionally, she has held leadership positions, such as president of the board of directors for Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California since 2015 and president of the board of directors for United Educators for Housing and Literacy since the same year.
Throughout her career, Ms. Renfield is most proud of founding the United Educators Association for Affordable Housing, now known as United Educators for Housing and Literacy, in 2013. This organization has greatly expanded her opportunities to impact affordable housing initiatives, especially for teachers. She initially founded the organization in response to one of her own high school teachers being displaced due to rising housing prices.
Ms. Renfield’s educational background includes a Master of Public Policy from the McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific, a Master of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco, and a Master of Science in human resources management from Golden Gate University. Additionally, she holds dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in communications and American politics from the University of California San Diego, both obtained in 2012, as well as an Associate of Arts in communications from City College of San Francisco.
Outside her professional life, Ms. Renfield enjoys listening to the PBD and Stephen A. Smith Podcasts, watching ABC’s The View and Piers Morgan Uncensored, dancing, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying good food. Looking ahead, she aims to reinstate the importance of social etiquette and manners in societal interactions over the next several years.
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #
