Renee Tyler, a 2020 graduate of the Clinton School of Public Service, recently served as the commencement speaker for Westminster College.
“To many of us, failure represents a lack of success or the inability to meet an expectation,” Tyler told the Class of 2023. “I don’t agree with that. I’ve found that failure is an expectation set by each of us as we use the opinions and views of others to interpret our ability to succeed. My message today is that there is no reason to fear failure. And I’m going to share with you many of the main inspirations that I look at to substantiate that.”
Tyler is the Director of Administration for the City of Fulton, Mo. She works directly with the mayor and city council for all city operations, as well as the implementation of policies and programs adopted by the council.
Tyler has spent nearly a decade in local government. Before joining the City of Fulton, she was the Community Services Director for the City of Eau Claire, Wis., where she had oversight over streets and fleet parks, transit services, water utilities and recreation.
She has served as the Director of Transportation Services for the City of Dubuque, Iowa, and was employed by the City of Little Rock from 2013 to 2016 as a fleet acquisition, parts, and special projects manager.
Her previous experience also includes serving as executive administrator to the CEO of RVM Enterprises, an eDiscovery and consulting services firm in New York, N.Y.; chief of staff to New Jersey Assemblyman Jerry Green in the New Jersey General Assembly in Plainfield, N.J.; and assistant to the CEO of the Promontory Financial Group in New York, N.Y.
Raised in McGehee, Ark., Tyler is a member of a number of organizations, including the American Public Works Association, the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, the International City County Managers Association, Missouri Women Leading Government, and the Friends of America’s National Churchill Museum on the campus of Westminster College.
Tyler was the recipient of the Public Service Award for her graduating Clinton School class. She was also selected as the Student Speaker from her Clinton School Online cohort.
In addition to her Master of Public Service, Tyler earned her bachelor’s degree in social welfare from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
Your career in public service has spanned multiple states and several roles in local and state government. How have these experiences impacted your leadership in your current role?
Having experienced serving in different roles, cities and states has allowed me to broaden my lens and my approach to leadership. While we are often quick to assume that we are inclusive, patient, and fair; these assumptions are limited to the exposure that we have to people who are from groups different than us. I learned from living and serving in multiple roles how to understand the importance of seeing and hearing those who have different ideas, customs, etc. This has served to help me lead with a less obscured lens. I am also a work in progress. My life experiences assist me in recognizing this and provides me with the ability to want to do better and in turn lead to empower.
As Director of Administration for the City of Fulton, what accomplishments or experiences have been the most meaningful for you?
My most meaningful accomplishments include assisting my leadership team in their ability to build their teams, understand succession planning, and creating an atmosphere that embodies the creation of a team environment.
Being asked to give keynote presentations at the 2023 NAACP Black History event and to give the Westminster College 2023 commencement speech.
Helping to guide the City of Fulton to being recognized as one of the top 20 finalists for the National League of Cities All-America City competition.
What was your message to the graduates of Westminster College when delivering their commencement address?
My message to graduates focused on not allowing Relationships, Opinions, Fear, or Failure dictate their professional and personal development.
What does public service mean to you? And has that definition evolved for you throughout your career?
Service takes on many meanings when in the public sector. Not only do I believe that it is imperative to try to represent and maintain things that will benefit the constituency. There is a duty to provide a standard that allows citizens, residents and visitors within a community to experience a quality of life.
For me, this includes areas that span mental health initiatives, to clean streets and good drinking water. Much of what we all take for granted on a daily basis when living in a “good” or “great” community should be attributed to the dedication that our public servants have in their goal to provide the best services possible. All of which is often dictated by morals, ethics and purview of community leadership.
When I initially started my career in public service I had one thing in mind and that was to make a positive difference. I had no idea what that entailed. I have learned that everything in a community is joined. The ethos of a community establishes character credibility. This can either support or undermine the spirit of public service and the intent of those servant leaders.
Going back to your time at the Clinton School, what lessons were valuable for you? How have you been able to apply them to your different professional experiences?
Leadership strategies. I still refer to the white paper written by William Passmore, “Developing a Leadership Strategy: A Critical Ingredient for Organizational Success.”
I have never taken for granted the importance of communication, influence, and collaboration. Additionally, I learned that a leadership strategy is required to identify various levels of leadership, skills, and behaviors needed to achieve success.
I will say that application of academic theory to the real world has been challenging in some areas and successful in others. I am very thankful to have the ability to utilize the lessons learned because the Clinton School continues to help me hone my personal leadership skills as I work to empower young leaders as well as seasoned leaders within my organization.Public Service Leadership: Renee Tyler (’20)
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