Congratulations to Dr. Renée Wilmot, IRT ‘ 12, ’17! Renée successfully defended her dissertation entitled, Pilate’s Wine House: Reimagining Black Women Educators’ Histories & Futures, in May and earned a doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction & Teacher Education from Michigan State University. Wilmot also holds a masters degree in Secondary English from Boston College and a BA from the University of Virginia. Wilmot has been the IRT Alumni Committee Chair and an IRT Advisory Board student representative for the past two years. She has also served as a faculty member for the IRT Summer Workshop and IRT Curriculum Coordinator for several years. As Wilmot’s role of chair ends, she will begin an assistant professor position at Michigan State University in Black, Feminisms, Genders & Sexualities in the Department of African American and African Studies.
We are pleased to welcome Truth Hunter, IRT ’11 who will be acting as the interim chair. Truth is currently pursuing a doctorate in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. Hunter also has a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs from the university and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
I am excited to serve as the interim chair for the IRT Alumni Committee because I truly believe in the mission of IRT, and if there’s anything I can do to give back, I want to be a part of it!
Truth Hunter, IRT ’11
The IRT community sends sincere appreciations to Dr. Renée Wilmot for her continued support and work!
“Dr. Renée Wilmot is a visionary thinker, leader, and intellectual who holds a strong commitment to the IRT. As founder of the alumni committee, she has created an important network that prioritizes the needs of perspectives of IRT alumni. The alumni voice in our organization is louder, stronger, and more revolutionary because of Renee’s leadership.” – Heather Moore Roberson, IRT ’07, ’10
“IRT Staff have been so grateful to Renée for her tenacity and leadership as the Advisory Board Graduate Student representative and Inaugural Alumni Committee Chair. Renée has spearheaded many alumni engagement initiatives in her two-year tenure as AC Chair and has brought much-needed structure to the AB Grad Student Rep position. Her keen insight, critical thinking, and clear communication skills have been a great asset to the AB and we are so excited for her continued participation as a full AB member. It’s been such a privilege to serve the larger IRT alumni community alongside her, and I am sending nothing but prosperity and power for this next phase of her professional journey! Congratulations again on your successful dissertation defense and on your new position at MSU, Dr. Wilmot!” – Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13
“It has been such an inspiring experience working in service with the IRT Alum board. As I entered into my first semester I was amazed at how easy it appeared for her to manage her leadership roles and demands of her program. Renee exhibited true leadership and her time management is impeccable! She will be missed and will always be admired!” – Ain Ealey, IRT ’21
“It is inspiring to see Renée flourish as she continues to accomplish her goals. Renée has held various leadership positions at the IRT and has done an outstanding job. Her tenacity and leadership are empowering to those around her. Congratulations Dr. Wilmot!” – Karina Fernández Montilla, IRT ’96
“I feel fortunate to have initially recruited Renée from IRT for her Master’s Program and to have been her mentor through both her Master’s and PhD programs. I distinctly remember coming to Recruiters’ Weekend as a higher education partner and meeting Renée and Jennifer Mathai Aldrete, and talking at length with them about their aspirations to become classroom teachers whereby culturally responsive teaching and youth voice were central. And now, it brings me great joy in my role at IRT to call Renée a treasured colleague as founder and inaugural chair of the IRT Alumni Committee and as the graduate student rep on our Advisory Board. Renée has shared that she found her voice at IRT and has not stopped using it since, whether to develop cutting edge and relevant curriculum for her students, to taking the lead in creating pathways for IRT alums to network and socialize and to researching her dissertation on Black Women Educators blending her(stories) in their own words/voices through critical analysis and multiple art forms. Congratulations Renée on your recent faculty appointment at Michigan State University! I know that colleagues and students alike will feel the breadth and depth of your impact. With aloha!” – Catherine Wong, IRT Associate Director & Manager of Programs
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Institute for Recruitment of Teachers 