Renée River Meschi Email & Phone Number

Kirkland, Wa, Us

One of my central projects Engage Pierce County, a project of the Equity Action Collaborative (EAC), a coalition of representatives from Pierce County and Tacoma public agencies. We work together to align, co-create, and adopt policies and practices that center equitable community engagement across our agencies. Our vision is that our local public agencies are consistent in what they offer, how they offer it, and most importantly how they are accountable to the community they serve. The EAC puts this vision into action, bringing better outcomes for all people in our community.

Tacoma, Washington, United States

Manage multilingual resources and collaborations in 5 different languages for immigrant and refugee community gardens in Pierce County. Lead communications strategy for the Harvest Pierce County Program, including social media platforms and ads, event and program photography, and storytelling. Work with diverse community groups to support participatory budgeting, community-created research, and collaborative decision-making. To liaise between organizations and grassroots community groups in service of shared power that is driven by community leadership.

Puyallup, Washington

I collaborate with multilingual urban Gardeners to make sure our programming is responsive to the needs of those with Limited English Proficiency. Our vision is that Pierce County is a part of a just and healthy food system, and that everyone has access to fresh, nutritious, culturally appropriate food, and this includes supporting the vibrant agricultural heritage of our immigrant and refugee community members.

Community engagement, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) for food security and food justice, social media strategy, digital media storytelling, volunteer recruitment and coordination, and program design. I also coordinated multilingual events and signage for our County's immigrant and refugee gardeners. Our most prominent languages are Vietnamese, Khmer, Korean, Russian, and Ukrainian.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Harnessed social and digital media in a strategy to demonstrate the value of well-rounded scholarship and liberal arts education. Used digital media storytelling as a way of personalizing the PBK mission, in addition to assisting with the day to day tasks and operations involved in managing the nation's oldest and most prestigious academic honor society.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

As a docent in the Butterfly Garden and Insect Zoo, I served as a link between science and the public, leading tours through an indoor tropical butterfly garden and educating the public on basic entomology and ecology.

Tacoma, Washington

Here, I helped students across disciplines with the organization and flow of their academic papers, utilizing collaborative and non-directive tutoring styles. I also acted as a liaison for the Center to First Year Seminars, introducing new students to collegiate writing. I've worked with neurodiverse and ESL students, in addition to graduate students and scholarship applicants.

This position was new to the University, so my work involved setting the tone for an officially supported role in food justice, with succession and project sustainability in mind. I created a strategy that rendered the University of Puget Sound better able to accommodate greater socioeconomic diversity.In addition to program design, I oversaw two existing food justice programs: Food Salvage, and St. Leo's Backpacks for Hope UPS volunteer division.

The Swan Creek Park Food Forest (SCPFF) in Tacoma, Washington is an ecologically diverse food forest located in the city’s most ethnically diverse neighborhood. My project is a portrait of the SCPFF site’s social and ecological landscapes, told via the historical connections between people and plants, and the ways in which they continue to affect one another.My research begins with the ways in which local Native American tribes used the plants and fungi that are indigenous to western Washington. I focus mainly on the Puyallup Tribe, whose Reservation boundaries used to include Swan Creek Park. I also discuss local Native culture as it exists today, highlighting Native American food sovereignty projects that reclaim traditional food plants. I then illustrate how waves of immigration from early European settlers to today’s Ukrainian diaspora intensified the complexity of the SCPFF site, bringing nonnative and invasive plants to this continent. My research is a local case study that holds wide implications as the nation seeks to mend its relationship with the environment, as well as honor the diversity of the social identities that come together to define the United States. My research is original in its synthesis, applying multiple themes and disciplines to one food forest project, adding layers of often overlooked context to create a more inclusive approach to community organizing. I received my university's Research Practices Award for my interdisciplinary perspective, and will be presenting this project to Congressional representatives in Washington DC in April to represent the University of Puget Sound and exemplify the value of undergraduate research.

Harvest Pierce County, Tacoma Wa

I worked with Harvest Pierce County (formerly Community Gardens) as a Harvest Against Hunger Associate, where I led a team of volunteers to repurpose vacant land owned by the Sumner cemetery to grow over 3,000lbs of fresh, organic produce for local food banks and hot meal sites. I also collected over 500 lbs of unsold food from the Tacoma Farmer’s Market (TFM), distributing to two local women’s shelters. Community engagement was a large part of my service, and I utilized social media and creative collaborations in order to advertise events and classes. Utilizing events to create momentum for future advertising as well as over all raising visibility of Harvest Pierce County programs were my specialties, and I hosted family film screenings, a live music event, and multiple classes to these ends.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

I served as a link between science and the public, leading tours through an indoor tropical butterfly garden and educating the public on basic entomology and ecology. In the lab, I processed shipments of chrysalids from all around the world, identifying and isolating which had been parasitized, and released eclosed butterflies into the garden. I also helped care for endangered specimens as a part of the Butterfly Monitoring Network, a citizen science initiative that uses mobile devices and every day people to collect data in order to track conservation progress. I also designed graphics for the Butterfly Monitoring Network.

The Bahamas

Wild Dolphin Project uses a unique, non-invasive model to study two communities of free-ranging dolphins in the Bahamas. WDP emphasizes the importance of observing and interacting with these animals in a “hands-off” approach. This method has gained the trust of the animals, allowing researchers to observe and document them in their natural environment. These observations are carefully and methodically are recorded into a large database, which contains over 35 years (4-generations of dolphins) of data.Intern duties include:- Conduct daily dolphin watches- Assist the research assistant or graduate students in logging data into our database.- Assist with underwater photography- Assist with processing dolphin photographs for photo identification (during the daytime or nighttime) when schedule allows (depending on encounters).- Review underwater video in the evenings and assist WDP staff with logging individuals and behavior

Master Of Communication Leadership, Communities And Networks

The MCCN is a professional degree focused on communication strategy that emphasizes building community, growing networks, and crafting.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), Science, Technology, And Society (Sts)

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Mortar BoardGraduated Summa Cum Laude with Honors in STS.