Her Story
About Renee
Renee CoatesSmith has dedicated over 30 years to the fields of reading education and English education. As a reading and writing consultant, reading clinician, and speaker, she provides services through her business Imani Productions LLC following her retirement from Penn State Behrend College, where she taught for nine summers. Her career includes teaching in the ESL department at Gannon University for over five years, lecturing at Shandong University of Technology, Beijing Union University, and Capital Normal University in China, and training educators in Windhoek, Namibia. She spoke at the World Literacy Summit at Oxford University and founded the Power of Reading March, for which she received city and state proclamations. CoatesSmith has served on the board of the National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates and oversaw education departments at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and the Booker T. Washington Community Center. She also provides school supplies to Carol Troop's nonprofit annually.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Renee
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The first thing I would advise on is to really learn about the field of reading from the history of reading to the present. Also advise the person to go in and change the environment because children and youth are so into the cell phone and social media and you need to know how to navigate that in a way that changes their mindset to balance the tradition and the new in reading education and also in writing. You gotta be creative and keep up with what's going on so you understand the mindset of the young people.
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