Renee Jones Welch

She is a seasoned learning and development executive with over 25 years of experience in instructional design, training, and organizational effectiveness across the nonprofit, academic, and emerging technology sectors. Currently serving as Co-Pilot, Executive Administrator, and U.S. Legal Entity lead at WeRobotics, she supports the global organization's operations while advancing its mission to democratize access to robotics and AI for social good. Prior to this role, she founded Drone Grantology LLC, providing grants development and consultation services to stakeholders in the uncrewed aerial systems industry. Her extensive career includes 13 years at Ounce of Prevention Fund, where she rose to Vice President of Applied Learning, establishing an ANSI/IACET-accredited continuing education framework and leading the development of two research-validated professional development portfolios. During her tenure, she streamlined and standardized learning processes, reducing course development time from eight months to 120 days, and launched the organization's first professional development catalog with 17 training programs. Earlier, she spent over 11 years at the University of Illinois at Chicago as Assistant Director of External Education, providing instructional support for blended and online courses and helping expand virtual education offerings. She is recognized as an innovative, systems-thinking leader who bridges the gap between learning strategy and operational excellence, consistently delivering scalable solutions that drive organizational growth and professional development.