Biography of Renee Weiss Neal
Renee Weiss Neal was born and raised in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. She attended The Philadelphia High School for
Girls, sang in the high school choir and played violin in the
high school orchestra.
Renee’s early career was in art, and she moved many times
because of her husband’s medical studies. She attended the
Philadelphia College of Art (Philadelphia, PA), the Cleveland
Institute of Art (Cleveland, Ohio), and the Moore College of Art
and Design (Philadelphia, PA).
After many moves across the country, Renee settled in Memphis,
TN. Renee attended Memphis State University where she combined
her art studies with a business degree. It was in Memphis that
she became the costume designer for Circuit Playhouse and Playhouse
on the Square. Eventually, she opened her own costume
design business housed in her home. Unfortunately, her house
burned down with the costumes and her artwork. Here is a link to
a few costume sketches that survived.
After the loss of her business, Renee looked for a change in
direction. While attending, a gallery opening at Memphis State
University, she met some students from the Instructional Design
and Technology program. Always interested in learning new
studies, she talked with Dr. Gary Morrison about the program.
The Instructional Design and Technology program seems liked a
natural fit with her art background. So, she pursued a masters
and doctorate in Instructional Design and Technology from The
University of Memphis.
After graduating with her doctorate, she became the Director of
the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) at The University of Memphis.
The CAE was comprised of a team of instructional
technologists, graphic artists, video editors, and faculty that
worked with faculty and teaching assistants to help them improve
their teaching. The CAE became the place to go to learn how to
design and facilitate online courses. Renee also taught
instructional design classes, and Introduction to Art classes
for The University of Memphis during this time.
Renee was full-time faculty at Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville (SIUE) and left to become full-time faculty at East
Carolina University. After returning to this area, she was asked
to adjunct at SIUE. Renee not only has academic experience but
has worked for several corporations such as FedEx Express, Time
Warner Communications, and Edward Jones to name a few.
Renee still loves to sew and occasionally makes costumes, knits,
cooks, gardens, and reads murder mysteries.