Meet LGMSD

With Meet LGMSD, we take you behind the scenes to introduce you to the folks who make us who we are—the Board, the Committees, the volunteers, and the staff.  Each week, we plan to introduce you to one of the many individuals who contribute so much to La Grande Main Street, ultimately making La Grande a vibrant, stable, and beautiful place to gather, shop, eat, work, live, and play
 
This week, we continue our introductions with Renee Meckel, a member of the Outreach Committee.
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​Born in Oregon and raised in Kamiah, Idaho, Renee graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Master’s of Art in Elementary Education.  She enlisted in the active-duty Army while attending college at the University of Idaho, serving at Fort Hood, Texas and in Darmstadt, Germany.  After five years of active duty, Renee decided to go back to school full time and joined the National Guard in Arizona.  After spending some time in the civilian workforce and not finding job fulfillment, she returned to school to study elementary education.  She also decided to rejoin the military as an officer in the National Guard, which led her to Oregon to complete officer candidate school.  Renee was commissioned in August of 2013 and in 2019, she was offered a job in La Grande at the local armory.  Most recently, Renee was assigned to be the instructor of military science for the ROTC program at Eastern Oregon University.
 
Renee became involved with LGMSD at the suggestion of several friends who are part of various committees at LGMSD.  They encouraged her to join and she is now a member of the Outreach Committee. Renee enjoys the people that she has met so far and appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with them to make La Grande a great place to live and support the community.
 
Renee enjoys hiking, paddle-boarding, skiing, running, kayaking, and spending time with family and friends, as well as volunteering in her community.  She is married with two adult children.  She and her husband are also the proud pet parents of two energetic dogs that keep them on their toes!  They both enjoy the great outdoors and a good meal at the end of the day!