MEET RENEE VAUGHAN
EXPERIENCED DEDICATED COMMITTED
ROOTS
Renee Vaughan grew up in Southeastern Indiana. She is from St. Leon, which is a small town of almost 700 people. St. Leon is a town where everyone knows everyone. It is a nice, rural town about 30 minutes west of Cincinnati. She likes living in Genoa Township because it has the rural feel of her hometown, but it’s also close to shopping and downtown Columbus.
FAMILY
Renee and Bob Vaughan have been married for 26 years. They have three sons. The oldest son recently graduated from Ohio Northern University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, a minor in Applied Mathematics, and a concentration in Aerospace Engineering. He recently started working at Honda in Raymond, OH. The second oldest son is a sophomore at the University of Dayton and is a Business Major. The youngest son is a junior who attends Olentangy Orange High School and the Olentangy Academy STEM program.
Renee and Bob were both born and raised in Indiana. However, all three boys were born in Pittsburgh, PA where the family lived for 15 years. They moved to Genoa Township in April of 2011.
CAREER
Renee Vaughan taught special education in both Indiana and Pennsylvania for a total of 15 years. Shortly after having her third child, she decided to resign and stay home full-time. She went back to the workforce part-time about 9 years ago. In 2018, she went back to teaching and taught adult GED English classes at The Godman Guild in Weinland Park. During COVID, she resigned from teaching and now focuses on being a Genoa Township Trustee.
In 2021, Renee was elected as Vice-President of the Delaware County Township Association (DCTA). She also serves on the DCTA Legislative Committee. This committee is working with the Ohio Township Association to change legislation to improve township operations.
REFERENDUM
In 2018, Renee Vaughan co-chaired the committee who was responsible for placing the referendum on the ballot. The victory made a statement to the trustees that a large majority of residents do not want irresponsible developments that do not follow the Comprehensive Plan. Unfortunately, two Genoa Township Trustees voted to increase densities in most of the planning areas in the township. One former trustee stated that the referendum results only pertained to one parcel of land. Renee believes that residents spoke loud and clear in November of 2018 stating that they don't want high-density in Genoa Township. These actions inspired Renee Vaughan to run for Genoa Township Trustee in 2019.
EDUCATION
After graduating high school, Renee Vaughan earned her bachelors degree in special education from the University of Cincinnati. She taught for three years in the state of Indiana. While teaching in Indiana, she met her husband.
In 1996, Renee moved to the Pittsburgh, PA area after her husband changed jobs. While teaching at Mars Middle School, she earned her masters degree in Special Education with a supervisory certificate from the University of Pittsburgh. She also earned her principal certification from Slippery Rock University while teaching at Seneca Valley Senior High School. Courses for the principal certification required her to attend school board meetings and township, borough, or city meetings. This was her first introduction to residents serving as community leaders.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Although Renee Vaughan was introduced to community meetings in 2005 during her schooling, She didn’t become engaged until a few years later when she attended her borough’s council meeting to learn information about a mall and parking garage that was proposed in a residential area near her home. The site sat on top of a hill so it could be seen from miles away. She attended several public meetings where hundreds of residents voiced their concerns against the development. Renee played a leadership role in sharing meeting information with her neighbors. The mall was ultimately voted down.
Renee became involved in the Genoa Township community when the Casto Group tried to build a CVS at the corner of State Route 3 and Big Walnut Road in 2013 (at the site of the Genoa Township Police Station). She was a member of a core group of people who united and informed the residents of the developer's plans. Renee knocked on doors, conducted research, spoke to TV stations, and spoke at Genoa Township meetings. We, the residents of Genoa Township, were successful in putting pressure on township trustees to vote against the CVS development. After this issue, she was determined and committed to monitor the growth of Genoa Township.