The Okanagan coLab is pleased to announce that we’ve once again brought another awesome team member on board.
Renee Makea has joined coLab as our new Community Manager, which she describes as a ‘camp director’ type role. She’ll be creating opportunities for coLab members to connect and organizing experiences that bring members together. Renee will also be focusing some of her time on community outreach to attract new members to the space.
Originally from New Zealand, Renee has traveled extensively and eventually found her way to Canada. Renee first discovered her passion for event planning while studying fashion design.
“During my studies I was working at Lululemon back home in New Zealand, and that’s how I got involved in planning community events. Then I went traveling overseas, and when I came to Canada I knew I wanted to keep working in a similar role.”
Renee is most excited about the many different opportunities for exciting events and projects to work on at coLab. While she did event work during her time at Lululemon, event planning was only a small part of her role there – and she’s looking forward to planning great events for coLab.
In her spare time, Renee is quite active – she’s an avid hiker and yoga enthusiast. Renee also enjoys visiting new restaurants and coffee shops.
“I’m a huge foodie. I love discovering these hidden gems, which has been really fun here in Kelowna. Right now my favourite coffee shop is Canoe.”
One thing that most people are surprised to learn about her? She’s royalty.
No, seriously.
Renee herself is from New Zealand, but her family is from the Cook Islands. She is descended from the Makea Nui dynasty, a royal family that reigned over the island of Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands. The Makea Nui dynasty is one of the three chiefdoms of the Te Au O Tonga tribe, and the dynasty has held power since at least the 1700s.
We’re very excited to have Renee on board, and we can’t wait to see what kinds of events and initiatives she’ll be running for us.
Want to say hi to Renee? Send her an email at [email protected] or follow her travel adventures on Instagram at @reneemakea.