Renee Poole Brownlee

Background

Renee Poole Brownlee is a finance and operations executive with more than 20 years of experience leading transformation initiatives across the retail, nonprofit and manufacturing sectors. Through roles in financial planning and analysis, operations and as a Six Sigma Black Belt, she has guided organizations through complex operational challenges by leveraging data analytics, financial strategy and process improvement to drive measurable outcomes and align business performance with organizational mission.

Brownlee earned a Bachelor of Science with honors in economics from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Her expertise spans financial planning and analysis, operational excellence, process optimization and accounting.

She is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration to combine rigorous business research with lived experience and explore how data, technology and systems thinking can improve outcomes within organ transplantation and healthcare logistics. Through the DBA program, Brownlee aims to develop evidence‑based approaches that strengthen the fairness, efficiency and sustainability of organ distribution systems.

Beyond her professional experience, Brownlee brings a unique personal perspective to her research interests. As the parent of a child who has received two heart transplants and a longtime volunteer within the pediatric heart and transplant communities, she has witnessed the profound impact of organ transplantation on patients and families in both donor and recipient populations. These experiences motivate her research into how data, technology and operational excellence can improve the effectiveness, equity and sustainability of transplant systems.

Research Interest

Through quantitative and qualitative research methods, Brownlee seeks to identify opportunities to improve performance across the organ distribution system and develop practical, evidence‑based frameworks that support a more equitable, efficient and human‑centered transplant network for patients, providers and policymakers.