Councilor Renee Villarreal

Renee Villarreal

District 1 Councilor

Renee Villarreal was elected to her first term on the City Council in 2016 in a four-way candidate race for an open seat. She was re-elected to a second, 4-year term in an unopposed race in 2020. Renee is a native of Santa Fe and a multi-generational New Mexican and is deeply committed to community work centered on equity and social and gender justice. She holds a Master’s Degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico and worked as a Community Planner for Santa Fe County for over seven years, advocating for traditional and indigenous land-based communities and making long-range smart growth management planning decisions for the County. She also served on the City’s Planning Commission from 2010-2016.

Renee has extensive experience working in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, serving in a program director capacity for over 12 years. She has a strong sense of statewide and municipal issues affecting underserved and marginalized communities. Currently, she also works as Program Co-Director for NewMexicoWomen.Org, a statewide women’s foundation that works to advance opportunities for women and girls in New Mexico.

Since being elected, Renee has sponsored and co-sponsored policy measures and worked on community issues with an eye toward social and gender equity, inclusivity, government transparency, and fiscal accountability.