Renee Harvey is in her 17th year with the Browns and currently serves as vice president and executive director of the Cleveland Browns Foundation. Named to the position in 2013, Harvey manages all day-to-day operations and long-term strategies for the Foundation and its commitment to education in Northeast Ohio through Browns Give Back.
Harvey is a core member of the team’s leadership group as the Browns have established a culture where supporting the community is prioritized as a main measurement of success, along with winning consistently and creating an exceptional fan experience. In 2017, Harvey helped develop and launch the team’s philanthropic mission of Browns Give Back, the team’s community platform that is dedicated to education, youth football and volunteerism, with a focus of sparking meaningful, long-term impact in three key areas.
Last year, Harvey helped foster a new collaboration between the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, Shoes and Clothes for Kids and the Cleveland Browns Foundation in the “Special Teams Package” program, which provides uniforms and essential clothing to students in need. The partnership focuses on addressing a basic need for thousands of CMSD students facing poverty in an effort to remove clothing as a barrier to school, supporting the mission of the “Get 2 School. You Can Make It!” attendance campaign.
Harvey also played a pivotal role in 2013 during the execution of an eight-month evaluation and transformation of the Cleveland Browns Foundation, established in 1999. With its new mission, the Foundation began its streamlined emphasis on education through a holistic approach to ensure Northeast Ohio youth receive the tools they need as a foundation for independence and success.
As part of Browns Give Back, the Cleveland Browns Foundation supports various local youth-education and development efforts, including Achievement Centers for Children, The Centers for Families and Children; Cleveland Metropolitan School District; College Now Greater Cleveland; Cuyahoga County Invest in Children; Ginn Academy; and Shoes and Clothes for Kids.
A member of the Browns since 2002, Harvey previously strengthened the club’s local and national philanthropic efforts as vice president of community outreach. She was responsible for strategic planning and implementation of all community relations and youth football initiatives. Harvey also directed the allocation of resources related to player appearances, financial support and in-kind contributions.
Additionally, Harvey integrated NFL community programs into Northeast Ohio while creating effective community partnerships, including Touchdown for Reading, High School Game of the Week, Hats Off to Our Heroes, the Browns PLAY 60 movement and the Browns Women’s Organization.
During her tenure, the Cleveland Browns have received awards for their community involvement from the American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Children’s Hunger Alliance, Domestic Violence and Child Advocacy Center, March of Dimes and Shoes and Clothes for Kids. In addition, she helped youth football grow into a powerful and impactful component of Browns outreach as the team hosted several national NFL events.
Prior to joining the Browns, Harvey spent four years with the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks, leading the team’s community outreach efforts and the Ducks Care Foundation. She guided the Foundation as it issued more than $1 million of grants each year and oversaw many successful fundraising events, including the creation of Dux in Tux, which raised more than $1 million for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in the first three years.
Harvey currently serves on the board for the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Foundation and is the Rainbow Foundation’s Executive Committee Marketing Chair, as well as the Ride the Rainbow Marketing Co-Chair. She also is a co-chair of the Say Yes to Education Philanthropy Funding Taskforce and is a member of the Philanthropy Ohio Education Advisory Committee; United Way of Greater Cleveland Public Policy subcommittee; and the Cuyahoga County Early Childhood Education Partnership Council subcommittee.
Harvey previously held positions on the regional boards for Children’s Hunger Alliance, the Northern Ohio American Red Cross and the American Heart Association. Additionally, she served on a subcommittee for the Republican National Convention and was selected to the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2015 and as a Leadership Cleveland 2 Fellow in 2016. She also contributed as a member of committees to facilitate signature events for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the United Way of Greater Cleveland.
Harvey received a B.A. in education from Idaho State University and an M.A. in sports administration at the University of Northern Colorado. A native of Denver, Colo., Harvey resides in Brunswick with her husband, Neal, and three sons.
