Founder and CEO of Living Waters CCS, Renee Lee is committed to providing compassionate patient care to improve the quality of their emotional and spiritual well-being for better living. She is a passionate and dynamic leader, visionary, and strong social justice advocate purposed to develop, build, and restore the lives of people. She develops strategies that maximize system operations to improve staff performance in order to provide the highest standard of excellence in patient services. Renee is committed to serve at-risk populations and believes treatment should be available and accessible for all individuals and their families. For over 25 years, she has been dedicated to serving individuals with abuse, substance use, and mental health disorders, including persons with developmental disabilities and co-occurring disorders (including adults and adolescents), always leading and attentive to cultural sensitivity and gender-specific needs to serve diverse populations.
Renee’s professional experiences include a stint as the program administrator for Unity Point Health, providing oversight for the U Chicago Ingalls Addictions Recovery Program (ARC). She coordinated the day-to-day clinical and medical services of ARC. Renee’s passion extends to the faith community as executive director and co-founder of the ROSE, a nonprofit organization that provides education, counseling, and support services for women impacted by domestic violence and substance use disorders.
Renee was a program director at The Women’s Treatment Center, where she managed the outpatient department and supervised a 53-bed recovery home for women and children. Renee provided the vision for the Bridging Communities Offender Reentry program and was successful in helping to secure a 5-year federal grant serving over 300 returning women to the greater Chicagoland area. She also worked as both a clinical and pastoral counselor for Haymarket Center, where she initiated the development of a faith-based alternative treatment curriculum.
Renee has extensive experience as an administrator in the areas of program evaluation, performance and development and professional training and development. She is an effective and sought-after speaker, and has shared her knowledge at various conferences throughout the state. She was a co-presenter at the annual spring conference for the Illinois Alcohol & Other Drug Professional Certification Association, speaking on the topic “Preparing Our Future Administrators.”
Renee is passionate about helping people live their best lives. It is a passion that is evident in every area of her life—from home to work, from social circles to the pulpit. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Illinois State Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, and holds a 40 Certificate of Training in Domestic Violence. Rev. Renee earned a Masters of Social Work degree from Loyola University Chicago, and Bachelor of Arts in Substance Abuse Treatment from Northeastern Illinois University. She is a graduate of Living Word Christian Center School of Ministry, and licensed and ordained through Faith Ministers Alliance.