Trene M. Hawkins

Trené Hawkins, a program officer, works with visionaries from various disciplines to discover new thinking about how to transform health and healthcare. “I have always been passionate about health and it has bled through into so many areas of my life,” she says. “I aspire to be an advocate and a change agent, and I believe the Foundation’s vision for building a Culture of Health—and for seeking out the best in creative solutions to everyday health challenges—provides me with an exceptional opportunity to do just that.”

Previously, Trené served as research manager with RG+A, a healthcare and pharmaceutical marketing research company in New Hope, Pa., where her work involved research and analysis in solving complex and evolving healthcare challenges. She also worked as a community manager with RG+A’s Health Payer Council, a private online community of managed care professionals. Before transitioning into her previous role, she spent the first several years of her career in laboratory settings, including her work as a principal laboratory technician with the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository, which works to identify and understand the genetic causes of complex human diseases by providing the technical advice, logistical support, cell lines and DNA to the scientific community.

Trené earned an AB in Molecular Biology from Princeton University; an MS in Cell and Developmental Biology from Rutgers University/University of Medicine and Dentistry; and a Certificate in General Public Health from the Rutgers University/University of Medicine and Dentistry School of Public Health.

A native of Montclair, N.J., Trené currently resides with her husband, Jarel, in Lawrenceville, N.J. She greatly enjoys cooking and baking and aspires to, one day, create her own cookbook. When she is not cooking, she is exploring new restaurants, food festivals, and farmers' markets. Also a huge sports fan, she enjoys basketball, indoor volleyball, ballet, yoga, spin classes, and has competed in a half marathon. Whenever she can, she and her husband love to spend their free time traveling. They enjoy day trips to Manhattan, Philadelphia, and Washington, and have traveled internationally to Paris, Thailand, Bali, and Barcelona.