Ben Renberg comes home to serve Baylor Scott & White’s mission as Foundation president.
The Texas town of Navasota is an outpost near College Station founded more than a century ago.
It’s the kind of close-knit community where people learn to depend on each other,
where working hard toward the community’s collective benefit is a way of life.
“People in the community where I grew up worked hard, and a lot of the determination I bring to my work is rooted in how I was brought up,” Ben Renberg said. “In addition, I was surrounded by people who helped each other out along the way—it is a great community.”
Ben Renberg, recently named president of the Baylor Scott & White Dallas Foundation, has a commitment to service that runs as deep as his Texas roots. By combining that passion with decades of experience in leading successful fundraising teams, Renberg finds himself at home in his new role with Baylor Scott & White, where he will help the community connect with causes and ultimately drive care forward. “We want to tell the story of philanthropy directly,” he said. “People have an appetite for connection to causes that speak to them.”
Growing up, Renberg felt that service to others was an integral part of his life, and through that, he came to understand the role that community support plays in healthcare. Alongside his grandfather, who logged more than 23,000 volunteer hours, Renberg volunteered at a local hospital, wheeling patients to their room and helping them meet their nurse. “It was a different time,” Renberg laughed, “but it taught me at a young age how important healthcare was, and my grandfather set a good example of the difference that one person can make.”
Renberg started a career in business at age 12, sweeping floors and making change at the local arcade. Seeing his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication, his grandmother gifted him with his own official business cards, “reading ‘No job too small,’” Renberg said with a smile. “I started my own little business with her.” Working for his community, Renberg approached his jobs with a service-oriented mindset, one in which mission matters. He brings this same mindset to Baylor Scott & White, where he finds an innovative culture living and breathing through the change makers in the health system devoted to regional and international impact.
At Baylor University, Renberg earned both his bachelor’s and Master of Business Administration degrees. “Education was very important in my household,” said Renberg, whose parents were both teachers. “I’ve always been a learner, and Baylor really helped me find my path as a person who loves to learn.” Renberg also got involved in student organizations, including a student foundation to help fund scholarships for other students in need.
It was through this experience where Renberg began to marry his mission to help others with his communication skills and work ethic. His 25 years of development experience includes positions at Rice University as associate vice president and assistant dean of external relations for the university’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business. He also has served as partner with Dini Partners, a consulting firm specializing in nonprofits; as associate vice president for university development at Baylor University; and as director of development at Baylor College of Medicine.
Most recently, Renberg comes from Cornell University, where he served as senior associate vice president of alumni affairs and development since 2016. At Cornell, he led day-to-day operations and focused on effectively integrating and heightening fundraising activities and planning the university’s next comprehensive fundraising campaign.
“What I’ve grown to know is that you always look at the capabilities inside, and I’m very impressed with what I see already,” Renberg said. “Baylor Scott & White is totally committed to service, and it’s rooted in a Christian heritage that is very appealing to me. The people who come to work here are motivated, and they are the heartbeat of the Mission. My goal is to complement the work that goes on here.” Renberg pointed to Baylor Scott & White’s response to COVID-19 as just one example of the System’s commitment to responding to the needs of the community. And, that response has been advanced through overwhelming support from donors across Texas. “Purposeful and selfless giving,” he said, “continues to activate and accelerate the important work going on in the system.”
Renberg lives in North Dallas with his wife, April, where they have received a warm welcome to their neighborhood. April works in communication strategy. Their daughter, Elaine, is a student at the Baylor University School of Law, and their son, R.C., plans to graduate from Baylor University in May.
