We recently caught up with Lightspeed portfolio executive and Associate Regulatory Counsel at Wheel, Renae Flowers, to hear about her Valence BONDS experience. This kicks off Lightspeed’s new “Valence Voices” series highlighting some of the amazing executives from our community participating in Valence’s BONDS program. With more than 25,000 members, Valence is a platform and community dedicated to creating paths to success for Black professionals. In September 2021, Lightspeed joined Valence as a Founding Partner of their BONDS executive program.
Me: Renae, thanks for joining us. Would love to start with hearing about you. Your background and path to where you’re at today.
Renae: Currently, I am Associate Regulatory Counsel at Wheel. I have been with Wheel for almost 2 years and love that no two days are the same. I advise on a range of laws and regulations impacting telehealth such as provider scope of practice, patient privacy, fraud & abuse, and much more. Even though I have been in health law for almost 7 years, I still come across new issues or questions that I haven’t dealt with before, so I love continuing to learn. In Wheel I found the job that felt like a culmination of all the work I put in to harness my skills at the beginning stages of my legal career.
I grew up in Luling, Texas, a small oil town famous for its barbecue and watermelon. I completed my undergrad degree at The University of Texas, went to law school at Marquette University, and received my LL.M. in Health Law & Policy from Hofstra University. Before joining Wheel, I worked for a global law firm and also worked for the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., so I have been able to obtain diverse perspectives in the health law field.
Me: What first attracted you to the BONDS Community? What were your first impressions?
Renae: I learned about the BONDS program when the CEO of my company nominated me to participate (which I thought was pretty awesome). Before accepting the nomination, I did more research on Valence and the BONDS community and was very intrigued by this program being a space for professional people of color in diverse sectors to strengthen their executive leadership skills.
Me: What has been one aspect that you have particularly enjoyed?
Renae: One aspect I have truly enjoyed has been the monthly meetings with my cohort and our coach. We are able to really discuss our wins, but also the professional challenges that we face. My cohort members are at different stages of their respective careers and in completely different sectors, so having those varied perspectives has been invaluable.
Me: What has been the positive impact so far in your life? How has it been practicing what you’ve learned?
Renae: A key impact for me has been learning how to better navigate getting to the next level from a career standpoint. It is easy to think we deserve the next promotion or deserve to have a seat at the table, but how do you actually reflect that? For example, what data can you point to, what processes have you helped build, etc.? I feel better prepared when I set advancement goals because I am equipped with a more data-centric approach.
Me: Who would you recommend the BONDS Community to? Why?
Renae: I don’t think BONDS is just for one person, and I don’t think any two people will come out of BONDS with the same experience. But, I think BONDS is for any of the following people: people who want to get to the next level in their careers, people who are invigorated by participating in a thriving community of people who are typically underrepresented in top professions, people who are still figuring it out, and much more.
Me: Last question, where can others learn more about you and connect with you?
Renae: You can learn more about me on my Telehealth Profile and connect with me on LinkedIn.
