Renee V. H. Simons facts for kids

Renee V.H. Simons (born 1949) is a leader who used to work for big companies. She is now the president of SANS Sag Harbor. This is a group that helped get special recognition for historic Black beachfront neighborhoods in Sag Harbor, New York. These neighborhoods are called Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Subdivisions. They are now listed on the New York State and National Register of Historic Places.

Renee Simons' Education Journey

Renee Simons studied at several universities. She earned a Master's degree in Education Planning from Fordham University. She also received an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Columbia Business School. Her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, was from Hunter College.

Renee Simons' Career Path

Renee Simons started her career in 1978 at General Foods Corp. She worked as a brand manager for different products, including Dixie/Northern and 7-Up. Later, she became a group director and then a sales promotion director for Philip Morris USA.

She also worked as a senior vice president at JPMorgan Chase. Her jobs at large companies involved many areas like advertising, marketing, and banking. After she retired from her professional career, she started volunteering. She joined the board of directors at the Sag Harbor Partnership. She also became the President of SANS Sag Harbor, a non-profit group that runs the Eastville Historical Society.

Protecting History with SANS

On July 10, 2019, the National Park Service officially added the SANS communities to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are recognized as important historical places.

Renee Simons, as the president of SANS Sag Harbor, worked hard to make this happen. She told The East Hampton Star that this recognition was a great "honor." She explained that the SANS communities were created to be safe and welcoming places for African-American families to enjoy vacations. This was especially important because, at the time, African-Americans were often not allowed in many public recreation areas.

Newsday reported that Simons successfully led the effort to get SANS listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places in March 2019. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand also supported the effort to get the community on the National Register. She said that SANS is one of the last African-American beachfront communities in the country, and its history must be protected.

When SANS was nominated for the national register, Simons said it showed the important contributions African-Americans have made to American history. In March 2019, she told The Wall Street Journal, "There’s a lot of pride to be recognized this way." She felt it was important to make sure the area's history was officially recorded and not forgotten.

Sandra E. Garcia, writing for The New York Times Style Magazine in October 2020, shared the history of the SANS community. She noted that Renee Simons, who lives in Sag Harbor Hills, helped raise money for the applications to become state and national landmarks. Garcia also mentioned that there are 195 buildings in the SANS subdivisions, all built before 1977.

The Sag Harbor Express reported that Simons promoted the landmark application through meetings, fundraising, and petitions. She even reached out to the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) for help, and they sent 25 volunteers. The Montauk Sun added that the group received a grant and conducted a detailed survey to get the necessary documents for the applications. Simons told The Wall Street Journal in 2017, "If we don’t say anything we’ll lose the essence of this neighborhood," and "Children won’t remember what it took to be here."

Awards and Recognition

Renee Simons has received several honors for her work:

• In 1991, Black Enterprise magazine named her one of "21 Women Of Power And Influence In Corporate America."
• In 1996, Monroe College honored her with the 'Excellence in Enterprise Award' for her business achievements and community service.
• She also received the YMCA's Outstanding Women of America award.
• On December 4, 2019, the Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest & Ninevah Steering Committee, which Simons led, received the Excellence in Historic Preservation Organizational Achievement award from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This award recognized their great teamwork.
• In 2020, Preservation Long Island gave a Project Excellence Award to the SANS community sponsors, including Renee V. H. Simons. This award was for their amazing work in protecting historic places related to the Jim Crow and Civil Rights eras on Long Island.

See also

• Hilda Lindley - An activist who worked to protect Montauk from too much building.
• Northwest Alliance - A group focused on protecting the environment around Northwest Creek/harbor in East Hampton, NY.