My passion for computers started at an early age, and my passion for service started with watching my dad as I grew up. I decided to pursue both by starting work at Northwest Dade Center, a non-profit with the mission of helping vulnerable adults and children.
I grew Information Technology at Northwest Dade then Citrus Health Network from a very primitive system to the industry-leading network that it has become, and continues to evolve and grow. During this time, I graduated from a Catholic High School, then started at FIU, where I would earn my Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. After completing these degrees, I started as a Senior Consultant at Arthur Andersen. Though my tenure was cut short due to difficulties at the company, I learned a lot during those two years, and took my knowledge back to Citrus Health Network, where I returned as Chief Information Officer.
In 2002, I would marry my wife Idelsy and we would be blessed a few years later with two beautiful girls; Gabriella and Veronica. My service continued with our local church, Our Lady of the Lakes, where we enrolled the girls and I took active leadership roles in the Dad's Club and other church and school groups, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars through the years and continuing now.
Today, I continue as CIO at Citrus Health, which has become a $230 million plus organization, with over 1,300 staff, providing services to over 30,000 vulnerable patients per year, and managing the foster care services for over 2,000 children in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Our trajectory continues to be one of growth and I strive to keep our Information Technology infrastructure cutting edge.
I was humbled by Pete Koltis' nomination to FIU's President's Council, and look forward to joining and giving back to the wonderful institution that has educated me and enabled me to do what I have done in both my professional and personal life.
Renan Llanes
