“It’s all about the journey,” mused Senior Prospect Development Specialist Renae Howat. “I had all these crazy dreams that I was going to go to New York City and be this career woman who got married when she was 29—and then my reality hit, and it wasn’t at all that. I was actually in love with a guy I met when I was 16 who came back around in our twenties.”
Long before the love of her life reappeared, Renae was born in North Dakota and raised by her young parents in the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota. When her father was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, the family moved to Germany, where Renae spent her toddler years. After they returned to the states, Renae’s parents completed their degrees in business and nursing. Later, when Renae was a sophomore in high school, the family moved to Spokane, where she walked into her West Valley High School gym class and caught the eye of Chris Howat.
“I was in my cut-off army fatigues, and a rock-n-roll t-shirt,” she recalled, “and three days later I made the cheerleading squad. Chris was like, ‘what is this?’ We quickly became really good friends.”
A game of flashlight tag in Manito Park leading to a dip in the Spokane River expanded their friendship into something more special. But when the pair went off to college on opposite corners of the state, things started to get rocky. Chris transferred to WSU to be with Renae, but it was proving too tough for the high school sweethearts, and they went their separate ways.
Renae thrived in college, joining the Pi Beta Phi sorority, and exploring concentrations for her major in business. She spent a summer in Boston and had an internship with Merrill Lynch, deciding to pursue a concentration in marketing.
Having maintained contact with Chris, Renae connected with him when she learned of the death of a close friend’s father. Discussing whether or not they’d see each other at the service, she noticed a change.
“We discovered that as we’d been apart, we had both grown,” she said, “and we still had this drawn connection to one another.”
After graduation, feeling like the world was her oyster, Renae took an assistant manager position with a hotel in Phoenix, and a few months later, began working in pharmaceutical sales. Realizing they were truly meant to be together, when Chris took a job in Spokane, Renae moved home, and with the speed of a tornado, the were engaged, married, and on their way to the life they’ve enjoyed for over two decades.
“From prom king and queen to this,” Renae laughed.
Renae and Chris raised four children (pictured above)—Darby ’20, Chase ’22, Donovan and Ian. At first, Renae balanced mortgage banking while caring full-time for the kids, but let Chris take on working while she enjoyed the children’s younger years.
“I’ve always had a level of hustle in me,” she admitted, which led her to pick up part-time work in the kids’ school district, and later, an assistant secretary role. After four years there, she made the switch to Gonzaga in 2011, taking on a role in donor relations.
“It was the best thing ever,” smiled Renae. “This place is pretty special.”
Renae shared immense gratitude for her Advancement colleagues, who in her time in donor relations helped her navigate the highs and lows of learning to be a type-one diabetes parent after she learned one of her sons was diabetic.
A few years later, Renae accepted a program coordinator role in Athletics, broadening her institutional knowledge and network.
“It’s a journey,” Renae reiterated, “and you’ve got to try things. I’m always trying on roles and opportunities. I’m all about constant improvement.”
Her natural curiosity and dedication to growth brought her back to Advancement in 2019 to take on her current role as the senior prospect development specialist.
“It’s a very rewarding role,” she said. “This is a remarkable opportunity and I wish everyone could have what we do here at Gonzaga.”
Now adjusting to “empty-nest” life, two of Renae and Chris’ eldest children are Gonzaga graduates, and the other two are in college and pursuing a career as an electrician. She enjoys biking and spending time friends and the love of her life.
Renae is truly a blessing to the University community, for which we are all truly grateful.