About René Gibson
René Gibson has spent her life rooted in Stratford’s South End, where she learned that resilience and connection form the heart of community. A proud graduate of Birdseye, Johnson Jr., and Stratford High, she began raising her son here, watching him walk the halls of Franklin School in the early 1980s. Today, René’s multigenerational family – including her son and daughter-in-law, three grandsons, a granddaughter, a great-granddaughter, and another on the way – fuels her commitment to ensuring that Stratford remains a place where families can grow and thrive for generations.
During her first term as District 4 Councilor, René has championed projects that put residents and the environment first. She has led restoration efforts for Bruce Brook and secured environmental justice overlays to protect vulnerable corridors, including Frash Pond and the Lordship Boulevard tidal wetlands, significantly reducing district flooding. She continues to oversee revitalization of High Park, advocating for an inclusive pollination park, border walking and biking paths, and upgraded playgrounds that welcome families from across Stratford. René’s teamwork on a major workforce development grant brought in an additional $1 million in state funding to strengthen services and create pathways to opportunity.
Beyond her council work, René founded the Stratford South End Expos and basketball tournaments, celebrations of youth, families, and local businesses that showcase the district’s vibrant pride. Drawing on her professional background as a community relations specialist for a health plan founded by Federally Qualified Health Centers, she champions fully funded and staffed school-based health centers for Stratford’s students, something currently at risk.
René also leads Bold Directions Benefits, LLC, a consulting firm focused on building economic resilience across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. She previously served on Stratford’s Zoning Board of Appeals and currently holds board seats with Juneteenth of Fairfield County and the Reentry Village, where she uplifts cultural heritage and creates restorative pathways for returning citizens.
For René, public service is an extension of lifelong grassroots engagement – championing affordable healthcare and housing, organizing community resource activities, mentoring youth, and standing with neighbors in times of need. She describes herself as a “writer, researcher, joyful geek, poetry lover, yoga hopeful, and clean comedy fan,” guided by faith and grounded in grace.
René is running for re-election to continue restoring natural assets, strengthening economic opportunity, and ensuring District 4 has a voice that reflects the hopes and dignity of its people.