Ruxanda Renita

Ruxanda Renita is co-founder & CEO of Urban Catalyst Lab (UCL), the Atlanta-based nonprofit that works on positioning and deploying art-as-a-solution for smart and inclusive cities; and an integrated component within urban planning. Through art-as-a-solution, Ruxanda empowers artists to engage in urban planning; and private sector, governments and UN to utilize art-as-a-process in achieving equitable communities and changing behaviors around complex topics such as climate change and social justice. In her work with UCL, Ruxanda has worked to position both the City of Atlanta and the NGO, as innovators on urban resilience, at multiple UN forums including the World Urban Forum; the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum and the ECOSOC Youth Forum.
Ruxanda has 8+ years in the public sector, leading the strategy in fundraising approach with the SDGs, change management and people-public-private partnerships. Currently, she serves as a Public Sector Consultant to Accenture, supporting governments and nonprofits in citizen-centric digitization; smart city/state transformation, including public safety, people-centric mobility and infrastructure. Her transdisciplinary background also includes the contemporary art market. Instrumental in propelling the careers of many emerging artists and in organizing global art sales, Ruxanda was the youngest art dealer to source works for Sotheby’s 2016 Contemporary East, the firm’s first auction of Central and Eastern European art in London, which brought in $1.3 million in sales. Ruxanda is also a member of World Economic Forum Global Shapers Hub in Atlanta and part of the Board of Directors of United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth. Ruxanda currently resides in Atlanta, GA, USA.