Rene Leger has been the Executive Director of E3: Employers for Education Excellence, since its launch by the Oregon Business Council in 1996. He has worked extensively in the area of school improvement with schools and communities statewide for the past 15 years. Prior to his work in education, Rene worked for 10 years in private industry as a marketing and project manager. Rene earned a B.A. in Political Science from State University of New York at Buffalo and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

E3 is a statewide non-profit organization committed to dramatically improving student achievement in Oregon. E3 promotes high academic standards and encourages employers to work directly with students to help prepare them for post-secondary education and the workforce. Many Oregon businesses and foundations support E3's work.

In 2003, E3 launched the Oregon Small Schools Initiative with generous support from the Meyer Memorial Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. E3 provides leadership and assistance to develop small, rigorous, and personalized high schools. By creating a statewide portfolio of 38 small school demonstration sites, E3 is helping change the way 12,000 Oregon high school students learn.

In the same year E3 launched it flagship community engagement program, Partnership for Student Success. This innovative program engages business, education and community leaders to form leadership teams and focus on a key academic challenge facing students.

E3 works in partnership with key statewide organizations like the Oregon Business Council. E3's strategic education initiatives are guided by the Oregon Business Plan, a comprehensive effort to strengthen Oregon's economy and help position the state for the 21st century.