Renard Cuthbertson

Counselor, Salisbury-Rowan Communities in Schools

Native of Brooklyn, NY

Industry: Non-Profit

Renard Cuthbertson is appreciative of close family and mentors in Rowan County for his achievements, and those relationships are a big reason that he chooses to remain here. He moved here with his family when he was a small child.

“I am thankful for family and community. It takes a team effort,” he says. Folks extremely important in his life are the aunt who raised him, Libby Blackwell; his sister, Sheba Cuthbertson; his brother, Kinedrick Watkins; his mentor, Timothy Bates; and his boss and director of Communities in Schools, James Davis.

Renard, who lives in Cleveland and went to West Rowan High School, is working on his master’s degree in social work at Winthrop University. He has a bachelor’s degree in social work with a minor in psychology from Liberty University and is also a criminal justice graduate of Central Piedmont Community College. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

He has worked as a wrestling coach at West Rowan High, East Rowan High, Knox Middle, and Salisbury High schools and now is a coach at the Rowan Wrestling Academy in China Grove. He is a member of the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional Club and also volunteers with Man Up Monday, a group of civic-minded men who visits schools to mentor boys, helping with behavior when needed.

As he says, it takes a team effort. Life in Rowan is all about people caring for people.

Renard likes the small-town atmosphere of Rowan County that draws people from many other locations. “I enjoy meeting people from all walks of life who are both from here and who have moved here from other places,” he says.

In addition to the family atmosphere, Rowan County draws people because of its central location with proximity to three interstates — 85, 40, and 77, he says. It’s easy to get where you’re going.

The county slogan, Be an Original, ™ fits with his philosophy of helping others. To Renard, it means: “Dare to be different and try to do new things to help the community grow.” 

His favorite restaurant is Go Burrito because of its variety and the view from its roof-top seating. “You can sit up there and enjoy the skyline of Salisbury. It’s right downtown,” he says.

The Dragonboat Festival on High Rock Lake each July is his favorite event of the year because it brings a lot of different people together and exposes them to something unique. 

The beauty and events of Bell Tower Green Park get top ratings for his favorite outdoor space. “There are so many events, but even when there isn’t an event going on, it’s a nice place and sit and enjoy the waterfall,” he says.