Dr. Renfrew is the Wildlife Diversity Program Manager for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department (VFWD). She was co-founder and senior Conservation Biologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE), where she developed the organization's Grasslands Program. She holds an MS and PhD in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology (1989) from the University of Vermont.

Dr. Renfrew's research focused on grassland bird ecology and conservation, with an emphasis on migration and wintering ecology in South America. She has developed and contributed to regional, national, and international bird conservation planning; provided guidance to landowners; and directed and edited the Vermont Breeding Bird Atlas. She now works with VFWD biologists and partners to conserve Vermont's wildlife through Endangered and Threatened listings, conservation and management planning, and inventory, monitoring, and management on state and private lands.