Renee’ Turpa joined the women’s basketball staff prior to the 2004-2005 season as the director of basketball operations and helped the Crusaders for two seasons.  After taking a year off from Valpo, she returned for her second stint with the Brown and Gold in the same role prior to the 2007-2008 campaign and now serves as an event management assistant at Valpo.

With the Crusaders, Turpa assists with the summer camps along with organizing community service projects.  She is also in charge of Valpo’s ball girls at home games.

Turpa served as the head varsity coach at Portage High School for 17 seasons, where she was the winningest coach in school history.  She finished with an overall record of 207-142.  At Portage, she led the Indians to two Duneland Conference titles along with a regional runner-up finish in 1988.  She also was the head varsity girls coach at Valparaiso High School during the 2006-2007 year.

Turpa spent nine years as an Indiana Basketball Coaches Association District I and an Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association District I basketball representative, and currently serves on the Board of Directors as the Vice President of the IBCA for girls’ basketball.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in special education, physical education, and health from Ball State in 1979 and received her master’s degree from Valparaiso in 1995 in special education and secondary education.