With 15 years’ experience in urban design and community planning, Rachel has built a reputation as a leader in race and social justice initiatives and equitable planning work. She brings multidisciplinary thinking to develop equitable community plans, uses urban design to solve multiple challenges simultaneously, and distills complex information into actionable and community-owned plans. Seeking to elevate voices from traditionally underrepresented populations, Rachel strategizes and leads meaningful stakeholder engagement processes. She applies strong community engagement, facilitation, analysis, project management, graphics, and interpersonal skills to help communities understand their options and realize their visions.
Rachel has organized and/or presented numerous APA and Walkable Washington conference sessions, mostly centered on urban design and equitable development. Prior to joining MAKERS, she provided technical assistance and mapping analysis in the Seattle Community Planning and Development HUD office; interned in the City of Columbus, Ohio Planning Division; coordinated urban design visioning processes in Fairbanks and North Pole, Alaska; and managed community development projects as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa.
