Rachel is part of our team of planners, stakeholder engagement professionals, and policy specialists who work across ESA’s markets to help clients safeguard their communities, protect their populations, and conserve their natural resources in the wake of climate change.
Rachel helps clients through different phases of the climate adaptation planning process from understanding climate risks and identifying vulnerabilities to prioritizing adaptation strategies for implementation and evaluating their outcomes. She is a trained facilitator and strategic planner specializing in building consensus for adaptation approaches that are effective and equitable. Rachel has supported clients in different sectors (e.g., conservation, water resources, public health, community displacement) and geographies (e.g., western United States, Great Lakes, Pacific Islands). She also creates tools to support climate-informed decision-making, such as case studies, impacts and vulnerability assessments, and adaptation implementation and monitoring plans.
Rachel’s core goal is to help people make the best decisions possible regarding their investments in a changing climate. She earned a Master of Marine Affairs in Marine Science & Policy from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Ecology & Government from Smith College. She is also a member of the Society for Conservation Biology and holds human subjects research certification from the National Institutes of Health.
