Rachel served as Y.E.C.A.’s National Organizer and Spokesperson from 2015-2016, and was a member of the Steering Committee for six years, serving two years as Chair (2013-2015). She is currently a Flagship Fellow, Harvey Fellow, and PhD student in Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park. Through her research, Rachel is exploring how climate change governance can better reflect the complex, non-linear and dynamic nature of social-ecological systems. In particular, her work focuses on the socio-economic applications of NASA carbon monitoring products to advance climate policy in the land-use sector. 

As part of her professional development, Rachel has worked for numerous agencies and organizations, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, A Rocha Peru, National Socio-Ecological Synthesis Research Center (SESYNC), Society for Conservation Biology, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. During the summers, she teaches Environmental Law and Policy and Land Resources Policy at the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies in Michigan as an Assistant Professor. 

In 2015, Rachel was named a White House Champion of Change for her efforts in protecting our environment and communities from the effects of climate change.