Director of Development
Rachel became a catechist of the Good Shepherd in 2007 after serving for several years as a fourth-grade catechist at her parish, preparing children for the sacrament of Reconciliation. She desired for the children she worked with an experience of joy in discovery that she observed among the children at her daughter’s Montessori school, and after researching about CGS, soon registered for her first formation course.
Rachel serves in two atria: the Level I atrium she began in her home faith community of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Lucy in Oak Park, Illinois, and a Level II atrium for the St. Giles Family Mass Community, also in Oak Park. She has completed formation at Levels I and II, and Part 1 of Level III.
Rachel joined the staff of the National Association in 2009. Her professional background has primarily been in the food industry -- working in areas of public relations, marketing and promotions, recipe and product development, private label manufacturing, and ingredient brokerage. She has also worked with several other small entrepreneurial businesses in the areas of manufacturing, real estate development and construction. Rachel also administered a college scholarship program for youth in Chicago’s North Lawndale community as a volunteer over a four-year period.
Rachel studied journalism and fine arts, in the areas of photography and graphic design, at the University of Missouri. In addition to making atrium materials, she expresses herself artistically by crafting gemstone jewelry and cooking a variety of ethnic dishes. She is the parent of a high-school aged daughter.