Meet the Newest Member of the Strong Towns Staff

Hi, I’m Rachel, the new Program Director for Strong Towns. You might remember me writing and coordinating content for the organization a few years back, and I’m excited to be returning to manage our growing content team. Between our new Strong Towns Academy, regular webcasts, and, of course, long-running podcasts and articles, there’s a lot going on at Strong Towns, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.

Earlier in my working life, I served with a few different organizations and government entities addressing housing and homelessness issues. Now I’m joining Strong Towns fresh off of a two-year graduate program at Harvard Divinity School, which might sound like a weird career path, but I see a lot of connections between my studies and the work of Strong Towns. In learning about religion, I explore the worldviews, cultures and values that make us all human, and cultivate empathy for a myriad of perspectives on faith and the Divine.

In the same way, our work at Strong Towns is about helping people from all sorts of backgrounds, political persuasions, geographies, races, income levels and more to build resilient communities wherever they live. We don’t discount the experience of anyone because of who they are, but we seek to understand what motivates them and what needs their town might have. I’m also bringing to this work a background in mediation, negotiation, and dialogue facilitation—all skills which I hope to make use of during a time when our nation is so divided, and as part of an organization that actively works across that divide.

Like Strong Towns President, Chuck Marohn, I’m a native Minnesotan, although I’ve spent a good chunk of time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a few East Coast cities. I currently live in Cambridge, MA with my husband, Jack, and two pet rabbits. Some of my favorite hobbies include cooking, reading and going for walks in my neighborhood.

I’m glad to be serving at Strong Towns and look forward to chatting with you on our Community site, in the comments, or (someday) at a Strong Towns event in person. Feel free to get in touch with me directly too: quednau [at] strongtowns.org.