Rachel Thomas

Rachel Thomas is the Diversity and Inclusion Director at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. 

In her role, Rachel collaborates with all departments to create a diversity liaison program, develop inclusive research teams, and establish a mentoring program for early-stage diverse faculty. Her leadership and strategic vision are integral to advancing the school's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She brings a wealth of experience from her previous positions, including serving as the Senior Advisor for Women, Peace, and Security and for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the office of the Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie D. Jenkins. With over ten years of experience, Rachel has focused on educating and facilitating team management in areas of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, as well as LGBTQIA+ inclusion and equity.

As the lead policy advisor for Women, Peace, and Security for the Department of State Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI), she liaised between various government agencies and partner organizations to institutionalize best practices related to gender, diversity, and intersectionality in programming and engagement. Additionally, she advised and assisted the U.S. Special Envoy, Jessica Stern, in advancing the human rights of LGBTQIA+ persons by gathering, collating, and analyzing data from over 100 U.S. Embassies, leading to the release of the first-ever public report on LGBTQIA+ initiatives.

Recognized as an Atlantic Council LGBTI Fellow and one of the Out in National Security's National Security & Foreign Policy LGBTQIA+ Out Leaders for 2020, Rachel is a respected advocate for inclusivity and diversity. She co-founded the WCAPS is Out Initiative, a platform geared towards LGBTQIA+ persons of color, under Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS). Rachel holds a Bachelor's in Science from the United States Naval Academy and a Master's in International Relations from Salve Regina University.