Profile
Rachel Svetanoff is a social entrepreneur, activist, and futurist with a history of supporting initiatives that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She has contributed to mobilizing resources for over 120 organizations across 40 countries.
Through entrepreneurship, Rachel founded the SDG advocacy youth organization Global Futurist Initiative™, the community development consortium Project Energy for Life Cameroon Consortium, and her consulting practice Protea Consulting, LLC. Through consulting, she works for institutions such as BluScope Consulting, Sesame Workshop, Johnson & Johnson, Friends of the Global Fund Against HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and UNA-USA award-winning fashion designer Berny Martin. For example, as the Foundations Partnerships Consultant for UNICEF USA, Rachel supported a $300 million portfolio by working with organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and UN Foundation to align on safeguarding children’s and youth rights worldwide.
Rachel holds appointments that have also enabled her to promote the SDGs including the following: International Monetary Fund as a Youth Fellow, United Nations Association of the USA as the Global Goals Ambassador Lead, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition as an Indiana State Advisory Committee member, and Foreign Policy for America as a Next Gen Delegate.
Rachel also holds a Visiting Associateship of Policy & Practice at the University of Notre Dame Pulte Institute for Global Development where she conducted U.S. policy research on the SDGs. Her presentation, journal article and blog publication can be found here. Receiving numerous appointments and 31 awards, Rachel is a sought-out speaker and actively contributes to publications on matters concerning youth, sustainable development, and human rights. Her most recent award received was the 2024 Domer Dozen distinguished program for Notre Dame alumni (which Sherman, among several colleagues, nominated her for).
Recent Professional History
Rachel has taken on many opportunities in promoting youth. One noted event was her 2024 keynote panel where Rachel spoke for the United Nations Foundation Our Future Agenda program alongside the UNA-USA Advisor Sophia Kianni and the U.S. Youth Observer to the United Nations Ose Ehianeta Arheghan. This event was entitled the “National Vision for 2100 Intergenerational Townhall.”
Rachel was a member of the Major Group for Children and Youth for the UN Summit of the Future where she can be seen speaking to H.E. Mr. Brian Christopher Manley Wallace, Permanent Representative of Jamaica and H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands on issues related to the well-being of youth and future generations. She was also invited by the Future Generations Commissioner of Wales to attend the Future Generations Forum, UNECE Forum on Engagement and Sustainable Development, UN SDSN Youth side event, UNESCO Youth Forum, and other high-level engagements on youth and future generations.
Additionally, Rachel is an active member of the United Nations Association for the USA where, now the GGA Lead, she previously was the Global Goals Ambassador for SDG 17.
In 2023, Rachel was selected as one of six finalists for the AFS Young Global Citizen Award sponsored by DHL and presented by AFS Intercultural Programs. The AFS Award for Young Global Citizens recognizes young people for their commitment to improving the global community and whose actions contribute to a more just, peaceful, and tolerant world. The Permanent Mission of Malta to the United Nations was the lead endorser for the celebration of International Youth Day on August 11, 2023. The International Youth Day celebration took place at the UN with 800 young leaders and participants from around the world in attendance. The AFS Youth Assembly Delegates were included in the celebration of International Youth Day at the UN.
Above is a snapshop of Rachel at the UN and AFS Youth Assembly in 2023. Photo 1: Rachel at UNGA. Photo 2: Rachel with SDGs at the UN HQ. Photo 3: Rachel speaking at International Youth Day at UN HQ. Photo 4: from left to right - Julia Samson, Andrea Cuellar Medina, and Rachel. Photo 5: Rachel on UN webTV. Photo 6: Celebration of proclamation for AFS Youth Assembly Day signed by Mayor Jerome Adams of New York City. Photo 7: from left to right UNA USA Youth Obersever Ose Ehianeta Arheghan, White House Office of the First Lady Deputy Associate Director Himaja Nagireddy, Julia and Rachel. Photo 8: Rachel right before her Young Global Citizen Award presentation. Photo 9: Rachel with all award finalists. Photo 10: Rachel and Julia Samson at AFS Youth Assembly in Convene. Photo 11: Rachel recognized as Youth Ambassador. Photo 12: Rachel pointing to Global Futurist Initiative as a program partner. Photo 13 and 14. Rachel’s presentation on youth upskilling for the future. Photo 15: Youth Assembly culture festival.
In her previous work at UNICEF USA, Rachel helped the organization steward partners to meet health several thematic needs including systems strengthening, infectious disease aid, sexual and reproductive health, nutrition, education, climate action, gender equality, emergency aid, and innovation impact. Seen below is Rachel’s visits to both the New York City and Washington, D.C. offices.
Snapshot of Rachel’s year with UUSA featuring the Foundations Partnerships former Vice President Lorin Kavanaugh-Ulku (photo 2), team members Katie Beirne, Hana Sahar, Carisha Pranyoto (photo 3), Rachel and Carisha at the UN General Assembly side panel on the state of Tuberculosis with Indonesia’s Minister of Health (photo 4)
After attending the 2023 UNA-USA Leadership Engagement Summit seen below to advocate to her state representatives in Congress about the need of continued and sustainable U.S. leadership with the United Nations, Rachel, in collaboration with various actors, is set to organize a Midwest SDG Summit in Indiana as well as partner with various engagement areas to spearhead the localization of the SDGs in the country.
Above is a snapshot of the 2023 UNA-USA Leadership Engagement Summit from meeting Trebuchet mentor Julia Shufro (photo 1); photo of Rachel on the first day of the conference (photo 2); taking photos with her Indiana advocacy group (photo 3); UNA-USA’s President Rachel Bowen Pittman (photo 4); Grassroots Advocacy Manager Maria Amalla (photo 5); Senior Associate of Youth Engagement Rachel McCave (photo 6); Senior Director of Programs & Policy Farah Eck (photo 7); UNA-USA Youth Observer to the UN Himaja Nagireddy (photo 8); meeting Sen. Mike Braun’s Legislative Assistant Sydney Cox (photo 9); meeting Rep. Jim Baird’s Legislative Assistant Tanner Brown (photo 10); meeting Sen. Todd Young’s Legislative Assistant Gavin Laffoon (photo 11); meeting various UNA-USA youth leaders (photo 12-19); Rachel at UN Foundation HQ (photo 20).
In May 2023, Rachel was also selected to become a Visiting Associate at the University of Notre Dame, where she received her MS in Global Health. In this role, she is collaborating with faculty members, including Dr. Paul Perrin, at the Pulte Institute for Global Development to establish a strategy for implementing legislation that commits the United States to support the SDGs by building local capacity for data systems that measure progress towards meeting the Goals. In this work, Rachel has had the opportunity to meet with the Office of Federal and Washington Relations as well as the Washington Office of the Keough School of Global Affairs to glean insights from university staff who have worked with members of Congress to collaborate on issues that advance the university’s research portfolio as well as provide a venue on programming, teaching, and outreach in the D.C. area.
Above is a snapshot of Rachel at the University of Notre Dame in July 2023: Rachel meeting Pulte Institute for Global Development Executive Director and USGLC State Advisory Committee member Michael Sweikar, Pulte Institute Director of Evidence & Impact Dr. Paul Perrin (photo 1); Rachel reuniting with MSGH ‘15 classmate and former roommate PhD candidate/ Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar Lupita Quintana (photo 2); Rachel and Lupita reuniting with Eck Institute for Global Health adjunct professor and former advisor Lacey Ahern (photo 3); Rachel meeting MSGH ‘16 alumni and founder of Cameroonian-based Jumbam Family Foundation Desmond Jumbam (photo 4).
Rachel, nominated by Sherman, was also selected to become a U.S. Global Leadership Coalition Next Gen Global Leader and a Foreign Policy for America NextGen Initiative delegate for their 2023 cohorts. Both programs are influential Washington DC-based networks of businesses, NGOs, national security specialists, and foreign policy experts that Rachel is leveraging for her SDG advocacy work.
As part of the US Global Leadership Coalition’s 2023 Global Impact Forum, Rachel was back on Capitol Hill just two days after her first visit on behalf of UNA-USA to support a strong commitment to maintaining the international affairs budget as a matter of national security, economic prosperity, and strong leadership on the global stage. Seen below is her involvement with the program’s biggest event of the year.
Snapshot of Rachel at the USGLC 2023 Global Impact Forum including a photo of Rachel at the reception before the first day of the forum (photo 1); US State Department’s Special Envoy on Youth Issues and former Iowa Congresswoman Hon. Abby Finkenauer (photo 2); USGLC Next Gen Leader and founder of nonprofit Girls Leading Africa Giftie Umo (photo 3); USGLC Founder Liz Schrayer (photo 4); USGLC Next Generation Leaders Program Director Emily French (photo 5); USGLC Program Associate Anna Krebs (photo 6); Mohamed Abdel-Kader, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director for the Innovation, Technology and Research Hub, USAID (photo 7); photo of Dr. David Walton, U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator (photo 8); photos of Rachel and the Indiana delegation meeting with Legislative Assistants to Rep. Gregg Pence (photo 10), Rep. Frank Mrvan (photo 11), Rep. Andre Carson (photo 12), Sen. Todd Young (photo 13), Sen. Mike Braun (photo 14), Rep. Victoria Spartz (photo 15), and two photos of the team before and after activities (photos 15 and 16).
Rachel has held many past appointments including, but not limited to, the following: AFS Intercultural Programs 28th Youth Assembly Ambassador, YOUNGA Youth Delegate, One Young World Youth Digital Delegate, Youth Delegate for the 27th Youth Assembly, young alumni advisory board member for Purdue University’s Vice Provost for Student Life, and strategic advisor to InternetBar.Org Institute.
Prior to her Domer Dozen honor, Rachel became a 2023 Purdue Rising Professional, inducting her as a Purdue Distinguished Young Alumna. With this recognition, she is becoming one of Purdue University’s most decorated young alumni with over 10 honors and scholarships presented to her throughout her Boilermaker journey.
Snapshot of Rachel’s induction ceremony and programmatic activities for the 2023 cohort of the Purdue University Rising Professionals Early Career Distinguished Young Alumni program.
Convisero: How does it function?
A case study of trust-building interactions for strategic impact
Above is a snapshot of Rachel’s UNGA week where she met numerous individuals from the following institutions: UNICEF USA, Concordia, Johnson & Johnson, Catou, Africa Diaspora Network, Wall Street Green Summit, New York Stock Exchange, Empow’HER, Unite for Health Foundation, Women’s World Banking, Schmidt Futures, World Benchmarking Alliance, Sustainable Finance Podcast, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers, among many others.
Rachel joined The Trebuchet community from working alongside Sherman as a member of the Pugwash movement. Both individuals were on the same Board at Student Pugwash USA, yet it was not until they had the opportunity to connect directly to get to know each other’s work more expansively nearly two years into Sherman’s advisory role at Student Pugwash that it was understood that there was much more overlap and alignment in efforts.
Rachel, Sherman, and Jeff, April 2022
Rachel helped operationalize many of The Trebuchet’s programmatic activities throughout 2021 (as well as occasionally in present day). Even before Rachel took on the operations role, she was introduced to many of The Trebuchet Convisero community members, most prominently Jeffrey Aresty, President and Founder of InternetBar.Org Institute (IBO). Rachel’s journey with IBO began because of her past role at Johnson & Johnson’s CaringCrowd, which Sherman thought could help IBO with fundraising. Because Rachel was also on the Board of the nonprofit J.B. Dondolo, Inc. who hosts an annual international song competition, Sherman thought there was additional overlap with the model and mission of PeaceTones (an IBO initiative). PeaceTones was an initiative that began with Sherman’s collaboration with Jeff at Tufts’ Institute for Global Leadership, which Sherman led for thirty years.
Less than a year later, Rachel became the Co-Founder of the social enterprise Global Futurist Initiative™. She brought Sherman onto the initiative’s advisory board as Global Futurist Initiative went beyond the scope of Pugwash. Upon meeting Global Futurist Initiative’s Co-Founder, Julia Samson, Sherman invited her also to be part of the Convisero mentor network. Global Futurist Initiative has recently merged with ImpactVest to become the philanthropy arm of the company, operating as a nonprofit subsidiary. In this merger, Rachel will be starting her new role in May 2023 after the completion of her consultancy for UNICEF USA.
Rachel Svetanoff and Jeffrey Aresty, March 2022
As IBO’s past Executive Director from 2021-2022, Rachel worked with Curt Rhodes who started collaborating with Jeff at Sherman’s invitation. Sherman and Questscope have a longstanding relationship; many of Sherman’s interns have intervened and become professionals at Questscope in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp.
Curt’s organization Questscope and IBO are partners on a Web3 project called Data as Truth & Art (DATA). Sherman introduced Sasha Chanoff, the founder of RefugePoint, to Jeff and Curt, initially because of Sasha’s connections to the Patrick McGovern Foundation for funding the DATA project. In this manner, Sherman had also connected Rachel with Sasha, whose 10-year anniversary of RefugePoint she attended. It is through this project that Sherman connected the photographer Richard Sobol to IBO and Questscope. He was interested in creating digital assets for IBO, particularly related to the PeaceTones initiative within the context of climate justice.
Diving deeper into climate justice, Sherman introduced Rachel to Peter Droege who supported her becoming a LEAP fellow at Peter’s organization, the Lichtenstein Institute for Strategic Development. Coincidentally, near the same time, Sherman’s intern Julia Shufro was working on a research project over the summer pertaining to climate justice and the feasibility of the creation of international criminal court for environmental crimes. Learning about this assignment, Sherman convened Julia Shufro, Peter Droege, Julia Samson, Boaz Wachtel, Duncan Pickard, Julian Agyman and Rachel together (all of whom are part of the mentor network) to serve on Julia Shufro’s group of advisors. This group formed a loose coalition looking to gain momentum on creating a people’s tribunal for environmental justice. Rachel and Julia remain good friends and colleagues given their work intersecting as fellow members of the UN system.
While there are strings to follow to integrate the environmental justice movement with IBO’s climate justice mission, there are additional overlaps with Rachel’s work at IBO and other human rights efforts. Because IBO’s work also focuses on civic engagement, she was introduced to Marcy Murningham, another LEAP fellow. In a similar manner, Sherman also connected Rachel with Hussainatu and Hassanatu Blake, Sherman’s former students at Tufts and now Convisero mentors. They are currently serving as external advisors to the IBO-partnered Project Energy for Life Cameroon Consortium.
Snapshot of PEFL Cameroon activities including the packing and shipping of the humanitarian aid boxes, the delivery and testimonials of the boxes, the training of how to use the medical devices and solar panel kits, and the visit of Elvis Ndansi, Founder of Unite for Health Foundation at Purdue University in May 2023.
Project Energy for Life Cameroon is similar to IBO’s other current effort, Tech for Justice Ukraine which works to help meet the needs of Ukrainians by increasing access to opportunity and justice for the long-term in addition to short-term relief.
When Sherman started his colloquium at Sai University in 2021, Curt, Jeff, Julia Samson, and Rachel were invited to be the first guest panel alongside George Mathew and Amitai Abouzaglo (both mentors). George and Rachel met before the lecture since they shared programmatic activity through music. George is the Founder of Music for Life International, and Rachel as overseer of PeaceTones. George and Curt also know one another, working together in the past and again introduced by Sherman.
Cody Valdes has been an instrumental help to Sai University as its Senior Tutor for Sherman’s class and for the overall institution. Jamshed Bharucha (mentor), is the new President of the university with whom Rachel shared a brief correspondence. Two of Sherman’s newest interns, Shaheer Rahman and Ravi Patel, serve as his teaching assistants. Rachel helped interview these two students as well as his other interns Ingyin Khine, Ashleigh Mahabir, and Liz Shelbred. Ingyin and Ashleigh volunteered their time at IBO for the Spring 2022 semester. Ingyin was a project management assistant to the Project Energy for Life Cameroon consortium and Ashleigh was a social media assistant to IBO’s Ukrainian response project.
From left to right: Rafael Reisz, Rachel Svetanoff, Jeff Aresty, and David Schleiker (2022)
Knowing that Rachel’s work with youth is integral as an intersecting point across all her efforts, Sherman acquainted her with Christopher Ghadban (mentor). She also met Ananda Paez through Sherman as well as Nithyaa Venkataramani, Ajaita Shah, Lumay Wang Murphy, Patrick Schmidt, and Talia Weiss. Due to a catch-up call between Sherman, Jeff, and Rachel, this led to the re-connection between Rafael Reisz (mentor) and Jeff who have known each other for more than 15 years when Jeff first formed IBO. Rafael, now a Professor of Management at the Hult International Business School, is currently working with Rachel on IBO’s business strategy.
There was a full-circle moment between Rafael and Jeff, and the same was true when Sherman had Rachel meet Talia Weiss (mentor). Talia was interested in learning about Rachel’s history with Pugwash when, at Sherman’s instigation and advocacy, she became an International Student/Young Pugwash representative. Rachel left Pugwash after 10 years of service also alongside mentors David Guston, Ezra Friedman, and Steve Miller who currently are in the Pugwash network, but she is always willing to pass along opportunities that come across her desk for Talia and ISYP.
Because Rachel is on call ad hoc, she finished helping Sherman support Patrick Schmidt’s 2022 Congressional campaign. She most recently assisted in the initiation of a Trebuchet operation alongside fellow mentor Eva Armour. Through this effort, she also met Sherman’s newest intern cohort Grace Spalding-Fecher, Sandenna, McMaster, and Grace Patrice.
Organically, Rachel is even meeting Convisero mentors without overtures just because her network now overlaps with Sherman’s. Most recently, she met Justin Hefter of 30 Birds Foundation to whom are in touch with one another. Rachel has also met Soshana Grossman and Sarah Arkin due to intersections and alignments in work, particularly from consulting and governmental relations standpoints, respectively.
Snapshot of Rachel’s Purdue Pugwash activities as a student from 2013-2018 including hosting Eli Lilly & Co. Vice President of Marketing, Emerging Markets Nancy Lilly (photo 1); IU School of Medicine Professor and Rachel’s Research Advisor Dr. Robert Stahelin (photo 3); Astronaut David Wolf (photo 5); and President of University of Virginia Dr. Tim Sands (photo 8).
The Trebuchet team, October 2021
I first became acquainted with Rachel while serving on the board of Student Pugwash USA. Rachel began attending Convisero webinars where she came to learn about our community and its involvement with driving progress towards a more sustainable and humane future. She now proudly serves as a mentor for aspiring leaders, shakers, and changemakers to help elevate each other and the world around us. I have rarely met somebody so young who is so accomplished in the context of extraordinary initiative and the capacity to create. Diligence, intelligence, dedication and a massive passion to embrace daunting challenges mark this woman.
For Sherman:
Complex, interconnected, and “serendipitous” (as Sherman would say): this is how the Convisero network functions. I would have never come across these many connections and opportunities if it wasn’t for this network of caring mentors. Meeting Sherman was unexpected, unannounced, and unassuming in the best way possible. Being able to meet him, Sherman’s wife Iris, and The Trebuchet interns in October 2021 was nothing short of fun and meaningful. Working with Sherman has opened my mind by teaching me more about the world than I could have ever anticipated. He has helped me amplify my voice to advocate for what I believe in through his genuine support. Lastly, he inspired me to be true to myself by demonstrating that it is okay to be just that and show others that you truly care about your work and the people who are part of it. A true role model, mentor, and nakama.“
For the readers who made it down here: (2024)
If any of you have found this golden nugget, you can count on my surprise and admiration of your loyalty. First coffee is on me! I may be the only person in this community from Indiana, and certainly the only one from the Gary/Merrillville region. Where I come from is foundational to the reason I am here because I would not be who I am today otherwise. It is also why I am addressing you, the reader, because I know what feels like to struggle between identifying with where you came from versus where you are today, wondering if anyone would accept the whole of you.
It has taken time to process and love both parts of myself but as a result, I realized that if I can put up those barriers, I also have the power to break them down.
It is because of Sherman and his community that those barriers started weakening, moving the scaffolding away from walls and towards building human connections. The community had started becoming a part of me to where I now refer to them as any of my own colleagues, friends, and even family. Convisero truly lives up to its mission to break down barriers and build bridges because they all — especially Sherman — have helped me do exactly that, with hard work and perseverance no less. And should you join in what I am proud to say our community, I hope you find yourself moving forward with the creation of your own bridges.