About Rachel
Rachel Ruttenberg is an economic justice, health care, and civil rights policy expert. Throughout her career, Rachel has focused on putting progressive policy ideas into action for vulnerable communities across Illinois - working toward racial equity and improving people’s lives.
Rachel earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s degree in communications from Northwestern University, and a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Rachel grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, where her large Jewish family still has its roots. She lives in Evanston with her husband and their two daughters.
Two Decades of Experience
Scroll to see Rachel’s public service journey.
Chicago Public Schools
Upon graduation from Northwestern University, Rachel got a job at Chicago Public Schools and worked primarily on digital equity and technology accessibility. Rachel was immediately struck by the deep inequities in our public school system. She saw firsthand how different the experience was for each kid depending on their neighborhood. Rachel was determined to fix the system and enrolled in law school at night while working at CPS.
Illinois House of Representatives
After Rachel graduated law school and finished up at CPS, she joined the legal team in the Illinois House and supported the K-12 Education and Higher Education committees. There, she drafted, analyzed, and supported the negotiation of dozens of bills.
Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership (IWIL)
Rachel is a graduate of the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership Training Academy, an organization focused on preparing and propelling women to pursue elected and appointed positions. IWIL has been around for over two decades and Rachel is honored to have graduated from the program alongside so many remarkable women.
Family Defense Center
Rachel was the Deputy Executive Director and then the Executive Director of the Family Defense Center, a legal aid nonprofit focused on reforming the child welfare system in Illinois, which served hundreds of families each year. Rachel worked to highlight the intersectional issues of poverty, gender-based violence, and institutional racism and advocated for civil rights and family reunifications. She led the board of directors in planning and executing a non-profit merger with a domestic violence legal organization; the organization is now called Ascend Justice.
Heartland Alliance
Rachel led the team at Heartland Alliance that built coalitions of advocates and directly impacted people and fought for state policy change. She worked on issues related to housing insecurity, food insecurity, healthcare, behavioral health, gun violence, and economic justice. Her team led the elimination of predatory payday loans, the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and the support of the largest guaranteed income programs in Illinois. Rachel also helped spin off a non-profit called the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, which is the first state organization focused on criminal justice reform to be governed and led by formerly incarcerated leaders.
Democratic Party of Evanston
Rachel has been involved as a leader of the Democratic Party of Evanston for seven years, serving as President for four of those years. Rachel has organized large teams of volunteers throughout Evanston to elect Democrats locally and across the country. She moved DPOE’s volunteer efforts online during the pandemic, creating one of the most robust phonebanking operations in the Midwest to elect Joe Biden in 2020. She currently serves as the Evanston Deputy Committeeperson.
Moms Demand Action
Rachel helped relaunch the Evanston chapter of Moms Demand Action and served as the chapter’s Outreach Lead, hosting a successful town hall event that uplifted the voices of Evanstonians directly impacted by gun violence and youth. She supported efforts to pass the first-ever safe storage ordinance in Evanston.
After departing Heartland Alliance, Rachel joined Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office and supported strategies that advanced economic justice, such as the President’s Medical Debt Relief Initiative and Guaranteed Income program as well as environmental justice, digital equity, and housing. Her team supported Cook County in developing its Policy Roadmap and advised on public policy issues.