Meet Rachel
I grew up in a big Jewish family in the northern suburbs and am the daughter of social workers. From a young age, I was taught the responsibility we all share in repairing the world—one that honors the value of every human being and bends the arc toward justice.
After earning my bachelor’s from the University of Wisconsin and my master's degree from Northwestern University, I got my first job with Chicago Public Schools.
As I witnessed the disparities that children and teachers faced across neighborhoods and recognized these were intentional policy choices, I was inspired to go to law school at night and work toward equity.
As a lawyer and policy advocate, I have spent my career fighting for Illinois communities, working to pass anti-poverty legislation and expand economic opportunities.
Why I’m Running
My husband, Daymon, and I live in Evanston, where we are raising our two daughters. Like so many parents, I worry about the world my children are inheriting.
My girls are growing up in a country where they have fewer rights than I did at their age. That reality is unacceptable. I am running for State Senate to fight for their future, and for the future of every family in our community.
Two Decades of Public Service
Being an effective legislator requires a substantial depth of knowledge and skill. For 20 years, I have built coalitions, drafted and negotiated bills, and helped pass legislation that makes Illinois a better place to live.
That experience matters—and it means I am ready to deliver results for the 9th District on day one.
See below for more highlights from my professional journey.
Chicago Public Schools
After graduating from Northwestern University, I started my career at Chicago Public Schools, working to expand digital equity and access to technology. Seeing the deep inequities in our public school system—how differently kids were treated simply based on their ZIP code—was eye-opening. It was that experience that drove me to enroll in law school at night while working full-time at CPS, determined to fight for systemic change.
Illinois House of Representatives
After graduating from law school and finishing my work at Chicago Public Schools, I joined the legal team in the Illinois House of Representatives, where I supported the K-12 Education and Higher Education Committees. In that role, I drafted, analyzed, and helped negotiate dozens of bills.
Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership (IWIL)
I am a proud graduate of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy, an organization that prepares and propels women to run for and serve in elected and appointed positions. For more than 20 years, IWIL has helped women step into leadership, and I am honored to be part of that community alongside so many remarkable women.
Family Defense Center
I served as Deputy Executive Director and then Executive Director of the Family Defense Center, where I worked to reform Illinois’s child welfare system while helping hundreds of families every year. My work focused on advancing civil rights and family reunification by addressing the intersectional impacts of poverty, gender-based violence, and systemic racism. I also guided the organization through a successful merger with a domestic-violence legal nonprofit, creating Ascend Justice.
Heartland Alliance
As Senior Director of Policy Advocacy at Heartland Alliance, I led a team of advocates and coalitions that delivered major state policy wins on housing, healthcare, economic justice, and criminal legal system reform. My team helped end predatory payday loans, expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and launch Illinois’s largest guaranteed income program. I also helped spin off the Illinois Coalition to End Permanent Punishments, an organizing and campaign hub for people directly impacted by the criminal legal system.
Democratic Party of Evanston
For the last seven years, I have been a leader in the Democratic Party of Evanston, serving as President for four of those years. During that time, I organized large teams of volunteers across Evanston to elect Democrats locally and nationally. When the pandemic forced campaigns to adapt, we took our organizing online—building one of the most robust phonebanking programs in the Midwest to help elect Joe Biden in 2020. I currently serve as Evanston’s Deputy Committeeperson.
Moms Demand Action
I helped relaunch the Evanston chapter of Moms Demand Action and served as the chapter’s Outreach Lead, organizing residents, survivors, parents, and young people around gun violence prevention. I built relationships across the community and convened a town hall that centered the voices of Evanstonians directly impacted by gun violence. I’m proud to have helped pass Evanston’s first-ever firearm safe storage ordinance.
Cook County Government
My most recent role was as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, where I advised on public policy issues and helped develop the County’s Policy Roadmap. My work supported major anti-poverty initiatives, including the President’s Medical Debt Relief Initiative and Guaranteed Income program.
