Rachael K. Richards

Rachael K. Richards
Executive Director

B.S. in Wildlife Biology, UC Davis, 1992
B.S.N. from Georgetown University, 2006

Rachael’s path to this work began in the mountains. As a glacier mountaineering guide and Senior Field Instructor at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), she spent her early career leading expeditions through remote ranges around the world — and learned that the best leaders create space for others to find their own way. Between expeditions, she volunteered with local NGOs in developing countries, discovering a deep passion for supporting young women with limited resources and rights. That pull eventually brought her back to the US, where she became an RN focused on maternal and pediatric health, before joining ABSF in 2007.

Today, Rachael works with grassroots leaders across East Africa and Central America who are advancing education, entrepreneurship, and inclusion for girls, women, and people with disabilities. Her approach is simple: listen deeply, build trust, and support solutions that come from the community itself. As an Integrated Capital Fellow with the Just Economy Institute, she is part of a growing movement of financial activists working to shift capital and decision-making power toward the communities that need it most.

When she’s not traveling to meet partners where they are, Rachael is in her element in the mountains and rivers near her Wyoming home — skiing, hiking, running, paddle-boarding, or floating a river with her family. She’s married and a mom to two teenagers, who are, without question, the best part of her life.