Rachel Isely

As a Program Officer for Concern Worldwide US, Rachel supports a diverse portfolio of country teams in Somalia, the Central African Republic, Sudan, South Sudan, and Bangladesh. Rachel oversees $13 million of Concern’s programs funded by USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance along with other American foundations, corporations, and major donors.

Rachel also manages Building a Better Response (BBR), a joint initiative of Concern, International Medical Corps, and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative which aims to strengthen the capacity of NGO personnel engaging in the international humanitarian coordination system during complex emergencies.

During her time at Concern, Rachel has worked in more than 10 countries in various capacities, from monitoring donor compliance in the Central African Republic to organizing and co-facilitating workshops in Djibouti, Malawi, Nepal, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

Rachel holds a Master’s Degree in International Development Studies from SOAS, University of London, where she focused on labor informality and class issues in South Asia.