Hi, I’m Rachael.
I'm a social worker, designer, and strategist working at the intersection of care, technology, and systems change.
I bring a social work perspective to the way we research, design, and deliver services—and to the organizational conditions that shape how that work happens.
As the founder of Social Workers Who Design, I help organizations move beyond good intentions to make care, dignity, safety, and accountability foundational to their work.
My practice draws on clinical social work, human-centered design, research, public service, and organizational leadership.
I believe how we do the work matters just as much as what we create.
Trauma-informed and trauma-responsive design
Ethical research and researcher care
Public interest technology and government services
Organizational care and reflective practice
Service design and systems change
Administrative burden, access, and equity
Human-centered technology and AI
Social work futures and interdisciplinary practice
I've spent more than 20 years working across the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors.
My experience spans direct social work practice, organizational leadership, design research, public service transformation, teaching, and strategic advising.
I've held roles with the U.S. Digital Service, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the University of Illinois, and collaborated with design firms, public agencies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and interdisciplinary teams.
Across these settings, I've learned that meaningful change requires more than better products, services, or processes. It requires examining the institutional conditions that shape people's experiences and the people responsible for delivering those services.