Rachel Thomas

Rachel is the lead military and policy advisor on Women, Peace, and Security for the Department of State’s Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI). Rachel utilizes her advocacy and facilitative skills to mainstream diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), gender analysis, perspectives, and protections for LGBTQI+ women, girls, and gender diverse persons into State’s efforts and initiatives. Her primary portfolio also focuses on  gender integration in civilian-military affairs, liaising between the Department of Defense (DoD), State, and other partner militaries to institutionalize and deepen understandings and lenses around gender, diversity, and intersectionality as they are applied to practice, programs, and engagements.

Rachel is highly active in outreach and facilitation of stronger and more inclusive networks geared towards elevating voices that are severely lacking in the foreign policy and national security spaces. Under Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS), Rachel co-founded the WCAPS is Out Initiative, which is an intentionally, purpose-built platform geared towards LGBTQIA+ women and gender diverse persons of color and provides a safe space to convene and build a strong foundation and support group for navigating the public and private sectors safely and effectively. Rachel is also the co-founder of Cultivating Common Convergence, a sub-working group within WCAPS focused on bridging the gap between civil society and defense personnel to amplify diverse perspectives and promote a mindset shift in national security.

Rachel is an Atlantic Council LGBTI Fellow, CNAS Shawn Brimley Fellow, and one of Out in National Securities National Security & Foreign Policy LGBTQIA+ Out Leaders for 2020. She holds an M.A. from Salve Regina University and a B.S. from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.