Director of Membership and Programs
she/her/hers

Rachelle A. Matthews, or RAM as she's known, is a radical multipotentialite, disruptor, and truth-teller rooted in humanity, authenticity, and an uncompromising commitment to dignity. She is devoted to dismantling oppression and building a world where those at the sharpest intersections of marginalization not only survive but flourish. RAM calls on the wisdom of her ancestors as she moves through the work of housing justice, racial equity, and abolishing economic injustice—carrying their resilience, lived experience, and vision into every fight for liberation.

A pragmatic strategist and creative, RAM’s work is grounded as much in imagination as it is in impact. She bends words and relationships toward justice, using storytelling and connection to disrupt harmful narratives and seed new possibilities. Known as a visionary problem-solver and trust-inspiring fixer, she reimagines what it means to be in deep relationship—with people, policy, and community—through the twin lenses of love and disruption, always centering justice, joy, and belonging.

Her journey has spanned boardrooms and movements alike—from leading a national campaign in response to the Supreme Court case Johnson v. Grants Pass as Strategy Lead for Public Engagement & Advocacy at Community Solutions, to serving under the Obama Administration as Special Assistant to the Chief Scientist at NOAA. A lifelong learner and self-proclaimed collector of degrees and certifications, RAM holds a Juris Doctorate and embraces knowledge as one of the few things this world cannot take away. Today, she continues to channel her energy into organizing and advocacy that make liberation feel both urgent and possible.

RAM is a mother, advocate, and builder of beloved community. She is most alive in the sacred spaces of family, books, cooking, writing, and hiking—where joy and rest become acts of resistance. Guided by her ancestors, she carries forward one belief: love is not just a feeling—it’s how we treat each other, and it is the most radical disruption of all.