Rachael Mizuno

Catalyst, Founder of Swanzuno Strategies

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Rachael Mizuno is a non-profit consulting professional with vast experience in participatory facilitation, global volunteer engagement, program and event design, and resource mobilization. She is the founder of Swanzuno Strategies LLC, a firm dedicated to building momentum and strategies for clients working to make the world more equitable.


Rachael served as the director of next-generation at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, responsible for a large membership cohort of young professionals at the nearly 100-year-old think tank. She redesigned the mid-career fellowship program, the Emerging Leaders Program, and expanded the Council’s engagement with high school teachers and students. Prior to joining the Council, she was the director of volunteer and community partnerships at UNICEF USA, where she spent close to ten years growing the number of active high school and college clubs working on behalf of UNICEF in their communities. She created national programs and campaigns to include over 74,000 volunteers annually. Prior to that Rachael was director of programs at Lift, an anti-poverty organization supporting families and communities. She worked for the YMCA in Tijuana, Mexico, and served on the National Board of Y-USA from 2008-2012.

 
Rachael currently serves on the advisory board of the IL Global Scholar Certificate program, aimed at increasing the number of public high school students in IL who have access to high-quality global education. She is a facilitator and qualified trainer of the Technology of Participation facilitation methods at the Institute of Cultural Affairs. Rachael is a two-time AmeriCorps alumna with a BA from the University of Minnesota and holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Executive Program at Columbia University Business School. She lives in Chicago with her partner and three small children.