Rachel Black was a Policy Advisor with the Benefits Transformation Initiative at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program.
Over the past 20 years, Rachel’s career has been dedicated to developing ideas and analysis, shaping public discourse, and engaging public and private sector leaders in the support of policies that allow all U.S. households to experience financial security. In her current role at FSP, Rachel is responsible for the internal and external advising in areas related to the public benefits system, development of research and policy positions, senior level relationship management—including supporting partnerships between FSP and state and federal leaders working to improve the performance of public benefit systems—and external representation of FSP’s work and point of view with media and public, private, and social sector leaders supporting the advancement of policy goals. Rachel is currently also working with the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in a position through the Intergovernmental Personnel Act to support effective public benefit delivery.
Previously, Rachel was an Associate Director at the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program leading research supporting the modernization of the U.S. benefits systems. As part of this work, she designed and led the execution of research projects on topics such as establishing criteria for the successful delivery of cash benefits across federal payment systems and developing a person-centered framework for the design and evaluation of cash-based policy, which was conducted in partnership with Springboard to Opportunities in Jackson, MS, the organization administering the longest running guaranteed income program in the country.
Her previous roles include Research Fellow with the Jain Family Institute where she directed research and stakeholder engagement as Project Manager of the Newark Guaranteed Income Task Force, founding director of the Family-Centered Social Policy program at the think tank New America where she led research, partnerships, and public engagement advancing practices of policymaking and agenda-setting that are responsive and accountable to the people policies are intended to serve, and member of the Government Relations team at a national grassroots organization leading legislative strategy and advocacy on a range of U.S. anti-poverty issues.
Rachel holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgia Tech. Her work has been featured in a diverse set of outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Slate, Business Insider, CNN, and Essence.
