Rachel Kurz has over seven years’ experience in non-profit and program management, and ten years’ experience in international relief and development. She has predominately specialized in education in emergencies, responding to the Syrian refugee crisis from Lebanon, and currently responding to the Afghan and Ukrainian crisis locally, managing programs supporting the influx of newcomers arriving in Washington State. She has a B.A. in Education and M.S.Ed. in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. Rachel has worked with families and students from refugee and immigrant contexts both internationally and nationally, gaining a fuller perspective of the barriers refugee families face abroad and upon settling in the U.S.. Rachel currently manages Youth & Education Programs for IRC Washington, partnering with six school districts with the goal that newcomer youth will have equitable access to quality education, and the skills and resources necessary to pursue their future of opportunity.