Rachel Kahn
Deputy Director, Community College Growth Engine at Education Design Lab- Claim this Profile
Click to upgrade to our gold package
for the full feature experience.
Topline Score
Bio
Lisa Larson
Rachel is innovative, smart, kind, and authentic person and leader. She is the consummate professional with exceptional communication and project management skills. Her role in leading Eastern Maine Community College’s Destination You initiative as part of the Education Design Lab’s BRIDGES Rural program has brought opportunity for individuals to build their confidence as learners, get connected to critical resources as well as potential employers, and feel comfortable to take risks and invest in themselves. Some of Rachel’s best skills include her laser focus on people and their needs, her ability to view problems as opportunities, and use a human centered design approach leading to impactful results. I am honored to have her as a colleague and friend.
Erica Hutchinson
Rachel is an exceptional professional with a clear sense of outcomes based performance. In her work with students, employers and alumni she consistently projects professionalism, compassion and a strong sense of ethics. She is a valuable team member, regardless of the focus of the initiative. She attacks challenges head on, clarifies if needed and consistently delivers. Besides her strong professional skills, she is a content expert on relationship management, career engagement, data capturing and analysis. Her focus has been on recruitment (of students and employers), but she has the ability and willingness to master any potential skill. She is thoughtful, kind and has a fabulous sense of humor! I count myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and look forward to future opportunities with her.
Lisa Larson
Rachel is innovative, smart, kind, and authentic person and leader. She is the consummate professional with exceptional communication and project management skills. Her role in leading Eastern Maine Community College’s Destination You initiative as part of the Education Design Lab’s BRIDGES Rural program has brought opportunity for individuals to build their confidence as learners, get connected to critical resources as well as potential employers, and feel comfortable to take risks and invest in themselves. Some of Rachel’s best skills include her laser focus on people and their needs, her ability to view problems as opportunities, and use a human centered design approach leading to impactful results. I am honored to have her as a colleague and friend.
Erica Hutchinson
Rachel is an exceptional professional with a clear sense of outcomes based performance. In her work with students, employers and alumni she consistently projects professionalism, compassion and a strong sense of ethics. She is a valuable team member, regardless of the focus of the initiative. She attacks challenges head on, clarifies if needed and consistently delivers. Besides her strong professional skills, she is a content expert on relationship management, career engagement, data capturing and analysis. Her focus has been on recruitment (of students and employers), but she has the ability and willingness to master any potential skill. She is thoughtful, kind and has a fabulous sense of humor! I count myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and look forward to future opportunities with her.
Lisa Larson
Rachel is innovative, smart, kind, and authentic person and leader. She is the consummate professional with exceptional communication and project management skills. Her role in leading Eastern Maine Community College’s Destination You initiative as part of the Education Design Lab’s BRIDGES Rural program has brought opportunity for individuals to build their confidence as learners, get connected to critical resources as well as potential employers, and feel comfortable to take risks and invest in themselves. Some of Rachel’s best skills include her laser focus on people and their needs, her ability to view problems as opportunities, and use a human centered design approach leading to impactful results. I am honored to have her as a colleague and friend.
Erica Hutchinson
Rachel is an exceptional professional with a clear sense of outcomes based performance. In her work with students, employers and alumni she consistently projects professionalism, compassion and a strong sense of ethics. She is a valuable team member, regardless of the focus of the initiative. She attacks challenges head on, clarifies if needed and consistently delivers. Besides her strong professional skills, she is a content expert on relationship management, career engagement, data capturing and analysis. Her focus has been on recruitment (of students and employers), but she has the ability and willingness to master any potential skill. She is thoughtful, kind and has a fabulous sense of humor! I count myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and look forward to future opportunities with her.
Lisa Larson
Rachel is innovative, smart, kind, and authentic person and leader. She is the consummate professional with exceptional communication and project management skills. Her role in leading Eastern Maine Community College’s Destination You initiative as part of the Education Design Lab’s BRIDGES Rural program has brought opportunity for individuals to build their confidence as learners, get connected to critical resources as well as potential employers, and feel comfortable to take risks and invest in themselves. Some of Rachel’s best skills include her laser focus on people and their needs, her ability to view problems as opportunities, and use a human centered design approach leading to impactful results. I am honored to have her as a colleague and friend.
Erica Hutchinson
Rachel is an exceptional professional with a clear sense of outcomes based performance. In her work with students, employers and alumni she consistently projects professionalism, compassion and a strong sense of ethics. She is a valuable team member, regardless of the focus of the initiative. She attacks challenges head on, clarifies if needed and consistently delivers. Besides her strong professional skills, she is a content expert on relationship management, career engagement, data capturing and analysis. Her focus has been on recruitment (of students and employers), but she has the ability and willingness to master any potential skill. She is thoughtful, kind and has a fabulous sense of humor! I count myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with her and look forward to future opportunities with her.
Credentials
-
Design Thinking for the Greater Good: Innovation in the Social Sector
CourseraMar, 2022- Sep, 2024 -
Enhance Organizational Communications with Slack
CourseraNov, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Innovation Through Design: Think, Make, Break, Repeat
CourseraNov, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Visualize Complex Projects with Flow Charts in Miro
CourseraNov, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Google Project Management Certificate
CourseraSep, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Agile Project Management
CourseraSep, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Project Execution: Running the Project
CourseraSep, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project
CourseraSep, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Project Planning: Putting It All Together
CourseraSep, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World
CourseraSep, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Foundations of Project Management
CourseraAug, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Data Science Orientation
CourseraFeb, 2021- Sep, 2024 -
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI)
CourseraDec, 2020- Sep, 2024
Experience
-
Education Design Lab
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Deputy Director, Community College Growth Engine
-
Feb 2023 - Present
• Lead the CCGE program, focused on supporting and co-designing micro-pathways in partnership with colleges, employers, learners, K12 institutions, and community-based organizations. • Represent the Lab as a public thought leader on the needs of new majority learners, communication with key stakeholders (e.g., funders, national partners, SMEs), audience engagement, and dissemination of lessons learned to enable adoption and scale.• Supervise and support CCGE designers to ensure program milestones and goals are met. • Manage the day-to-day CCGE activities (meetings, communications, planning, designing, budgeting, etc.). • Partner with the Lab's Digital Transformation team in managing the CCGE data collection and analysis efforts.• Lead diverse stakeholder groups (partners, employers, K12, and community colleges), in designing supportive workflows and managing complex projects;• Support the Human Centered Design arc of engagement of diverse stakeholders; deployment of tools incorporating innovation and change management strategies to build capacity, and align efforts across the learning community;• Manage the effective engagement of regional collaboratives and documentation of lessons learned, impact, and success stories. Show less
-
-
Education Designer
-
Feb 2022 - Feb 2023
• Facilitate a human-centered design process as part of the Education Design Lab's Community College Growth Engine (CCGE) by working with forward-leaning community colleges and systems to leverage innovation capacity, regional partnerships, and dynamic labor market data to create micro pathways with designated credentials that are employer validated. These micro pathways will enable learners to earn at or above median wage salaries and stackable credit for degree attainment. • Planning and oversight of Fund projects from design to implementation, including developing and nurturing strong partnerships with various stakeholders. • Coordinating people and processes to complete projects on time, within budget and with the desired outcomes aligned to project objectives.• Create and design sessions, interpret design learnings, and contribute to scaling a community of practice. Show less
-
-
-
Eastern Maine Community College
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Dean of Workforce and Professional Solutions
-
May 2021 - Jan 2022
• Lead and supervise workforce development department, including staff and budget. • Developed a three-year budget and calendar to support new workforce and professional program development based on labor statistics in the State and feedback from stakeholders, including staffing and resource needs to support significant anticipated growth. • Provide supervisory oversight and leadership of the Center for Learning Engineering and the College’s two rural centers, including staffing and budget management, with a specific focus on developing growth heuristics for scalability. • Identify and work with regional employers to develop customized workforce training solutions focused on recruitment and sustainability. • Creating micro credentials and badging solutions for regional employers to upskill and reskill employees, and for non-profit organizations to raise awareness of their mission. • Collaborate with regional non-profit organizations to create support services that address barriers to accessing education and employment in rural communities including resources related to child care, transportation, technology, mental health, and financial needs. • Member of the President’s Cabinet; supporting institutional strategic direction and organizational changes. Show less
-
-
-
Unity College
-
United States
-
Higher Education
-
100 - 200 Employee
-
Chief Advancement Officer/ Chief of Staff
-
Jun 2020 - May 2021
• Lead and managed career services, student financial services, integrated enrollment services, fundraising and marketing efforts at Unity College to ensure achievement of key-performance-indicators and revenue goals.• Worked across all areas of the College to help develop and execute internal and external communications to all stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, alumni, and external constituents.• Developed and implemented an integrated new enrollment services center, responsible for processing all incoming student documents and inquiries for the College.• Provided support to President and other Chief Officers to integrate curricular and co-curricular components into a transformative and experiential learning experience for online and on-campus learners.• Worked with the President to develop and execute an integrated career services, fundraising and philanthropy, positioning, marketing and communication plan that advanced the institution’s strategic plan and mission.• Oversaw institutional relationships with potential major donors, including all communication strategies.• Provided informed, effective, and collaborative leadership within a matrix organization and shared governance.• Established and maintained departmental plans for each supervisory area including goals, measurable outcomes, assessment plans, budget, timeline, and benchmarks for each. Show less
-
-
Director of Career Services
-
Jul 2019 - Jun 2020
• Developed new external partnerships with businesses and organizations to provide professional opportunities for Unity College students through internships and job placement.• Partnered with businesses and organizations to create and offer customized micro-credentials to fill training and skill-gaps among employees and new audiences.• Lead the implementation of Handshake, a career services platform to support online and residential students with internship and job placement.• Developed and coordinate graduate school and study abroad MOUs for Unity College students.• Consistently updated data-collection processes focused on student outcomes, to ensure intentional decision-making around Career Services engagement and offerings at all stages of the student life cycle and beyond.• Supported strategic institutional efforts in marketing, student recruitment, student success and retention related to Career Services.• Engaged with alumni to collect employment data, partner with alumni employers, and offer Career Services support as needed.• Coordinated the annual Environmental Career Fair on campus, attracting upwards of 100 employers in various green industries.• Engaged with Distance Education students through: ο Regular webinars, virtual professional speaker events ο Individual counseling sessions ο Connecting individual students with field professionals ο Helping students navigate possible career paths based on industry data (BLS, O*NET, Burning Glass) and their geographic location Show less
-
-
Associate Director Of Career Services
-
Apr 2018 - Jun 2019
• Developed and coordinated graduate school and study abroad opportunities for Unity College students• Supported strategic institutional efforts in marketing, student recruitment, student success and retention related to Career Services • Provided Distance Education students with all levels of career services, specific to individual student needs• Developed and present career-related programming virtually and in-person• Provided and administer career assessment tools• Provided individual counseling• Tracked alumni career placement statistics Show less
-
-
Assistant Director of Admissions- Transfer Counselor
-
Nov 2017 - Apr 2018
• Developed and maintained transfer admissions student funnel.• Used data metrics to inform recruitment strategy and market development.• Worked with transfer students from across the United States.• Generated applications through extensive travel, community college outreach, and networking.• Kept in constant communication with students throughout the application process to offer support and guidance, while keeping them engaged with Unity College.• Use of CAMS software to maintain student records and communication flow.• Assisted students from inquiry through application and enrollment.• Planed and supported Admissions and other campus-wide events focused on recruitment and student retention.• Collaborated with Admissions team members and other campus offices to develop and implement new recruitment strategies. Show less
-
-
-
The Sage Colleges
-
Higher Education
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Associate Director of Graduate and Professional Studies
-
Sep 2017 - Nov 2017
• Cultivated and maintained recruitment pool of graduate students from all geographic areas• Extensive travel to recruit graduate students• Use of Salesforce/ TargetX as a CRM for maintaining student records and communications• Assisted students from inquiry, through application and enrollment• Collaborated with faculty and other administrative offices to support students and ensure their needs were being met• Maintained all student application records
-
-
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions
-
Aug 2016 - Nov 2017
• Advanced and refined applicant pool for New England territory.• Extensive travel to all New England states for recruitment purposes through college fairs, high school visits, one-on-one meetings, and off-campus events.• Use of Salesforce/TargetX as a CRM to maintain student records and communication flow.• Collaborated with various offices to implement new recruitment strategies and include other members of campus.• Acted as a liaison between several academic departments and the Admissions team to ensure Admissions was up to date on department changes that might impact the student experience.• Assisted students from inquiry through application and enrollment.• Assisted students through the financial aid and verification processes.• Ran FAFSA workshops for students.• Planned and executed Admissions events geared towards recruitment and retention. Show less
-
-
-
-
Senior Student Services Specialist
-
May 2015 - Apr 2016
• Oversaw the daily operations of the Student Services office • Point-of-contact for students, families, and faculty to assist students with financial aid, registration, and student account concerns • Collaborated with various departments across campus to ensure students were well-supported • Maintained the general Student Services email account • Collected, organized, and maintained registration, financial aid, and student account documents • Helped students navigate financial aid, registration, and student account processes • Provided a "one-stop-shopping" environment where students received strong administrative support Show less
-
-
-
-
Financial Aid Specialist
-
May 2014 - 2015
• Point-of-contact for the Financial Aid office; phone, email, walk-in visitors • Assisted students and families through the financial aid and verification processes • Maintained contact with students to ensure they completed these processes in a timely manner • Maintained all physical student financial aid records • Prepared FASFA and NSLDS reports for financial aid packaging • Use of Colleague to maintain student records and log communications • Point-of-contact for the Financial Aid office; phone, email, walk-in visitors • Assisted students and families through the financial aid and verification processes • Maintained contact with students to ensure they completed these processes in a timely manner • Maintained all physical student financial aid records • Prepared FASFA and NSLDS reports for financial aid packaging • Use of Colleague to maintain student records and log communications
-
-
-
Schenectady City School District
-
United States
-
Primary and Secondary Education
-
1 - 100 Employee
-
Classroom Teacher
-
May 2012 - Apr 2014
• As a classroom teacher at the Washington Irving Education Center, I was responsible for students from grade levels 7-12 who faced behavioral and academic challenges and have had to be removed from the traditional classroom environment. • I created individualized education plans for each student, providing one-on-one attention to get them back on track academically. • Kept in constant communication with parents, teachers, counselors, and fellow co-workers to help the students achieve optimal academic and behavioral success and prepare them for return to their regular classrooms. Show less
-
-
-
Staples
-
United States
-
Retail Office Equipment
-
700 & Above Employee
-
Copy & Print Center Supervisor
-
Nov 2004 - Mar 2014
• Supervised 3-5 sales-focused team members, providing training and coaching in relationship management, and sales. • Enforced the daily use of data to communicate sales goals, consistently exceeding budgeted goals. • Worked closely with a diverse client base to develop marketing strategies that best fit their business needs in conjunction with industry trends. • Provided customized solutions to support my client's business development a brand advancement. • Negotiated product pricing on behalf of my clients to offer printing solutions at a cost that ensured a sustainable partnership. Show less
-
-
Education
-
2016 - 2018
Southern New Hampshire University
Master of Science - MS, Higher Education/Higher Education Administration -
2007 - 2012
Siena College
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), History Education
Community
