Rachel Peric
Rachel Peric is the Executive Director of Welcoming America. Inspired by her family’s refugee story and by the worldwide movement of welcomers, Peric works to create communities where all residents – including immigrants and refugees – can thrive and belong. Since joining the organization in 2011, she has served as the organization’s deputy director and in other senior leadership roles, helping grow Welcoming America from a nascent startup to an award-winning organization with a global footprint. The White House honored Welcoming America and ten of its leaders as White House Welcoming America Champions of Change for their innovations in immigrant integration. In 2014 the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and BMW Group distinguished Welcoming America as a recipient of their Intercultural Innovation Award, honoring its work in promoting intercultural understanding. Prior to Welcoming America, she served as Executive Director of MCAEL, a community literacy coalition that strengthens and promotes adult literacy and English language learning in suburban Washington, DC, where she was recognized by Montgomery Women with the Rising Star Award. She also served as Regional Director with the United Way of the National Capital Area, where she led fundraising and community impact efforts in Montgomery County, Maryland. She began her career managing international development programs with a private consulting firm, Management Systems International (MSI). The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Peric also serves on the board of Art and Remembrance, a nonprofit devoted to using art and personal narrative to recognize individual courage and resilience. Peric holds a BA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University and a Masters in Public Management from the University of Maryland.