Welcoming America announces leadership change
Today, Welcoming America announces changes to our organizational leadership team. Founder and Executive Director David Lubell will be transitioning from his role to focus on the organization’s burgeoning work internationally. The Board of Directors has tapped Rachel Peric to become the new Executive Director.
In a letter to stakeholders, Welcoming America’s Board said “Since joining the organization in 2011, Rachel has served as the organization’s Deputy Director and in other senior leadership roles, and she has been a close partner to David and instrumental in Welcoming America’s award-winning success. From a handful of initiatives, Welcoming America’s bottom-up movement has grown to a powerful network of nearly 200 municipal government and nonprofit members building more inclusive communities for 1 in 8 Americans, from Anchorage to Atlanta, Dayton to Boise to small-town Nebraska.”
“Communities work best when everyone – including immigrants – feels welcome. At this pivotal time in history, it is an honor to lead the work of an organization that is making it possible for communities everywhere to invest in and reap the benefits of inclusion,” said Rachel Peric.
The welcoming movement has never been stronger; from a handful of initiatives, Welcoming America’s bottom-up movement has grown to a powerful network of nearly 200 municipal government and nonprofit members building more inclusive communities for 1 in 8 Americans, from Anchorage to Atlanta, Dayton to Boise to small-town Nebraska, and work is expanding to include partnerships in four countries.
Said David Lubell in a letter, “When I founded Welcoming America in 2009, with the help of a cohort of trailblazing welcomers, I could hardly have imagined that the organization would become the powerful force for change that it is today; inspiring, connecting, and catalyzing the efforts of hundreds of welcoming communities – and tens of thousands of individuals – across the country and increasingly across the globe. Rachel is a talented and dedicated leader who has worked closely with me and our team to guide all that we have accomplished. There is no one more qualified to take on the leadership of the organization at this critical time, and lead Welcoming America through its next stages of development.”
Rachel Peric has been with Welcoming America for six years and is currently the organization’s Managing Director. Under Rachel’s leadership as Deputy Director, Welcoming America grew from a startup enterprise to an internationally recognized movement builder. She oversaw the launch of core programs like the award-winning Welcoming Cities and Counties initiative, now being replicated in Australia, and a partnership with the Obama Administration through the Building Welcoming Communities Campaign. Rachel has represented the organization in global fora, including at the United Nations, the Council of Europe, Cities of Migration, and the Atlantic Council, and has authored opinion pieces and been quoted in outlets from CNN to Governing Magazine. Prior to joining Welcoming America, Rachel was awarded the Phyllis Campbell Newsome Rising Star Award by Montgomery Women for her leadership as Executive Director of MCAEL, a coalition advocating for and support English language and literacy learners in suburban Maryland. She previously served as a regional director with the United Way of the National Capital Area. She is based in the Washington, DC, area.