Jennifer Rachels’ career demonstrates a lifetime commitment to public service. After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania, she worked in the economic development and affordable housing policy arena for about ten years. From 2009-2014, Jennifer served in the active duty Army and in the Hawai’i National Guard, in jobs associated with the Army Corps of Engineers. From Hawai’i Pacific University, Jennifer obtained an MBA/MA in Sustainability, while working full time for the Navy on an infrastructure development project. As a grad student, she was also a KUPU RISE Fellow for sustainability, researching energy efficiency and consumer decision making for small businesses and the working poor. Jennifer is currently a PhD candidate at Michigan Tech, where she studies the workforce of the energy sector. In 2021, she was named a Truman National Security Project Policy Fellow. From July 2022 to February 2023, she was an ORISE Fellow with the Department of Energy’s Office of International Affairs, Office of Africa and the Middle East. Currently, she works for Idaho National Lab, as the Alaska Engagement Lead. She also teaches Arctic Policy and policy theory at University of Alaska Anchorage.