Rachel Washburn

Head of Geopolitical Intelligence at Academy Asset Management

Speaker

Rachel Washburn is a graduate of Drexel University and a former U.S. Army Captain. While enrolled at Drexel, Rachel spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles as an NFL cheerleader in addition to being a full-time student and ROTC scholarship cadet. After graduation, Rachel served six years on active duty as an Intelligence Officer, deploying twsecuice to Afghanistan; first as a member of the pioneer Cultural Support Team (CST) and second as an Intelligence Platoon Leader. As a member of the CST program, Rachel was one of the first women selected to train and deploy with Special Operation teams to Afghanistan. On her CST deployment, Rachel spent nine months living in a remote village in Southern Afghanistan with a Special Forces team, training local security forces, engaging with the female population, and conducting over 100 combat operations all before the ban on women serving in combat had been lifted. Following her combat tours, Rachel was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Combat Action Badge. Since leaving the Army in 2016, Rachel has continued her pursuit in addressing global security and instability, acting as a Regional Director with a nonprofit focused on bringing relief in the wake of disasters and armed conflicts.