Rachel Harmon

Rachel Harmon is a community and economic development professional passionate about expanding economic opportunity in the Deep South. She currently serves as the Deputy Director of Talent & Workforce Development in the City of Birmingham’s Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity. In her role, she acts as the City’s chief liaison to regional partnerships focused talent development and works with a variety of institutions to ensure navigable and equitable career pathways for all Birmingham residents. She is also leading the launch of the Birmingham Promise, a comprehensive education and workforce development initiative designed to transform the architecture of opportunity in the city. Prior to joining the IEO team, Rachel was based in Jackson, MS as a state policy fellow through the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Prior to working at HOPE, Rachel worked in a variety of organizing and research capacities around issues of public education, equitable economic development, mass incarceration, and racial inequity. Rachel completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University in Industrial and Labor Relations and earned her M.Phil in Evidence-Based Policy Evaluation at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.