Rachel Paris-Lambert

Rachel Paris-Lambert joined the World Affairs Council in 2012 and serves as the Director of the Global Leadership Exchange (formerly known as the International Visitor Program), which advances the mission of the Council by connecting the Greater Seattle community with emerging global leaders through professional and youth exchange programs. In this capacity, Rachel oversees the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), which is the State Department’s premier professional exchange program as well as numerous Global Youth Leadership Programs, Professional Fellowship Programs, and custom exchanges. Rachel cultivates collaborative relationships with local and national partners, provides strategic support to the CEO, and leads the growth and diversification of the Council’s exchange programs.

Prior to joining the World Affairs Council, Rachel worked on professional exchange programs at World Learning in Washington, DC. Rachel gained transformative international experience working for the Fulbright Commission in Bogotá, Colombia as an adviser for Colombian students seeking to study in the United States, and for Semester at Sea, where she coordinated in-country academic programs for the Fall 2008 voyage, which included on the ground programming in Brazil, Namibia, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Costa Rica. Rachel led several international exchange programs for U.S. high school students in Central America, and spent four years teaching and coordinating environmental education programs and leading wilderness trips for the Chewonki Foundation in Wiscasset, Maine and the Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming. She obtained a TESOL certificate from the School for International Education, and subsequently taught English in Colombia and Costa Rica. Ever since studying abroad while in college in Belize with SIT Study Abroad, Rachel has honed her passion for global citizenship and experiential learning. Rachel served as a mentor for the Seattle Girl’s School and volunteers for the Glacier Peak Institute. Rachel received an M.A. in international education from the SIT Graduate Institute and a B.A. in anthropology and biology from Whitman College.