Rachel Yamakura

Rachel Yamakura has dedicated her career and community contributions to advancing racial equity and social justice within urban communities. As a director with Enterprise Community Partners’ Detroit team, she is responsible for overseeing multiple core programs in Detroit, including the CDO and ECDO Funds, which invests in local nonprofits to grow their organizational sustainability and efforts to advance equitable community development.
  
Prior to joining Enterprise, Rachel held a key role with Guidehouse, where she led DEI and health equity initiatives, driving significant institutional changes for a federal client. Her extensive experience also includes working with SEMCOG, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, where she collaborated with planners and elected officials to embed equity and address systemic racism within regional plans.

A champion for education, Rachel led equitable school funding initiatives for Detroit Public Schools Community District as a policy leader within Government & Community Affairs. There, Rachel led initiatives that resulted in significant increases in per pupil funding and resources for students. Her leadership extended to Lansing Community College, where she served as the Director for Equity & Inclusion, increasing diversity among staff from underrepresented demographics and improving retention and graduation rates for BIPOC and first-generation students.

Rachel has consistently championed anti-racism and social justice through her consulting work and volunteer efforts, including leading legislative campaigns on bail reform and serving on the Michigan Department of Civil Rights’ Council for Government and Education on Equity and Inclusion. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University, where she studied colonialism and race within Latin America and the Caribbean, and a master’s degree in public administration and policy from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.