Rachel Bereza

Rachel Bereza is an intrepid nonprofit leader with over 15 years of experience advancing workforce development, financial capability, and systems change across diverse communities. She currently serves as President and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, where she leads a nationally recognized workforce development agency with a $36.5M budget, 150 team members, and the mission to ensure every job seeker has access to meaningful employment and every business to a skilled workforce.

Throughout her career, Rachel has held key leadership roles across California’s nonprofit landscape, including Deputy CEO of Sacramento Steps Forward, Chief Mission Officer at Goodwill Industries of Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada, and Executive Director of Next Move. She has designed and scaled integrated service delivery models like Jobs(+), secured over $100M in grant funding, and spearheaded workforce innovation, vocational training, and equity-centered programming. Her work has been recognized by the California State Legislature for her contributions to public health access and community impact.

Rachel brings a multicultural lens and a human-centered approach to social change, with multi-cultural and linguistic agility in Spanish and Russian. She holds a Master of Science in Applied Psychology from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Global Studies, Chicano Studies, and Slavic Studies from UC Santa Barbara. A systems thinker, storyteller, and strategic operator, Rachel is driven by a deep commitment to economic mobility, justice, and belonging.