Rachel Chidester

I am a mission-driven program leader with extensive experience supporting global environmental and educational initiatives. I manage complex international programs, strengthen cross-functional teams, and improve systems that enhance participant experience and organizational impact.

At Earthwatch I coordinated facilitator and participant experience for global science programs, streamlined logistics to reduce administrative time by 20%, and managed budgets and contracts for major research projects totaling $100,000 annually. I used Power BI and CRM systems to track outcomes and produce funder reports.

I led training and mentorship for over 10 Program Coordinators, improved onboarding efficiency, and coordinated recruitment for Educator Fellowships, processing over 200 applications per cycle with perfect compliance. Previously, I worked as an intraoperative neurophysiologist supporting 500+ surgical procedures with rigorous troubleshooting and safety protocols.

I bring strong communication, risk management, and technical skills including Power Platform and AI prompt engineering, and I thrive in environments requiring adaptability, problem solving, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver measurable program improvements.