Rachel Gooneratne

Director of Operations & Administration | She/her

Rachel is an equity-driven collaborator focused on developing and strengthening FFI’s financial, human resources, and administrative operations to support and further the organization's mission and strategy. 

Rachel joined FFI in 2023 and oversees key administrative day-to-day functions. She is responsible for building and supporting equitable processes and policies for all operational aspects of the organization, including key pieces of people and culture such as hiring, compensation, and benefits. In her role, Rachel oversees budget development, accounting, and vendor management, and she provides financial analysis and forecasting to strategize for long-term planning. Rachel also serves on FFI’s anti-racism committee to ensure alignment with the organization’s anti-racism goals and plan.

Rachel is a first-generation immigrant who comes to FFI with more than 20 years of non-profit experience. Her personal and professional experiences have affirmed for her the need for dedicated and focused collaborative efforts to dismantle exploitative and inhumane systems. Prior to joining FFI, Rachel served as Manager of Strategic Operations at Equal Opportunity Schools (EOS). While at EOS, Rachel was a core member of the Racial Equity Committee, where deep relationships and learning opportunities strengthened her commitment to working with an anti-oppression and anti-racist lens. Rachel’s background also includes more than 10 years of programmatic experiences in refugee resettlement at World Relief, where she worked with national and local staff to implement employment programs across the country. She also served on World Relief Seattle’s Advisory Committee to guide key decisions which impacted the large refugee and immigrant communities in western Washington. 

Rachel enjoys spending time with her family exploring the local food scene (Thai is a favorite), reading a good book (non-fiction about race, culture, faith, and spirituality), watching movies (most anything will do), or playing board games (even created a triple-Monopoly extravaganza for her kiddo).