Raquel is a global development professional with nearly two decades of experience working with the United Nations, development finance organizations, government agencies and innovative startups across Africa, North America and Europe.

An advocate for more equitable and sustainable communities, she is a former diplomat with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, where she led the deployment of the first online platform for hate crime monitoring and reporting.

Raquel has supported the Federal Government of Somalia in connecting rural women to government services, led communications strategy for the African Development Bank’s Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund, and since 2006, has remained on UNICEF's global consultant roster, providing digital and strategic communications for offices across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Dakar Farmers Market, Raquel created a community-focused approach to promoting economic growth for local food producers–generating more than $25,000 in monthly vendor revenue for the one-day event.

She is a founding member of Slow Food International's Dakar community and joined the official Senegalese delegation to Terra Madre 2016, a biennial convening of global food actors working to establish clean and fair food systems.