Rachel Décoste
Ms. Décoste is a writer, DEI consultant and recovering software engineer who has been a community stalwart since her youth, working with organizations such as Children's Aid Society, S.O.S. Montfort Hospital, the Famous 5 Foundation, PRIDE Ottawa, and the Black Canadian Scholarship Fund, to name a few.
Ms. Décoste was a member of then-Senator Barack Obama's presidential election campaign team in 2008, and again in 2012.
Ms. Décoste was named in Ottawa's Top 50 Personalities in Ottawa (2010). Ms. Décoste was named to the Top 100 Accomplished Black Canadian women (2018).
Ms. Decoste has been tapped by various media outlets to illuminate Canadians on diversity challenges and opportunities: Radio-Canada, CTV News, CBC, etc. She also published over 150 opinion pieces about diversity in social policy. Publications include the Huffington Post, Metro newspaper, The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald, Le Droit newspaper, etc.. She’s also been quoted on CNN, The Washington Post, the Daily Mail, le journal Le Monde.
Ms. Décoste was appointed National Director of a Congressional initiative to promote tech education in Washington, DC (2017-19). Ms. Décoste has worked for the Office of Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister (2023), and worked with dozens of elected persons in Québec and Ontario (2006-2012).
Ms. Décoste has lectured on diversity, equity and inclusion at several top universities in the USA and Canada.
She is currently writing a memoir about her inaugural trip to the land of her ancestors in Africa.
BlueSky: @racheldecoste.bsky.social
Instagram: @rachelandhono
