Rachel Fersh is a DC area native who grew up with two regular topics of conversation around the dinner table: sports and politics. Her athletic peak came well before the end of high school, so it was unsurprising when she ultimately chose to pursue a career in politics and policy.

She began consulting on projects for Third Way in late 2021 and finally joined the team full-time as Senior Advisor to the Moderate Power Project (MPP) in August, 2024. Before officially joining the Third Way staff, Rachel spent over a decade as a strategic consultant in the American democracy space, advising on projects relating to cataloguing and supporting the greater healthy democracy ecosystem, antiauthoritarianism, civic infrastructure, community growth and development, and stakeholder dialogue, among others.

She is thrilled that her role at Third Way gives her the opportunity to deploy a wide array of her consulting skills to help build, systemize, and publicize MPP. Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Rachel spent enough time as a corporate litigator to determine it was not the job for her. She earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her bachelor's degree in Politics, Philosophy & Economics with a minor in French from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rachel lives in Bethesda, Maryland where she enjoys coaching her son’s soccer team, making jewelry and all varieties of crafting, reading fantasy novels, and rooting for the Baltimore Orioles.