Press Release
Community Service Society Announces New Vice President, Rachel Swaner
The Community Service Society of New York (CSS) is pleased to introduce Rachel Swaner as its new Vice President of Policy, Research and Advocacy.
Before joining CSS, Rachel was the Senior Director of Research and Policy at the Center for Justice Innovation, working to reduce unnecessary incarceration, prevent violence, and promote safety and well-being. She also served as the Senior Director of Research at Think of Us, leading research and advocacy efforts that centered on the lived experiences of individuals impacted by foster care and advance locally-informed supports de-linked from surveillance, investigation, and family separation through the current child welfare system.
Rachel’s own mixed-method research portfolio includes innovative participatory projects to understand why young New Yorkers carry guns and pathways into the sex trade. Her work explores interpersonal, community, and systemic trauma; resistance and healing; and the structural inequities and root causes of poverty, inequality, and system involvement. Her research has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Gothamist, Daily News, Baltimore Sun, and NPR.
Since 2007, Rachel has been an adjunct professor at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, teaching courses on Participatory Policymaking, Research Methods, Policy & Program Evaluation, and Poverty & Inequality. Earlier in her career, Rachel conducted research at Harlem Children’s Zone and directed youth programs at two high schools on the Lower East Side. She is also a longtime advisory board member of the Participatory Budgeting Project, which helped launch participatory budgeting in New York City, empowering residents to decide how public funds are allocated.
She earned her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Public Administration degree from New York University, and a PhD from the CUNY Graduate Center.
“We are extremely excited to be adding Rachel, who has dedicated her career to serving vulnerable populations, to our senior leadership team,” said CSS President and CEO David R. Jones. “The outcome of this year’s presidential election will bring changes to the political landscape we operate in and create challenges for our advocacy efforts and the communities we serve. Having someone with Rachel’s experience and research credentials leading our policy work will be a tremendous asset as we re-double our efforts to advance programs and initiatives that make our city and state a more equitable place to live for all New Yorkers.”
"I am deeply inspired by the Community Service Society’s legacy of leading the fight against poverty,” said Swaner, a life-long New Yorker. “As Vice President of Policy, Research and Advocacy, I’m excited to focus on dismantling structural inequities and advancing community-driven policies and solutions that pave the way for economic and social justice for all New Yorkers.”