Rachel Laser

Rachel Laser became president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in February 2018. She is the organization’s first non-Christian and female leader in its 78-year history. Rachel is a lawyer, advocate, and strategist who has dedicated her career to making our country more inclusive. 

In her position at Americans United, Rachel oversees the organization’s work to protect freedom of conscience for all and ensure religion is not used to justify discrimination. As a thought leader and freedom fighter, Rachel has written op-eds for major publications, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, and appeared on high-profile media outlets, including MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, CNBC, and ABC. 

Prior to coming to AU, Rachel worked as an educator on bridging racial divides and held positions as deputy director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, director of the Culture Program at Third Way--where she found common ground between evangelical Christians and progressives on divisive culture issues, and senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). Rachel is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Chicago Law School. She is a former board member of NARAL Pro-Choice America (now Reproductive Freedom for All).