Rachel Wenrick has worked as a waitress, a roofer, and a teacher. All of these jobs required paying attention. Being a writer has trained her to look for the through-lines that intersect to make a larger narrative. As Founding Director of Writers Room, she developed the vision and built the cross-sector partner network needed to realize Second Story Collective, an arts-centered model for intergenerational co-living as an anti-displacement and aging-in-place strategy. Now Executive Director for Arts & Civic Innovation, Rachel continues the work of centering the arts in the creation of equitable opportunities for the University and our neighboring communities. She received an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and is co-author of singer and activist Angelique Kidjo’s memoir, Spirit Rising.