Rachel Chu

Communications Manager (SC)

Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Rachel develops communications strategies for SELC’s work on coastal resilience, coast and wetlands, and cases across the state. She works with local, regional, and national reporters to tell stories of SELC’s work and our communities. She returned to SELC in 2022 after a year away. From 2018 to 2021, she worked in the SELC Nashville office. 

“As a proud Southerner at SELC, I get to defend the natural spaces and diverse communities I love and think creatively about how to advocate for our right to public health, unharmed natural resources, and environmental beauty in a complex political landscape,” Rachel says.

“I am most proud of my support work to help SELC’s Nashville office defeat the Byhalia Pipeline in Memphis. Seeing how vital communications resources were to fighting environmental injustice in my hometown led me to pursue communications work to make a difference in the South.”

One special place for Rachel is the Fiery Gizzard Trail in South Cumberland State Park, Tennessee: “With constantly changing elevation and landscapes, you really get to appreciate the full range of what Tennessee’s natural spaces have to offer, including my favorite waterfall and swimming hole.”

Previous experience:

• Charles River (Mass.) Conservancy, communications and outreach coordinator
• SELC, Nashville office, legal assistant and office administrator, 2018-2021
• B.A., Sewanee: The University of the South
• With SELC since 2022