Rachel G. Shields is Chief of Staff for Greater New Orleans, Inc. [GNO, Inc.], the regional economic
development agency for the 10 parishes of southeast Louisiana. GNO, Inc. serves as the catalyst for wealth creation by pursuing an aggressive agenda of business development—marketing the region—and product development— improving regional business conditions through policy, workforce, and research initiatives.
At GNO, Inc., Rachel is a member of the executive strategy team. She coordinates the organization’s special events including international business summits, and business conferences. She also manages the activities of the organization’s Boards and Committees including the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, NextGen Council, and the SoLA Super Region Committee, which is a collaboration of business members from Greater New Orleans, Baton Rouge and the Bayou Region.
Rachel holds multiple program certificates from a number of institutions including the International Economic Development Council [IEDC] and University of Notre Dame-Mendoza College of Business. She is a graduate of The New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute [NORLI] and Jefferson Leadership, and a Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy Fellow. She is a former Advisory Board Member of Ansardi Group, former Member of the Industrial Development Board of the City of New Orleans, 2022 Board President of Algiers Economic Development Foundation, and 2022 Board Member of United Way Southeast Louisiana. She was also recognized as a 2022 CityBusiness Woman of the Year.
