2019 Rising Star
Rachael L. Narel, Ph.D., CISA has spent over 19 years in the IT and software fields, having experience in virtually every functional area of an organization through both team and leadership roles. Her diverse background includes organization development; change management; strategic planning and process improvement; product management and marketing; new product development; and customer service, sales and support.
Narel is a two-time graduate of Benedictine, earning her M.S. in Management & Organizational Behavior in 2009 and Ph.D. in Organization Development in 2017. She is currently an assistant professor in the M.S. in Management and Organizational Behavior program at Benedictine. In addition to teaching both in the classroom and online, she continues to pursue research in the areas of organizational agility and thriving. She has presented papers at the Academy of Management, Midwest Academy of Management, Southwest Academy of Management and Irish Academy of Management. She has contributed articles in the Organizational Development Journal and OD Practitioner as well as chapters in books related to the field. She is the membership chair for the International Society for Organization Development and Change and serves on the ODC committee for the ODN.
In practice, Narel is a solution strategist at Peters & Associates, where she partners with clients and prospects to understand business vision, goals and challenges. She then works with them to uncover business solutions and technology that will help immediately and in the future with a focus on user adoption and change management practices. She is a regular presenter at industry events and conferences.
Narel is the co-director of the Chicago West Suburban chapter of ChickTech, a not-for-profit organization committed to providing networking opportunities for women in technology as well as free STEM programs for high school girls. She is also committed to supporting the efforts of PAWS Chicago, a no-kill shelter for animals, through fundraising and running as a member of TEAM PAWS.
