Straight to the Bank: The Role of Racial Equity within Financial Services with Rachel J. Robasciotti

The R.A.C.E. Podcast

Welcome to Episode 7 of Season 3 of The R.A.C.E. Podcast. Today I am delighted to speak with Rachel Robasciotti, Founder and CEO of Adasina Social Capital, a financial services firm dedicated to supporting the well-being of people and the planet. Our conversation is bold and refreshing and challenges the status quo of what it means to own and operate a financial services institution. I am truly thankful to Rachel for her work, her expertise, her commitment, and her time.

Meet Rachel J. Robasciotti:

Rachel’s passion for social justice investing is rooted in her background as a Black, queer woman and growing up in a community that struggled for safety and financial security within a rural town that was largely segregated.
Rachel graduated from high school at age 15 and attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied Economics. At age 25, she founded a financial services firm dedicated to supporting the well-being of people and the planet. At the firm – which would later become Adasina Social Capital – Rachel launched its social justice investing strategy. This strategy positioned her as a leader in the financial industry for integrating issues of racial, gender, economic, and climate justice into investment portfolios.
In addition, she is a co-creator of the Due Diligence 2.0 Commitment, an effort to transform the investment industry and increase capital flow to Black, Indigenous, and people of color asset managers. For her work, Rachel was recognized as one of the ThinkAdvisor LUMINARIES in Asset Management and named to the Root 100 List of the most influential African Americans. She was recently honored with the 2023 InvestmentNews Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Award, a testament to her dedication to greater DEI efforts in the investment industry.

Listen in as Rachel shares:

• How her identities have led her to the work she does in the financial services space
• What Racial Equity means to her and her work
• Her experience navigating the space as a queer woman of color
• How she includes and accounts for Racial Equity in goal setting within her organization as well as in her work with others
• The importance of relationship building in her work and the need to radical transformation to make it happen
• Her sources of inspiration and what she wants to be remembered for
• And so much more

Connect with Rachel J. Robasciotti:

• Website: Adasina Social Capital
• LinkedIn: Rachel J. Robasciotti

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Connect with Keecha Harris and Associates:

• Website: https://khandassociates.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/keecha-harris-and-associates/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/khandassociates
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCukpgXjuOW-ok-pHtVkSajg/featured

Connect with Keecha:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keechaharris/