Rachel Gillum (‘08), a Seattle native and proud Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) alumna, is Vice President of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology at Salesforce. Her career has spanned national security, academia, strategic advisory work and technology, connected by a commitment to understanding how policy and technology affect people and society.
Editor’s note: Rachel Gillum spoke with former assistant director of communications Manasi Mishra for a 30-minute Q&A in July 2025. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
OMA&D: Could you tell me a little bit about how you think about your career pivots, and where you are now?
Rachel Gillum: I’m grateful to have worked across several different fields over the course of my career. I believe that range of experiences brings a lot of value to my work today. I now work in technology after beginning my career in national security, pursuing academic research, and working in strategic advisory. Those may sound like significant pivots – and in many ways they were – but the common thread for me is I am drawn to mission-driven work and to complex, emerging challenges where there is no established playbook and part of the work is developing one.
At Salesforce, I lead the policy function focused on the ethical and humane use of technology. Our remit spans AI governance, platform safety, human rights, and the policies that guide the responsible use of Salesforce products. In practical terms, we help the company decide which uses of its technology are appropriate, where safeguards are needed, and how to respond when those uses could put people or communities at risk. Salesforce was among the early enterprise technology companies to establish a dedicated capability in this area. I joined as the team was forming, and it has been a wonderful opportunity to help establish this function at such a consequential time for the technology industry.
The work has become even more important with the rise of generative and agentic AI. Because the technology, our products, and the ways people use them continue to evolve incredibly quickly, we have to keep innovating and responding to new capabilities and emerging risks while staying grounded in clear principles and durable governance frameworks. This keeps the work really interesting, engaging and meaningful.
OMA&D: I noticed as I went through your profile and your experience that you’ve really been a trailblazer in a lot of complex spaces. Can you speak about what keeps you motivated while navigating those kinds of spaces?
Rachel Gillum: At UW, I became deeply interested in national security and had the opportunity to explore the field with several of my professors. After graduating, I moved to Washington, D.C., to begin working in that area. Throughout my career, I have been drawn to roles with a larger sense of mission and purpose. Helping people and reducing harm have been consistent themes.
I went on to pursue a Ph.D. in political science at Stanford University, studying the experiences of Muslim Americans after 9/11. At the time, public discourse included widely held assumptions about whether Muslim Americans were integrating into American society. I wanted to examine those assumptions empirically and understand how post-9/11 policies were affecting Muslim American communities.
That research became my book [editor’s note: Muslims in a Post-9/11 America: A Survey of Attitudes and Beliefs and Their Implications for U.S. National Security Policy (2018)]. The evidence challenged many of the prevailing narratives and documented the effects that some post-9/11 policies had on people’s lives.
OMA&D: You mentioned your journey at UW and how that started. Can you talk a little bit more about that and your connection with OMA&D?
Rachel Gillum: The Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity played an important role from the very beginning of my time at UW. Before my freshman year, I attended OMA&D summer gatherings designed to help incoming freshmen meet one another and begin building a support network. OMA&D introduced me to some of my earliest friends at UW, gave me counselors I could turn to, and taught me the value of staying connected to programs and networks that could help me grow and succeed.
Some of my first campus jobs were also through OMA&D. I served as a student ambassador with Multicultural Outreach & Recruitment, where I formed relationships with students from many different backgrounds that have lasted well beyond college and came to better understand experiences beyond my own.
The Ethnic Cultural Center also became a hub for me. It was where organizations I participated in – including the Black Student Union and Sisterhood – gathered, built community and held events. It was a place where we could collaborate, support one another, and develop as leaders in an encouraging environment. College can be challenging, and it makes an enormous difference to have a place where you feel you belong and people who are invested in your success while also challenging you to grow.
OMA&D: In your academic growth specifically, do you think those experiences had an influence?
Rachel Gillum: Definitely. Some of the greatest influences on my academic growth were the mentors I encountered through OMA&D and the broader community around it. Emile Pitre was a legend on campus as one of the founders of the Black Student Union. At the same time, he was almost like a father or grandfather figure to many of us. He took a genuine interest in our lives and showed us tremendous personal care. He had a way of making a large university feel more like home.
Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange was also incredibly warm, while carrying herself with a regal presence. She embodied excellence and offered a powerful example of leadership and achievement. Having people like Emile and Sheila invest in us and seeing what they had accomplished shaped both my confidence and my sense of what was possible.
The McNair Program was especially pivotal in preparing me for pursuing my doctorate. I remember Dr. Gene Kim offering to meet with me every week as I prepared for research presentations and graduate school applications. I was deeply touched that someone was willing to devote so much time to my growth. Gene really stretched me and held me to a high standard in the best way possible. His genuine faith and enthusiasm helped me see my own abilities and potential in a new light.
Without the OMA&D community, programming, and support, I probably would not be on the path I am today.
OMA&D: So, you talked about your experience transitioning between three different industries. What are some pieces of advice that you have from your experiences of working in academia, government and tech?
Rachel Gillum: My number one piece of advice is to invest deeply in your relationships. And I mean real relationships, not transactional ones. Spend time, show up for people, pay it forward. At every major transition – applying to graduate school, pursuing a new role or navigating an important decision – I can identify friends, colleagues and mentors who helped me make a connection, opened a door or talked through a difficult choice. Those genuine relationships are central to what makes up a rich and fulfilling career, and they make the journey enjoyable.
I have also learned that you do not need to feel completely ready before pursuing an opportunity. Earlier in my career, I often believed I needed to be overprepared and over-credentialed before putting myself forward. Over time, I realized that many accomplished people enter new spaces with uncertainty and develop confidence through doing the work. I still remind myself: You have something to contribute. Your perspective is valuable. You can enter the room, learn what you need to learn and succeed. Having a personal board of advisers also helps – people who hold you to high standards, remind you of your strengths and support you through setbacks.
Finally, especially for students, I would say stay curious. College is a rare opportunity to explore different subjects and experiences and discover where you want to go deeper. An internship that teaches you what you do not want can be just as valuable as one that confirms your direction. Each experience gives you more information about where you thrive, what matters to you and the kind of contribution you want to make.
OMA&D: Can you talk about those specific times when you’ve been ready to pivot? Even if you realize what’s not for you and what you want to do instead, it takes a lot of courage and support to transition.
Rachel Gillum: The most stressful pivot for me was deciding against the traditional tenure-track academic path towards the end of my Ph.D. program at Stanford. Most of my advisers and mentors had built their careers in academia, and while they offered invaluable guidance within that world, I needed additional exposure and relationships to understand the wider range of paths available to me.
I loved (and still love) many aspects of academic life, especially conducting research, engaging deeply with important questions, and working with students. But I began to question whether a tenure-track career was the right long-term fit for me. Within the world I was in, that was the definition of success and the one we were trained to pursue. It took a great deal of honest reflection to ask myself what kind of work and life I actually wanted, regardless of the expectations of the people around me. That was incredibly difficult at the time. Looking back, I am so grateful that I listened to the inner voice tugging me in a different direction.
In the process of making this pivot, I deliberately spent my summers working in different professional environments. I wanted exposure to a wider range of possibilities, relationships beyond academia, and a clearer understanding of the kinds of work that gave me energy. Those experiences gave me a much more informed basis for making the decision. They also introduced me to mentors and colleagues with whom I could speak candidly about my doubts and explore other possibilities.
Ultimately, I chose to build a career centered outside the tenure-track system while continuing to publish, maintain university affiliations, and spend time with students, which I love. I am also profoundly grateful that I earned my Ph.D. The experience taught me how to conduct rigorous research, think deeply, and work through complex questions – skills I draw on every day. It also brought extraordinary people into my life. The path turned out differently than I initially imagined, but I don’t regret any part of the experience.
OMA&D: As you were saying earlier, your role and team at Salesforce are relatively new, and new in the industry. What does it feel like leading in your role?
Rachel Gillum: It feels like a tremendous privilege. I have had the opportunity to build this function and team, and the people I work with make the work what it is. Every day, I work alongside extraordinarily smart and passionate colleagues across the responsible AI, human rights, and ethical technology communities. I am constantly learning from them and inspired by their commitment.
One thing I love about this field is that no single background prepares you for it. The work brings together people from technology, law, public policy, human rights, social science, safety, security, and other disciplines. Those varied perspectives are essential to making thoughtful decisions about how technology affects people and society.
Leading this work also requires comfort with ambiguity. When I joined Salesforce, there was no established playbook, so we had to define emerging problems and develop new approaches. That remains true today. Technology moves quickly, and we must continue adapting while staying grounded in clear principles.