Introducing Rae Smith-Cohn, Open Lunar’s new Director of Operations

Open Lunar Foundation is excited to welcome Rachael (Rae) Smith-Cohn to the core team. Read a welcome note from Rae and learn more about her background and position.

“I’m honored to join Open Lunar Foundation as Director of Operations, where I can combine my excitement for space and governance with my expertise in nonprofit operational leadership. With a commitment to Open Lunar’s values and focus on fostering collaboration and building essential infrastructure for a peaceful lunar future, I look forward to contributing to the incredible work taking place here.”

I’m beyond excited to join Open Lunar Foundation as the new Director of Operations! It's an honor to be part of this incredible community and contribute to our mission of peaceful collaboration and a thriving lunar ecosystem.

I come to Open Lunar with a deep background in nonprofit leadership, having worked across operations, program management, and external relations. My career has spanned multiple public sector fields, including higher education, urban and scenario planning, social services, health and social justice, climate initiatives, and professional associations. Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, I spent several years in administrative and operational roles in the international trade industry, which gave me a broad understanding of global systems and logistics. I look forward to these experiences supporting Open Lunar’s work to shape early lunar governance and build essential infrastructure for a peaceful and cooperative human presence on the Moon!

As Director of Operations, part of my goal is to help ensure that Open Lunar runs smoothly, which I’ll contribute to by managing day-to-day operations, handling financial oversight and compliance, and taking leading roles in communications and community. Additionally, my position plays a key part in delivering programmatic initiatives, including supporting project incubation and grant-making. I couldn’t be more excited to take on this role and contribute to such a forward-thinking and impactful organization.

Outside of my professional life, many of my hobbies have also been space-related! A fascination with exciting, unanswered questions about existence and the cosmos led me to volunteer with several special organizations over the past 20 years. In my hometown, a charismatic space educator at Perkins Observatory inspired me to become a NASA Solar System Ambassador, where I spent nearly a decade organizing public education events and volunteering at star parties. From 2018 to 2019, I had the privilege of serving on the board of directors of the renowned Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City. Since then, I’ve stayed involved with local astronomy clubs, sharing my enthusiasm for space with my community.  

I hold a BA in Philosophy from the Ohio State University, an MA in Public Management from Carnegie Mellon University, and I’m currently studying Organizational Leadership at Concordia University Chicago. Beyond my professional life, I enjoy being outdoors and hiking, mountain biking, trail running, or skiing with my husband. I also cherish opportunities to connect with my family, who are spread across the US.

Joining Open Lunar feels like a natural extension of my love for space and dedication to making a meaningful impact. I’m thrilled to collaborate with this inspiring team and help drive the wonderful work happening here.

I can’t wait for what’s ahead!