Rachael Dietkus

Rachael Dietkus is a social worker-designer specializing in integrating care ethics and trauma awareness into design, social work, and technology. Her design care approach emphasizes an ethic of care through responsibility, accountability, and possibility in these disciplines. Through her consultancy, Social Workers Who Design, she collaborates globally on design research, strategy, and supervision while prioritizing training and support in building trauma literacy in design. With nearly 25 years of public service and social sector experience, Rachael has contributed to social justice, human rights, and social change efforts in various domains including non-profits, higher education, and government. She has also served as a UN delegate to the Human Rights Council and as a Commissioner with the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteering and Community Service in the United States. Most recently, Rachael has served as the first social worker-designer at the U.S. Digital Service, a unique design and tech unit under the White House, where she focuses on trauma-informed design practices across agencies. She is a fellow with the RSA and the Social Work Futures Lab, which the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports.