Rachel Spates

Rachel Spates is the Director, Communications for Sun Life U.S. A marketing communications professional with extensive experience in the sports and financial services industries, Rachel’s specialties include event management, integrated marketing, sponsorship activation, social media, executive communications, business continuity and crisis communications, and employee engagement.

She also plays a lead role in supporting Sun Life’s sponsorship and philanthropy initiatives and is actively involved in the company’s DE&I efforts.

Rachel is currently in her third term as a member of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Alumni Association Board of Directors, where she currently serves as the Board’s President-Elect. She assumes the Presidency of the UMAAA Board in July.

She has served as a Vice President and board member of the Boston Chapter of Women in Sports and Events (WISE) and on the Boston Young Professionals Board of Good Sports, Inc. and has previously held positions at Major League Lacrosse and the Boston Celtics.

When not working, Rachel can be found skiing, rowing, hiking, biking, or ice climbing and completed a successful summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018. She began taking flying lessons in 2022 and is working towards obtaining her private pilot certificate.

Rachel graduated from the Isenberg School of Management with Master’s degree in Sport Management and is also a graduate of Boston University, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science.