Rachel Burke, Executive Director

G.A.P.’s executive director, Rachel Burke, brings nearly 20 years of experience working in animal welfare, standards development and sustainability, with a career spanning farm operations, third-party certification and responsible sourcing across global supply chains.

Prior to joining G.A.P., Rachel headed animal welfare and sustainable dairy at Starbucks, where she led responsible sourcing efforts for dairy and helped translate sustainability commitments into verifiable supplier requirements. Under her leadership, the company developed the Starbucks Dairy Standard, a global framework that integrated animal welfare, environmental stewardship and social responsibility practices into the company’s sourcing decisions. Prior to Starbucks, Rachel directed North American certification services for EarthClaims, LLC, including the delivery of more than 3,500 annual certifications based on G.A.P. animal welfare standards. She also guided development and implementation of Certified Organic Grass-Fed Dairy standards at Organic Plus Trust.

Early in her career, Rachel owned and operated a multi-species, pasture-based farm in Oregon and established the state’s first licensed mobile poultry slaughter facility. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Animal Sciences from Oregon State University. Rachel lives in western Oregon with her two children, where they enjoy camping, hiking, kayaking and other outdoor adventures the region is known for.