Making a difference
with courage and heart.

Alchemy Group helps nonprofits, the public sector,
labour, small businesses, and social impact organizations
strategize, mobilize, and shape what comes next.

Reach Out

Research, Storytelling, and Community Engagement

Rachel Loewen Walker (PhD) is a trained researcher with expertise in community-driven research. She’ll help you determine the research, evidence, and evaluation-needs of your organization and develop an integrated research plan that draws on your organizational strengths. We are also experts in translating all of those boring reports into accessible and engaging tools, resources, and campaigns.

Strategic Planning

Funders and communities alike are looking for a vision to guide impact. We’ve helped national and local organizations become more effective, financially sound, and resilient through diligent, informed, and outside-the-box strategic planning. We’d love to do the same with you.

Governance, Training, and Policy-Development

We’re detail oriented governance nerds with experience on both sides of the board table. We can work with you to establish the right bylaws and governance mechanisms for your organization whether at the board, staff, or organizational level.

Human Resources, Coaching, and Team-Building

Whether it’s CEO evaluation, team-building, executive coaching, or internal HR support, we can work with you to address immediate organizational needs that need an experienced eye and helping hand. Rachel is a certified facilitator of the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, providing half day workshops that start at $1200 + the cost of individual reports.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policy-making and training

We want our sector to move forward—with brave commitments to anti-oppressive practices, gender, racial, and sexual diversity, and with accessible and inclusive policies and procedures. That’s why we lead EDI organizational audits, provide recommendations, and support the development of progressive policies. Our approach is drawn from personal experience, community knowledge, and more than 10 years spent working on EDI from the inside.

Rachel Loewen Walker, MA, PhD

Director, Alchemy Group Consulting

Where strategy meets story.

Rachel (she/her) is a community research and storytelling specialist. She helps nonprofits, governments, and networks build bold strategies, navigate change, and turn impact into narrative. With over 15 years of leadership in the nonprofit, academic, and policy sectors, Rachel specializes in strategic planning, organizational development, fund and policy development, human resources, and community-driven research.

A skilled facilitator and systems thinker, Rachel has served as Director of OUTSaskatoon, the Sallows Chair in Human Rights, and most recently as Program Chair of Gender, Sexualities, and Social Justice at the University of Saskatchewan. She helped launch the Enchanté Network, Canada’s national coalition of 2SLGBTQ+ Centres, and has served on numerous boards across housing, sexual health, and social justice.

Whether you’re reimagining your vision, building your team’s capacity, or looking to tell your story in a way that moves people—Rachel brings the strategy, heart, and experience to help you get it done.

Rachel’s author page

Estefan Cortes-Vargas, JD

Consultant, Alchemy Group Consulting

Bridging systems, justice, and community.

Estefan Cortes-Vargas (he/they) is a legal professional and organizational strategist with expertise in governance, HR, mediation, and government relations. With over a decade of leadership experience, they bring a values-based approach to building inclusive, accountable, and effective institutions.

Elected to Alberta’s NDP Government in 2015, Estefan made history as one of Canada’s first openly non-binary MLAs, the first Colombian-Canadian MLA, and the youngest government whip in Alberta. They championed 2SLGBTQ+ rights, introduced Canada’s first non-gendered legislative honorific, and led on both local and international equity initiatives.

Estefan has held senior leadership roles in the nonprofit sector, including Executive Director of the Pride Centre of Edmonton, and has supported policy and business development through national and cross-border collaborations.

We also work with a trusted circle of associates on evaluation, research, and other specialized projects.

“Strategic, thoughtful, and genuinely impactful.” (Placeholder)

— Name, Title · Client Organization