Founded in 2021, the Alchemy Group is an outlet for the boundless passion, imagination, and interest that Rachel Loewen Walker (she/her) and Estefan Cortes-Vargas (he/they) both have for the nonprofit sector.
Their work together embraces the kineticism of collaboration. The Alchemy Group harnesses the joy that Rachel and Estefan feel when working together—and uses it to create spaces where magic can flow. We love bringing brilliant leaders into that space with us—exchanging excitement and ideas.
We want to change the world—and we believe that you can have a lot of fun while doing it.
Estefan Cortes-Vargas is an expert in governmental and external relations, adept at building measurable and efficient HR and organizational systems, and experienced in facilitation, governance, and resource management.
Estefan was elected to Alberta’s NDP Government in 2015, becoming one of the first openly non-binary queer MLAs, the first Colombian-Canadian MLA, and the youngest government whip in Alberta’s history at 24. Estefan has focused their activism around trans rights and supporting QTBIPOC-led initiatives, including advocating for 2SLGBTQ+ rights internationally, nationally, and locally. While in government they co-sponsored a bill legally enshrining 2SLGBTQ+ rights in the province and implemented the first non-gendered honorific in the legislature in Canada.
Estefan has also advocated for international trade deals as the Chair of the Canada-US relations committee in the Council of State Governments and worked alongside local chambers of commerce to support business start-ups.
Serving in senior management roles for more than eight years, Estefan was the Executive Director of the Pride Centre of Edmonton and currently serves as the Vice-Chair Governance for The Enchanté Network.
Rachel (she/her) has expertise in strategic planning, organizational change management and development, as well as fund and policy development, human resources, and community-driven research.
She currently serves as the Ariel F. Sallows Chair in Human Rights with the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan where her research focuses on gender, sexuality, and human rights.
Prior to this, Rachel served as the Executive Director of OUTSaskatoon for nearly seven years. During her tenure, the organization grew from six to fifteen employees and saw a budget increase of 300%. In 2017, Rachel opened Pride Home, a 2SLGBTQ+ youth group home and in 2019, she managed a $200,000 renovation and fundraising campaign as OUTSaskatoon moved into a new building.
Rachel serves as the Board Chair of The Enchanté Network, a national organization that works to build the capacity and reach of Two-Spirit and LGBTQ Centres, as well as on the board of the United Way of Saskatoon and Area and the Saskatoon Housing Corporation.
We’re here to serve you, so that you can serve your communities.
We’re here to help you be brave, and face a changing world with a commitment to social justice.
We’re here to put communities first, so that both your processes and outcomes have a distinct focus on making an impact on those you serve.
Copyright 2021 Achemy Group