Rachel Bauman serves as the policy advisor for Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). She holds a M.A. in Statecraft and International Affairs with a Comparative Political Culture concentration from the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC, where she graduated summa cum laude.

A Pennsylvania native, in 2015 Rachel graduated summa cum laude from Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, PA with a B.A. in English and a minor in politics. She spent the summer after graduation teaching English at a children's summer camp in Russia, and returned in the summer of 2017 for intensive language study in the historic city of Vladimir. Prior to joining the Commission in 2018, Rachel worked in the think tank community, where she edited and published numerous articles and policy papers. She is proficient in Russian.