Full Name
Rachel Hack Merlo
Job Title
Head of Local Government Affairs Strategy (US) / Head of Government and Community Affairs (Central Region + Orange County, CA)
Company
GFiber
Attendee Bio
As a leader in Google Fiber’s growing Central Region - including the Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines markets - and Orange County, California, Rachel Hack Merlo’s passion lies in making communities better every day. She is based in Kansas City, where she manages local initiatives in the company’s first market and beyond. She also provides strategic leadership to Government and Community Affairs colleagues in other markets.
Rachel is responsible for establishing GFiber’s reputation as an active, committed member of the communities in which it operates. She drives internal decision making and engages with municipal leaders to expand GFiber’s footprint across the region. She develops strategies and executes plans for meaningful community impact work primarily focused on digital inclusion, STEM, and entrepreneurship. Working with cross-functional teams, she shapes local public relations and communications plans, and adds local expertise, political engagement and leadership to other GFiber initiatives. One of Rachel’s favorite parts of her work involves providing mentorship for other members of the Government and Community Affairs team.
Rachel serves on the boards of directors of the Kansas City Ballet and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Board of Trustees. She was in the inaugural class of United WE’s Kansas City Transformation Journey Groups, which empowers Black, Latina and rural women in the region to explore service on appointed boards and commissions. Among many boards and nonprofits she has engaged with during her career, she is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions class of 2016 and is the former Chair of the Chamber’s Executive Women’s Leadership Council. In a more creative service to her community, Rachel was a 2025 “star” in Dancing With The Kansas City Stars, a major fundraiser for Cristo Rey Kansas City Charter High School.
Rachel is in the 2025 class of Women of Influence, an awards program of the Kansas City Business Journal that honors local executives who elevate other women and demonstrate how they’re leading their companies. She was named to the Women We Admire Top 50 Women Leaders of Missouri list in 2024, 2025 and 2026; and received the 2024 Digital Literacy Advocacy Award from Revolución Educativa for outstanding advocacy for the Latinx community. She was an honoree in the 2016 class of 40 Under Forty and the 2016 Emerging Volunteer of the Year award from Nonprofit Connect. She was recognized in 2012 by KC Business Magazine as a Rising Star among Kansas City leaders under age 40, then again in 2014 as an Influential Women honoree, celebrating local women in the creative, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit communities. She was named to the 2015 and 2018 Kansas City Techweek 100, which identifies community leaders who have made a significant impact on the technology and innovation ecosystem. Rachel was also recognized as a 2013 Verizon Nueva Latina Estrella Community Service Award winner, recognizing emerging professional leaders who embrace diversity, integrity, and creativity while achieving success.
Rachel is a proud lifelong Kansas Citian who lives with her husband, two young sons and dog. She makes a habit of setting personal goals that allow her to surprise herself on a regular basis.
Rachel is responsible for establishing GFiber’s reputation as an active, committed member of the communities in which it operates. She drives internal decision making and engages with municipal leaders to expand GFiber’s footprint across the region. She develops strategies and executes plans for meaningful community impact work primarily focused on digital inclusion, STEM, and entrepreneurship. Working with cross-functional teams, she shapes local public relations and communications plans, and adds local expertise, political engagement and leadership to other GFiber initiatives. One of Rachel’s favorite parts of her work involves providing mentorship for other members of the Government and Community Affairs team.
Rachel serves on the boards of directors of the Kansas City Ballet and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Board of Trustees. She was in the inaugural class of United WE’s Kansas City Transformation Journey Groups, which empowers Black, Latina and rural women in the region to explore service on appointed boards and commissions. Among many boards and nonprofits she has engaged with during her career, she is a graduate of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’s Centurions class of 2016 and is the former Chair of the Chamber’s Executive Women’s Leadership Council. In a more creative service to her community, Rachel was a 2025 “star” in Dancing With The Kansas City Stars, a major fundraiser for Cristo Rey Kansas City Charter High School.
Rachel is in the 2025 class of Women of Influence, an awards program of the Kansas City Business Journal that honors local executives who elevate other women and demonstrate how they’re leading their companies. She was named to the Women We Admire Top 50 Women Leaders of Missouri list in 2024, 2025 and 2026; and received the 2024 Digital Literacy Advocacy Award from Revolución Educativa for outstanding advocacy for the Latinx community. She was an honoree in the 2016 class of 40 Under Forty and the 2016 Emerging Volunteer of the Year award from Nonprofit Connect. She was recognized in 2012 by KC Business Magazine as a Rising Star among Kansas City leaders under age 40, then again in 2014 as an Influential Women honoree, celebrating local women in the creative, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit communities. She was named to the 2015 and 2018 Kansas City Techweek 100, which identifies community leaders who have made a significant impact on the technology and innovation ecosystem. Rachel was also recognized as a 2013 Verizon Nueva Latina Estrella Community Service Award winner, recognizing emerging professional leaders who embrace diversity, integrity, and creativity while achieving success.
Rachel is a proud lifelong Kansas Citian who lives with her husband, two young sons and dog. She makes a habit of setting personal goals that allow her to surprise herself on a regular basis.
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