A Tribute to Our Past President, Rachel Kincade
By Margaret Irwin
When Rachel Kincade became active in MOSES, she brought with her a wealth of experience in direct service to unhoused youth and adults. A native of Minneapolis, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and English from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Her life’s direction was set when a friend told her about the kids her teenage son brought home because they had no place to stay. Rachel and her friend decided to do something about this. Rachel was especially drawn to this ministry, because she knew she could have used more adult support while she was growing up.
The two began by obtaining a grant to survey youth on the street and the resources available to them. Since many of these kids were basically invisible to the community, the large number of unhoused kids that the survey revealed shocked Duluth. Rachel and her friend decided to provide a home for youth ages 16-24 who had no place to live; they named it Life House. Rachel spent 17 years running Life House, fulfilling its mission to “Reconnect Homeless and Street Youth to Their Dreams.” Life House has grown and flourished to this day, providing many housing units as well as drop-in day services.
In 2010, Rachel decided to move to Madison to be near her daughter and husband and their growing family, which now numbers four children ranging in age from 12 to 21. She continued her direct service work, helping set up a transitional housing program for men leaving prison. Once it was up and running, she moved on to helping establish Breaking Barriers, a service for at-risk and homeless youth.
The director of Breaking Barriers invited Rachel to participate in a training led by WISDOM Executive Director David Liners. David showed her that while direct service is important, it is vital to change the system so that there will be less need for remedial direct service. She realized he was right when she thought about the youth she had encountered in her work, who were on a glide path from “kiddie prison” to jail to prison. Rachel says David pushed the right buttons that made her say, “Yes, yes, yes! Policy is the way to go!” And MOSES was the way to get involved, which she did with enthusiasm.
In December 2023, Rachel concluded four years as our president. Her goals were to keep MOSES growing and thriving, to keep it funded, and to keep the task forces enthused about their work. Being a volunteer herself made her grateful for the many hours of valuable time members contribute to MOSES. Another goal was to get the Leadership Board more involved in decision-making, rather than serving as a rubber stamp for the Executive Committee. This meant ensuring that there was time for discussion in the meetings. She tried to keep harmony within MOSES and to help it operate smoothly. Not wanting a hierarchical situation where the president gets all the kudos, she partnered with current president Saundra Brown in running meetings.
COVID added a new layer of difficulty to keeping MOSES on a steady course. Switching to meetings on Zoom involved a steep learning curve for all of us, and we’re all familiar with the ongoing technical problems in running hybrid meetings. Additional work fell to Rachel and other MOSES leaders because of gaps in the presence of a paid organizer for significant periods of her tenure.
At the same time Rachel was serving as president, she was the lead for the MOSES fundraising team and the chair of the WISDOM Conditions of Confinement Task Force. In addition, she was appointed to the new Civilian Oversight Board in Madison.
Rachel’s MOSES story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning her marriage to James Morgan. James’s kindness was apparent when he helped her with a broken muffler after a meeting at her church and then offered to take her to a medical appointment the next morning. Breakfast that day was followed by walks and talks – lots of talk, and the discovery of their love for one another. James and Rachel will celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary on August 26.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Rachel was elected vice-president of WISDOM at a WISDOM retreat in January. MOSES is well-represented in WISDOM leadership, since Talib Akbar serves as the other vice president. Rachel is enjoying a different form of organization that encourages the free flow of conversation and fresh ideas.
We are grateful to Rachel for guiding MOSES over the last four years in service to our mission, and we wish her and James all the best.