About

For more than 18 years Elyse Cohen has been a sought-after leader and speaker for her unique ability to push boundaries and create some of the most iconic social impact programs and partnerships –  ranging from the White House to corporate boardrooms. Elyse knows the power of the right communication channel to break down complex messages and has worked with talented voices like Selena Gomez, First Lady Michelle Obama, President Barak Obama, and LeBron James. 

She’s currently the Vice President of Social Impact and Inclusion at Rare Beauty, a mission-driven cosmetic brand founded by Selena Gomez. She also serves as President of the Rare Impact Fund launched by Selena in 2020.  With its mission of addressing mental health built into the core DNA of the brand, Elyse works side-by-side with Selena to ensure the brand is living out its purpose to support the mental health of its community, employees, and partners. She oversees the development and implementation of all Rare Beauty’s social impact initiatives, partnerships, and the Rare Impact Fund – a non-profit with the goal of raising $100M over 10 years to expand mental health services and education for young people. 

Elyse started her career in marketing agencies and has served in leadership roles creating break-through social impact initiatives, partnerships, and campaigns for non-profits, government, and the private sector, including serving as the first-ever Deputy Director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative - working directly with the former First Lady to help America raise a healthier generation of kids and families. In this role, Elyse was a strategic leader and advisor, directing the campaign’s priority initiatives, collaborating with c-suite executives in the private sector, government, and non-profit sectors, and ensuring unique and authentic messaging strategies - from leveraging Sesame Street characters to policymakers.

Prior to Rare Beauty, Elyse was a Senior Director at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation where she worked at the intersection of business, health, inclusion, and social impact— helping businesses harness their role in creating societal impact and achieving philanthropic goals. In this role, she launched a national initiative to bring attention to mental health from the business community. 

Elyse is inspired by creating and communicating corporate social responsibility initiatives and public-private partnerships that leverage assets, generate change, and uniquely position brands and celebrities as leaders in social impact.