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Rachel Koegel

Director of Equal Opportunity Investigations

Nearpass & Koegel PLLC


Rachel Koegel, AWI-CH is a founding partner of Nearpass & Koegel PLLC, a boutique law firm in Upstate New York dedicated to providing neutral client services. Rachel has conducted and overseen hundreds of workplace and campus investigations, involving allegations of misconduct, including discrimination, harassment, sexual assault, and retaliation. Rachel provides her expertise to clients who need timely, thorough, and impartial investigations, as well as other neutral client services, including Title IX hearing officer/adjudication services, informal resolution facilitation, training, and expert witness testimony. Prior to specializing in investigations and other neutral client work, Rachel practiced law at a global employment law firm. After years of litigating employment cases in state and federal courts, Rachel joined a prestigious university as its first specialist in workplace and campus investigations and oversaw the university’s investigative team, which grew by 500 percent during her time there. Rachel serves as part-time faculty at AWI’s week-long training institute, has taught the AWI Workplace Investigations Basics Seminar, and is a co-convenor of the newly established AWI Upstate New York Local Circle.