Rana Elmir joined Proteus Fund as the Program Director for the RISE Together Fund having devoted her career to storytelling, and activism. With the RTF team, Rana works alongside Black, African, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian movements to build a just, inclusive and multiracial democracy through grantmaking, capacity building, funder organizing and partnerships.

Prior to RTF, Rana was a member of the ACLU of Michigan’s senior leadership team for nearly 16 years as Communications Director, then Deputy Director and finally Interim Executive Director. Working with a 35-member team, Rana led various equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging efforts, and guided legal, advocacy and media strategies and campaigns supporting BAMEMSA and immigrant communities, LGBTQ equality, criminal legal reform, reproductive freedom, and racial justice.

However, as a former journalist, Rana is first and foremost a storyteller who deeply believes in the power of personal narrative as a driver of authentic, ethical and servant community leadership. Her experiences with poverty and identity as a Muslim immigrant who fled the Lebanese civil war as a child have shaped her activism, and vision for philanthropy and community powerbuilding.

While her serious side is frequently on display, she’s also an indefatigable nerd who enjoys spending her time birding, watching Jeopardy, and telling painfully corny jokes.