Our Team
For many years, we’ve followed one belief around the world: that lasting change begins by listening.
Scott Rawson
Co-founder | Principal | Community Strategy & Partnerships Lead
Scott has spent much of his career working alongside people and organizations striving to create meaningful change in some of the world’s most complex environments.
Over 15 years in international development, including more than a decade with USAID, he has worked across Africa, Asia, and Central Asia, helping organizations navigate uncertainty, bring diverse voices together, and turn complex evidence into strategies that move people and resources toward action.
Scott has learned that the best strategies rarely come from looking at an organization from the outside. They come from listening—to the people doing the work, the communities being served, partners who see challenges differently, and the evidence that helps reveal what is really happening. Over his career, he has led a $500 million regional resilience strategy spanning 21 countries, helped shape Liberia’s $400 million five-year development strategy, managed portfolios exceeding $100 million annually, and built multi-organization platforms that strengthened collaboration, learning, and shared action.
Today, Scott brings that experience home through Beneath the Canopy, working with nonprofits, foundations, and community organizations to navigate complex environments, strengthen organizational capacity, develop thoughtful strategies, and build partnerships that extend beyond any one organization. His approach is also deeply personal. He has always been drawn to the outdoors—camping, skiing, adventure sports, exploring unfamiliar places, and immersing himself in the communities and places he encounters. He believes you understand a place differently when you take the time to listen, participate, and experience it alongside the people who call it home.
Natalie Abel
Co-founder | Operations | Practice Lead
Natalie is passionate about creating meaningful opportunities for young people to grow, have their voices heard, and contribute to decisions that affect their lives and communities.
She brings expertise in child wellbeing, education, child protection, monitoring and evaluation, and community development, with experience across Australia, Asia, Africa, the Pacific, and the United States.
Natalie has worked with non-government organizations (NGOs), community service organizations, and in educational settings. Her experience allows her to connect global child rights policy and research with the realities facing children, families, and communities. She brings a nuanced understanding of the factors that shape children's wellbeing across diverse contexts and a commitment to ensuring that young people's perspectives are part of the decisions and solutions that affect them.
Natalie holds master's degrees in International and Community Development and Early Childhood Education, as well as a bachelor's degree in Social Science (Youth Work).
Natalie lives in New England with her family, including her three children and a small dog who has traveled the world with them. She loves spending time outdoors and watching her children grow into their own people, with their own opinions, interests, and ideas about the world. Her life experiences and being mother to young children reminds her on a daily basis the importance of listening, creating space for different perspectives, and recognizing the strength in people and communities.
Rick Rawson
Senior Advisor | Leadership, Strategy & Coaching
Rick brings more than 40 years of experience as a mission-driven leader in healthcare, organizational strategy, and community development.
As a partner to Beneath the Canopy, he provides leadership, strategic guidance, mentoring, and fundraising expertise to help organizations strengthen their capacity and turn ideas into action.
Since 2015 Rick has served as Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of HC2 Strategies, Inc. A consulting firm supporting healthcare a cross-sector community collaboration dedicated to improve the health and well being of communities.
Over the course of his career, Rick has led five hospitals and regional health systems, including serving as President of Adventist Health and Rideout. He has also served as an Assistant Clinical Professor and Executive in Residence at the Loma Linda University School of Public Health and holds an ACC credential with the International Coaching Federation.
Rick is passionate about helping leaders and organizations navigate complexity, strengthen performance, and build sustainable partnerships. He brings particular expertise in strategic planning and execution, organizational improvement, leadership development, fundraising, and developing innovative community partnerships and governance models.
At Beneath the Canopy, Rick's role reflects our belief that organizations are strongest when they have the right people alongside them—bringing experience, perspective, encouragement, and practical support. He works with leaders to connect vision with action while building the confidence and capacity to move their organizations forward.
