Elyse Cohen

Elyse Cohen is the Chief Impact Officer at Rare Beauty and President of the Rare Impact Fund, the nonprofit launched by Selena Gomez with the goal of mobilizing $100M to expand access to mental health services for young people around the world. A pre-launch hire, Elyse helped shape Rare Beauty’s social impact strategy from day one, working closely with Selena to embed purpose into every layer of the brand—from its community and corporate culture to its philanthropic reach. 

A recognized expert in corporate social impact and mental health advocacy, Elyse brings  20 years of experience leading breakthrough social impact programs, partnerships, and campaigns across the private, nonprofit and public sectors. She served on First Lady Michelle Obama’s senior staff and has advised leading brands and cultural leaders as they navigate a range of social and political issues, harnessing their influence to drive both societal change and profitability.     

Elyse has been featured in Time, Fast Company, Forbes, Bloomberg Business, WWD, Well+Good, and more and was recently named a 2026 CNBC Changemaker.