Rachael M Coukoulis
Rachael Coukoulis is a Senior Strategic Account Executive at Paylocity, specializing in HR and payroll technology solutions that support the employee lifecycle from hire to exit. With over six years at Paylocity, Rachael has successfully transitioned from staffing and recruitment roles into technology sales, where she helps organizations across Texas streamline operations, improve efficiency, and retain top talent. She consistently ranks among the company’s top performers, having earned the President’s Club and Circle of Excellence qualifications for three consecutive years, reflecting her commitment to excellence and client-focused approach.
Rachael’s professional philosophy centers on authenticity, ethical relationship-building, and long-term impact. She prioritizes understanding her clients’ unique challenges and delivering tailored solutions that empower HR, payroll, and finance teams. Beyond her core responsibilities, Rachael is passionate about mentoring women in business, supporting entrepreneurship, and fostering leadership through public speaking engagements at women’s empowerment and professional development events. She believes in the power of collaboration and the importance of “dropping the ladder” to lift others as she rises, a principle that guides her interactions both inside and outside the workplace.
A graduate of Arizona State University, Rachael earned dual degrees in Journalism & Mass Communication and Business Administration with a focus on Marketing and Sales. Her educational background, combined with her experience in media, public relations, and strategic account management, equips her with a unique perspective on communication, client engagement, and technology adoption. Outside of work, Rachael enjoys exploring new destinations, spending time with her dog, and cultivating meaningful personal and professional connections, reflecting her belief in balance, growth, and continuous learning.
• President's Club Qualifier
• Circle of Excellence Qualifier
• Arizona State University – Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Marketing & Sales
• Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University – Bachelor of Journalism & Mass Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
• Magna Cum Laude Graduate – Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, Arizona State University
• Dean’s List – Arizona State University
• Mentoring Women in Professional World
• Public Speaking at Women's Empowerment Events
What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to say my success for the majority of my life has always really stemmed from the support system that I have behind me. My family, I'm extremely close with them. Leaving them in Arizona when I moved to Dallas was probably the hardest thing that I've ever done and the hardest decision I've ever made. But their unconditional support, their positivity, all of the phone calls that they've gotten from me throughout my life of frustration with jobs, with days, with finding new positions, you name it - my parents have always been my rock, and my little brother as well. I actually got my little brother to move out to Texas, out to Dallas about 3 years ago too, so that has been awesome having him here. It's the support from my friends and the people that truly know me and truly know what my day-to-day life entails, those that are checking in on you. I also come from a family where the women in my family have always been unstoppable. They've always been - whatever they set their mind to, whatever obstacles rise in front of them, they plow right through that and they get to the other side and just keep going. I've been very, very blessed to be a part of a family that I have so many powerful women as examples that I got to see growing up, and I still get to see in my professional career. That kind of laid the groundwork to where I never felt like there was anything that I could not achieve if I did not put my mind to it.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've ever received is if you are ever in a room and you do not feel uncomfortable, you do not feel out of place, you don't feel like you don't belong, then you are in the right room, because the second that you feel comfortable is the second that you are no longer growing, you are no longer evolving, you're no longer challenging yourself. I know that everybody says that sometimes feeling comfortable can be a good thing, where you feel good where you are, but that is the best advice that I ever received - that if you ever feel comfortable in a room, then you better change that room that you are in, because you're no longer growing and challenging yourself.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice that I would give is, one, when you're first starting out, make yourself a sponge. Make sure that you soak in as much information. You're a part of as many conversations and rooms as you possibly can. And then, once you do, and you identify somebody that can truly be a mentor for you, not just in the workplace, but also outside of the workplace - somebody who, you know, women have sometimes been known for, instead of helping others along, they pull the ladder up in front of them. Find that person that drops that ladder down for you and brings you up with them. And once that happens, make sure that you do the exact same thing, and you drop that ladder for other women around you.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
This has actually been the most challenging year that I've seen in my industry, and I think it's just because the workforce is changing so much. There is so much uncertainty out there as to what is this going to look like a year from now. I mean certain positions - we have AI coming and everybody's more afraid of technology than embracing it in a lot of industries. And with where the economy has been at the past couple of years, and we're working through that right now, there's just been a lot of uncertainty, a lot of turnover, a lot of change within organizations. I think just breaking through that wall of that first conversation of, let me just understand what challenges you are having - as soon as we can break through that, it's always going to be a great conversation and building a relationship for the long term. But I feel like just with the uncertainty of the changes we're experiencing across the board, that has made C-suite and CFOs and CEOs a little bit more closed off and reserved. At the end of the day, I'm lucky to be offering a technology to companies that they truly do need. It's one of those where they need it, especially if they're growing, and they need to be as efficient as possible with their organization, their time, their money. Our technology is the answer to that, and so it's all about just staying consistent and building those relationships, and it always comes around one way or another.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my work, I would always say that my biggest value is just being as advertised. I always try to be 100% authentically myself, whether I am in a business conversation or a personal conversation. I feel like a lot of the time, salespeople can get a bad rap because they just put on their sales persona, they aren't as ethical on that end when it comes to - they just want to close business and move on. For me, it has always been about the people that I can help, the relationships that I build, more than anything else. At the end of the day, just being 100% authentically myself, whether that gets me business right now, or brings me business 5 years from now, or never brings me business, and I gain somebody that can be a really, really good connection in my networking, or in my professional life, or even a friendship on that end - that's essentially always my goal.