Rachel B. Tompkins//
President
Rural School & Community Trust
Rachel Tompkins is the president of the Rural School and Community Trust. She previously served as Associate Provost for Extension and Public Service at West Virginia University and as Extension Professor of Community and Economic Development. She has also served as adviser to West Virginia Gov. Gaston Caperton; executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund; and executive director of the Citizen’s Council for Ohio Schools. She received her doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in administration, planning, and social policy. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from West Virginia University and a master’s degree in public administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School. She has written and spoken extensively about issues of rural development, community schools, and youth policy, including a chapter in the book Letters to the Next President from Teachers College Press. Rachel currently serves on the boards of the Edward W. Hazen Foundation, What Kids Can Do, and RTS. She is on the Editorial Board of the Journal for Rural Research in Education.