About Rachel

Family

Rachel is the oldest of six children and grew up with all of the responsibilities that entails. Her parents struggled with mental health issues, domestic violence, and economic insecurity.

That commitment to showing up for children and family carried on: becoming the guardian of a sibling at 20 years old, the guardian of her nephew in her thirties, and later adopting in her forties.

Rachel and her husband will celebrate their 25th anniversary this year. His career took the family from Iowa to Albuquerque, where he was stationed at Kirtland Air Force Base in 1999. His education brought the family to West Virginia in 2007, where they have lived within the same four city blocks in Morgantown since 2008.

She describes herself as a hot-air-balloon parent, hovering above, trying to float peacefully, but occasionally letting out a blast of hot air.

Education

“I understand education as a right, but experience it as a privilege.” After attending public and private school (Rachel’s mother was a janitor for the school) through the 6th grade, Rachel’s parents withdrew her and her younger siblings from school. This experience was chaotic, but she loved to read, had access to a wide variety of books, and for one year, one hour of tutoring a week.

Her grandparents, aunts, and a school librarian nurtured her curiosity. After she turned 18, Rachel attended Columbus Community College, where she earned her GED. She transferred to Iowa State, where she finished a bachelor’s in history. She completed a Juris Doctor at the University of Iowa College of Law in 1999.

Work Life

Work, paid and unpaid, has been a driving force in Rachel’s life. From the age of 8 she watched her three siblings while her parents did other seasonal labor. By 10 she was working in soybean and corn fields with her parents. By 13 she was babysitting her four siblings while her parents worked overnight shifts at a local packing plant. By 15 she was working 10-hour shifts under the table at a local church camp. At 16 she was caring for her great-grandmother who had dementia.

At 17 she was recruited to be a nanny in Switzerland and promised papers, but she was undocumented and essentially indentured. Despite the relentlessness of these responsibilities, there was a lot of joy and freedom in the work, and she was blessed with lifelong relationships with families and their children.

Once she was an adult, she continued to work in caregiving roles, caring for children and working in a home for adolescent boys with autism and other disabilities.

In 1990, when Rachel was 17, her mother was divorced, attending nursing school, and working at a packing plant. A large metal object dislodged from a pulley system and fell on the back of her head, resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Watching her mother go through these experiences is the driving force behind her commitment to public interest work.

Once licensed to practice law in New Mexico in 1999 and since licensed in West Virginia in 2010, Rachel has practiced public interest law, including representing children and families; victims of domestic violence; students requiring special education services; family members trying to adopt or become guardians; parents trying to visit or regain custody of their children; Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security recipients; and advocating for children and adults with disabilities.

When she saw her legal services were not enough, she became a licensed foster parent and saw the challenges from both sides. Whether employed by a non-profit entity or practicing pro bono, she carries her understanding of child development, family needs, and the effect of trauma and ACEs into her work to support human dignity and families.

Public Life and Volunteerism

Since the beginning of her practice in 1999, Rachel has volunteered for child advocacy centers, the Fun Factory (the children’s museum of Morgantown, now Sparks), and currently Caritas House and 211, working with residents, delivering groceries, and performing other services for folks who are chronically ill or have no transportation. Housing, food insecurity, elder needs, and child and family advocacy have been consistent areas of focus in her volunteer life.

In 2017 Rachel was elected to the Morgantown City Council and served until 2021. During this time the City and Council wrestled with basic municipal issues: pension shortages and roads, as well as surging needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, personnel challenges, and personal difficulties.

Points of personal pride included addressing budgetary issues by confronting pension challenges and ensuring that public natural resources benefit the community despite competing demands for resources from public utilities. Working with that diverse, creative, and passionate group during those challenging times was one of the great privileges of her life.

She carries on her commitments to the City through service on the Civilian Police Review and Advisory Board.