Rachel Duff serves as the Senior Manager of Data & Research for JPEF. With her skills in research and data analysis, she seeks to uplift local education issues in order to promote transformational change in Duval County. She has lived in Jacksonville for 23 years and considers it to be her hometown.
Prior to this position, Rachel served as a Policy Fellow with the DC State Board of Education, where she was responsible for advancing the goals set by the nine elected State Board members. She additionally led their Spring retreat on Co-Decolonizing Methods of Community Engagement based on research presented through the American Educational Research Association.
Previously, Rachel worked in Duval County Public Schools first as a 6th-8th grade ESL Teacher and later as a school-based Reading Interventionist. She began her career at The Sulzbacher Center where she served as the Children’s Program Assistant. She was recognized as one of the top five finalists for Duval County Teacher of the Year in 2019, and she has presented at the 2018 Northeast Florida TESOL Consortium as well as the 2019 WJCT Teach Conference.
Rachel holds a master’s degree in Educational Transformation from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of North Florida. She has volunteered abroad in educational capacities both in Guyana, South America and Guatemala, Central America. Rachel lives in Springfield with her cat, Reina and enjoys the variety of food, culture, and events Jacksonville has to offer.