Rachel Hurd was first elected to the SRVUSD Board of Education in 2006, when her three children were attending California High School, Pine Valley Middle School and Country Club Elementary School.  This was after serving in various parent leadership positions at those schools, for the San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs, and 32nd District PTA. She had also served on a number of SRVUSD committees, including the Facilities Oversight Committee for the 2002 bond measure, the Special Education Redesign Team, and the subcommittee that researched and developed the district’s Special Needs Liaison position.  Because of this involvement, she began her tenure on the Board of Education with a deep and wide perspective about the district and a proven record of working collaboratively to address parent concerns.

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Rachel was re-elected in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. Throughout this time, she has served thoughtfully, guided by the principles of doing what is best for our students, fiscal responsibility, and open, transparent communication. 

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Each of the trustees serves as a liaison or representative to various district committees and community organizations. Rachel’s current liaison assignments are the:

• Deep Learning & Innovation Steering Committee

• Equity Steering Committee

• District’s SRVEA Negotiations Team

• SRVUSD Special Education Local Plan Area’s Community Advisory Committee 

• TRAFFIX Board of Directors

• San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs

• Contra Costa County School Boards Association

 

She is also on the Board of Directors for the California School Boards Association (CSBA), representing Region 7.  As the CSBA Region 7 Director, she interacts with trustees across Contra Costa and Alameda Counties and is involved in statewide educational issues and advocacy. This engagement helps elevate or local concerns.

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Personal Background
Rachel was raised in Palos Verdes, CA.  She attended U.C. Davis, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering  and met her husband, Alec.  Rachel worked in aerospace  for 7 years in Southern CA.  Job opportunities for Alec brought them north, first to Stockton and then to the Bay Area, and Rachel chose to focus on their growing family, the kids’ education and supporting their schools.  Two of their three children have dyslexia, a language-based learning difference, which is what introduced Rachel to the world of learning difficulties and special education and helped shape her “career” as an education volunteer.  Their own kids are grown now, but both Rachel and Alec remain committed to the wellbeing of children and  youth in the community.  They are also enjoying their first year as grandparents.​

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Rachel also works part-time as the Executive Director of Leadership San Ramon Valley, a local non-profit organization that provides an annual community engagement and leadership development program for adults who live and/or work in the San Ramon Valley. Completing the program in 2005-2006, expanded her commuity perspective beyond the schools and gave her an immense appreciation for how well our local agencies interact with each other and community organizations and businesses.  Rachel joined Leadership SRV's Board in 2015 and has been Executive Director since June of 2016.  In this capacity, she has nurtured nine cohorts of community leaders.

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Rachel continues to volunteer for the SRV Council PTA as member of the communications committee.  She is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Dougherty Valley/San Ramon, of which she is a past-president and the current Director of Administration.  Rachel is active in Decoding Dyslexia CA, a statewide grassroots movement, serving as Assistant Director and co-leads their Tri-Valley Dyslexia Support Group. In 2019, the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce named her Citizen of the Year, for her cumulative service to the community.

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During her time on the SRVUSD Board of Education, Rachel has continued to develop expertise in a variety of education areas, including school funding, school general obligation bonds and parcel taxes, special needs/special education, reading disabilities, and Response to Intervention/Multi-tiered Systems of Support. She remains committed to every student having the opportunity to thrive and responsible stewardship.

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