Rick Gregory, RSC Volunteer for the Ages

Rick Gregory has been there since the beginning. He participated in the very first Rural Schools Collaborative (RSC) 2014 planning session in St. Louis, and for one full year served as the RSC Volunteer Grants in Place Coordinator. Rick and his partner, Carolyn Herman, are also annual donors to the organization.

Rick is a former Peace Corps volunteer with service in Nepal ('82-'84), with additional service to public schools, universities and not-for-profits in many places around the USA. Currently, he provides outreach to elders through the regional library system. He has degrees in History, Education and Counseling from Missouri State University, Brown University and Wichita State University. He is a graduate of a rural high school in southwest Missouri.

Rick Gregory, in his words: "I started my career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal ('82-'84), and took this spirit of service into a career in education and social service. I have taught social studies in Loveland, CO, and Houston, TX and French in Wichita schools, directed a career center and community service program at Southwestern College in Winfield, KS, managed a Vocational Rehab office for Goodwill in St. Louis Missouri, and supervised Southwestern Illinois College's programs in East St. Louis, IL. I now live in St. Louis with my wife, Carolyn. My two daughters, Hope and Maya, are off on their own adventures. Hope is a senior at Tulane University in New Orleans, and Maya is a sophomore at Washington University."

Rick has served as a Peace Corps recruiter, and he was often asked, "What is the greatest impact that Peace Corps has had on my life?" His fairly set answer is, "Peace Corps grounded me in a belief that I am capable of accomplishing anything if I am working together and engaged with people who are focused on a project that makes this world a better place." He believes the Rural Schools Collaborative is one such project, one such organization.