Governance and Leadership

Our volunteer directors are deeply committed to the organization. RSC's genesis was a June 2014 meeting in St. Louis, where future board members discussed the need for a rural education organization that "thinks otherwise."

Board Of Directors

Governance and Leadership

Current Board of Directors:

Cyrus Driver - Chair

Partnership for the Future of Learning (Retired)

Melissa Harris - Vice-Chair

Partner, Rural Ecosystems - Transcend Education

Brian Fogle - Chair Emeritus

Executive in Residence - Drury University

Motaz Attala

Senior Program Officer for Public Engagement, Gates Foundation

Brad Bernatek

Principal Consultant at Education First

Cat Biddle

Professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Maine

Mike Knutson

Learning Network Orchestrator & Community Coach - Dakota Resources

Nate McClennen

CEO - Getting Smart

Jan Miller

College of Education - University of West Alabama

Nancy Van Milligen - Treasurer

President and CEO - Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque

Andy Mink - Secretary

Director of Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative

Taylor McCabe-Juhnke - Ex-Offico

Executive Director - Rural Schools Collaborative

Former Board Members:

David Ardrey

Founding Board Member 2014-2019, Chair Emeritus

Jim Beddow†, Ph.D.

Board Member 2016-2022, Chair Emeritus

Renee Carr

Founding Board Member 2014-2018, Chair Emeritus

Andrea E. Evans, Ph.D.

Founding Board Member 2014-2016

Gary Funk

Founding Board Member 2014-2021

Joshua D. Gibb

Founding Board Member 2014-2022, Chair Emeritus

Lavina Grandon

Founding Board Member 2014-2017

Tammy La Prad

Board Member 2020-2026

Larry Lee†

Board Member 2016-2021

Julie Leeth

Founding Board Member 2014-2021

Michael R. Robinson

Board Member 2020-2023

Susan Schroth

Board Member 2022-2025

Carol Silvey

Founding Board Member 2014-2022, Chair Emeritus