Rachel Henley serves as Associate Vice President of National Program Implementation Quality at AVID Center, where she leads with a deep commitment to strengthening partnerships, elevating implementation quality, and empowering teams to deliver exceptional support to educators and students. Known for her collaborative leadership style, Rachel builds strong relationships, sets clear and measurable goals, and cultivates high-performing teams that drive meaningful impact.
Rachel’s AVID journey began in 2004, when she launched AVID as a high school English teacher and AVID Site Coordinator. She joined AVID Center in 2010 as a Program Manager in the Central Division and later served as a Division Liaison, where she coordinated cross-departmental systems and co-developed foundational tools, including the District Coaching Framework and district dashboard. As Area Director for the Midwest/Central Region, Rachel guided a team across thirteen states, stewarded strategic partnerships, including statewide work in Illinois, and supported districts through data-driven planning and implementation. She most recently served as Heartland Executive Director.
Before joining AVID Center, Rachel spent more than a decade in Ysleta Independent School District, where she held multiple leadership roles, including AVID District Director and Director of Professional Development and Advanced Academics. In these roles, she managed multimillion-dollar budgets, expanded AVID implementation, supported a National Demonstration School, and led districtwide professional learning efforts for thousands of educators.
Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree in English and American Literature from the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as master’s degrees in Instructional Technology and Educational Leadership and Administration from New Mexico State University.
