PROJECT COORDINATOR
- Master’s degree in Public Health from Grand Valley State University
- 4 years of built environment and parks and recreation planning in rural communities
Fostering community connection through built environment and public health initiatives
Rachel is the new project coordinator, transitioning from her internship with Activate Barry County as the community coordinator. Rachel graduated from Michigan State University in 2018 with her bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture. For the past 4 years, she has been working with rural communities to advance their built environment and has worked on projects including parks and recreation planning, trail planning and design, playground design, streetscape design, and other community public space design.
Rachel returned to school in 2021 to obtain her master’s degree in Public Health from Grand Valley State University and is expected to graduate in May of 2023. While in school, Rachel was fascinated and inspired by the Blue Zones and Blue Zones Projects, which helped lead her to Barry County. With her passion for advancing community health in the built environment and her experience in rural communities, Rachel is excited to continue working with the great folks of Barry County and help support initiatives and programs that foster public health, economic development, and community connection.
