Rachel Burke

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Rachel Burke
Indianapolis, Indiana
Warren Central High School PTSA, Indianapolis, IN

Personal and Professional Information


Married for 20 years to Stuart.  We have 3 children – Katie 21, Chris 17, and Isabelle 16.  Attended Ball State University and Ohio State University, degrees in Mathematics, History, English, and the History of Foreign Affairs

Elected member of the MSD of Warren Township School Board.  Currently beginning my 3rd 4 year term.  Currently serving as the Board Secretary (2014, 2022) and has served as the Board Vice-President (2015, 2019) and Board President (2020, 2021)


Current service includes:

President, Indiana PTA; State Legislative Coordinator, Bylaws Chair


Previous service includes:

President-Elect; Federal Legislative Coordinator; Issues Commissioner; Legislative Chair; Finance Committee Chair; Budget and Office Committee Chair; Resolutions Chair; Convention Chair (all Indiana PTA)  Sonny Day Pantry Volunteer Coordinator; National PTA, Common Core State Standards trainer; Local president (and other offices) at the Council, High School, Middle School, and Elementary School level.


Community Involvement

Current service includes:

  • Jane Pauley Community Health Center, Board member and Board Chair
  • Indiana Science Olympiad, Board member and Assistant Board Treasurer
  • FIRST Indiana Robotics, Board member and Education Chair
  • Indiana Educational Equity Coalition, founding member
  • Our Public Schools Work, founding board member
  • Assistant Science Olympiad Coach, Raymond Park Intermediate and Middle School
  • Raymond Park Science Olympiad Invitational Co-Director
  • FRC/FTC/VRC/VEX-IQ, volunteer, Referee, and Head Referee
  • Girl Scout Troop 948, volunteer

Previous service includes:

  • MSD Warren Township Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), President
  • Jane Pauley Community Health Center, Board Treasurer
  • Ohio Science Olympiad, state event supervisor
  • Indiana Science Olympiad, state event supervisor
  • Indianapolis East Rotary Club, member and Board Secretary
  • Riley Children’s Kids Sharing and Caring, board member

Honors and Awards

  • Indiana School Board Association, Exemplary board member
  • Indiana PTA Beverly Zawadski Advocacy Award, 2014
  • Indiana PTA Lifetime Achievement Award
  • National PTA Lifetime Achievement Award

Rachel Burke



Candidate Narrative

Rachel Burke

Rachel Burke currently serves as the Indiana PTA State President.  She has spent the past decade testifying before the Indiana General Assembly on children, youth, public education, and public health issues.  Advocacy is her passion, and she recognizes and stresses the connection between effective advocacy and membership growth.  She is an active community volunteer and mentor.  She serves on many non-profit boards and as the president of Jane Pauley Community Health Center.  She is an elected school board member who has recently begun her 3rd term.  In her free time, she teaches middle school students high school science and referees robotics.

Rachel is running because she strongly believes in the mission of National PTA.  National PTA must embrace its tagline to be the voice for all children, and as she is fond of saying, “ALL means ALL.”  She believes National PTA must continue to focus on diversity, inclusion, and equity – both within the organization and as a public policy focus.  No other advocacy organization can speak as powerfully as we can in support of marginalized youth, and we have an obligation to use our collective voice to do so.  Rachel also has a great deal of non-profit budgetary experience.  She serves on the executive board and finance committees of organizations with annual budgets from $150 million to $20,000.  She understands the importance and nuance of dues, non-dues revenue, and asset and employee management.

Rachel believes in purpose-driven board leadership.   She believes that post-2020 boards can not continue to operate the same as before.  For National PTA to thrive and continue to be relevant and successful, the board must embrace the concepts of purpose before organization, respect for ecosystem, equity mindset, and authorized voice and power.  She hopes to be a person to help shift National PTA in this direction.