Rachelle Hollinshead has worked with University of Illinois Extension since 1992. She began her Extension career in the Effingham Center as a Community and Economic Development educator. She became the County Extension Director in Marion County in June 2007. In September 2008, she returned to community and economic development programming as a Unit Educator in the Clay-Fayette Unit.

Prior to joining Extension, Hollinshead held the positions of coordinator of research programs in the Department of Agricultural Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and research information specialist in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Hollinshead earned her bachelor's degree in law enforcement administration from Western Illinois University, and her master's degree in Extension education with an emphasis in rural and community development from the University of Illinois. She is a graduate of the Community Development Institute and has taken a number of courses toward a doctor of public affairs degree from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

She is a member of the National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP), the Illinois Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (IL-ACDEP) and Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP).

Community/Organizational Visioning/Planning

Customers First--Service is Key!

Treating Your Visitors Right (hospitality training for tourism)

U-Facilitate (facilitation training)

Going Solo (entrepreneurship training)

Leadership Academies (youth and adult)

Tomorrow's Leaders (local government curriculum for high school students)

Leadership Development through Community Action (service learning curriculum for junior high students)

Character @ Work

Engaging Generations

Local Government Education