Dr. Rachael Mahmood is a 2026-2027 Teach Plus Illinois Senior Policy Fellow and 4th grade teacher at Wayne Builta Elementary School in Bolingbrook, Illinois. She is the founder of Equity Teacher Leader, LLC, and previously served as an equity ambassador and equity team leader in Indian Prairie School District 204. Rachael was named a Teaching Tolerance National Award semi-finalist (2020), Illinois State Teacher of the Year (2024), and received the Illinois State Treasurer Excellence in Education Award (2025). She earned a BA in education from Benedictine University, MA in teacher leadership from Elmhurst University, and EdD in teaching, learning, curriculum, and instruction from Northern Illinois University.
