Rachel Parker has been the Director of the Arts Administration Program at Southern Utah University, where she leads an intensive 2-year MFA residency, an online MA, and a robust undergraduate minor, for eight years. When not directing the program, she is in the classroom teaching arts administration principles, leadership, and grant writing, as well as chairing the capstone projects and defenses.

Prior to her appointment at SUU, Rachel worked in various types of arts organizations, including The Utah Shakespeare Festival and Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery in Cedar City, The Utah Symphony & Opera and Sundance Film Festival & Institute in Salt Lake City, Interborough Repertory Theatre Ensemble in New York City, The Nevada Arts Council in Carson City, and the Tony Award-winning National Theatre of the Deaf in Connecticut. She has published with William J Byrnes (The Routledge Companion to Arts Management, 2019), and recently had an article on gender parity in Shakespeare organization leadership published by Quarto Magazine of the Shakespeare Theatre Association.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre & Media Arts (with an emphasis in Stage Management) from Brigham Young University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Arts Administration (named Outstanding Graduate Scholar) from Southern Utah University. She is also currently working towards an MBA at SUU for fun, with an expected graduation in 2022 as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Business Honors Society.

When not teaching at SUU, Rachel works as a consultant for non-profit arts organizations, and is on various regional and national committees and boards. She lives in Cedar City, Utah, with her actor husband and four children (2 human and 2 canine).