Rachael Tutwiler Fortune is the President of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, where she works to close the opportunity gap by activating community support, connecting partners, and advancing effective ideas for student success. In addition to her role at JPEF, Rachael is an Adjunct Instructor of Leadership at the University of North Florida.
Rachael has held influential roles at the national level, including Senior Director of the GradNation Campaign at America’s Promise Alliance and Program Officer in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama Administration. In these roles, she managed multi-million-dollar Race to the Top grants and supported state and community entities in advancing reform initiatives.
Before returning to JPEF, Rachael served as an Education Pioneers Fellow at Oakland Unified School District, enhancing strategic planning for community schools. She earlier led JPEF’s ONE-by-ONE campaign, rallying stakeholders to develop a shared vision for local education. Her career began as a Teach for America corps member teaching at S.P. Livingston Elementary School in Duval County.
Rachael serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville and the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations and sits on the Board of Directors for Baptist Health System and City Year Jacksonville. She also holds advisory roles with Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida’s College of Arts and Sciences. Rachael holds a master’s degree in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership from Stanford University and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of North Florida.
Recognized for her leadership, Rachael was named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council in 2023 and one of the First Coast’s 40 under 40 by the Jacksonville Business Journal in 2020. She is an alumna of Leadership Florida’s Education Class of 2018 and Leadership Jacksonville’s Class of 2022.
Rachael is married to Emmanuel Fortune and is the proud mother of their three children, Nicholas, Elle, and Riley.