Description
ASCENSION Magazine’s Aug 2025 Cover Feature – Mayor Rachel L. Proctor
Entrepreneur. Advocate. Bridge Builder.
Rachel L. Proctor is the 22nd Mayor of DeSoto, Texas, a city she leads with vision, conviction, and grace. Elected during the turbulence of a global pandemic and Winter Storm Uri in 2021, she quickly demonstrated steady, people-centered leadership. In 2025, she made history again—winning one of DeSoto’s most competitive mayoral elections with a commanding 54% of the vote in a five-candidate race, eliminating the need for a runoff and reaffirming the community’s trust in her direction.
A Texas-bred entrepreneur and ordained minister, Mayor Proctor is known for fusing faith, policy, and purpose. She is the Owner and Administrative Director of the Neighborhood Christian Learning Center of Dallas, a nationally accredited family-run childcare center that’s served the community for over 30 years. Her belief in holistic community care also led her to bring the first of three Salata franchise locations to DeSoto in 2024—breaking records with the highest-grossing grand opening of the year.
As Mayor, she has launched initiatives like the DeSoto COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster), the Mayor’s Summer Reading Club, Move with the Mayor wellness events, a paid internship program for students, and “Able to Work,” an initiative that supports National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Her nonprofit, EMERGE Leadership, Inc., has awarded nearly $25,000 in scholarships to first-generation college women and provided laptops and resources for academic success. Mayor Proctor also holds key leadership roles on the boards of regional and national coalitions, including the African American Mayors Association and the Dallas Regional Mobility Coalition.
She is a two-time published author, the founder of Morsels and Mentorship women’s retreats, and a sought-after speaker on faith-based leadership and community empowerment. A proud alumna of DeSoto High School and the University of Texas at Arlington, she has been honored with over 30 awards for public service, innovation, and women’s leadership—including the 2024 NFL Alumni Association Tackle Obesity Award and the 2025 Beacon of Excellence Award from UTA.
Mayor Rachel L. Proctor is a woman of strategy, service, and spiritual strength—building a legacy in DeSoto that reflects the power of purpose-driven leadership.
