Rachel Kinsaul is a Georgia agricultural educator who lives by the phrase “getting outside your fencerows,” seeking opportunities beyond your own fields — or classrooms — to make a broader impact. She views agricultural education not only as workforce preparation, but as a way to cultivate purpose-driven leaders.

At Morgan County High School in Madison, Georgia, Kinsaul’s students have created flower arrangements for more than 50 weddings, raised more than $1.1 million in grants and donations to build a community barn and successfully lobbied for land conservation legislation protecting local farmland. She also founded a schoolwide service initiative through which students have contributed more than 2,500 hours of community service in the past five years.

As the 2026 Georgia Teacher of the Year, Kinsaul travels statewide sharing her message on the importance of staying “Rooted in Service.” She also represents Georgia’s 120,000-plus public school teachers as an ex-officio member of the State Board of Education.

A 15-year veteran teacher, Kinsaul holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture from the University of Georgia. Her honors include the 2025 UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Outstanding Alumni Award, 2024 Milken Educator Award and 2019 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Award for Excellence in Agriculture (Top 10 nationally). She also serves as the Morgan County Future Farmers of America chapter advisor, president of the Morgan County Farm Bureau and as a board member for the Morgan County Farmland Protection Board and Madison-Morgan Conservancy.