Dr. Rachel Bates received her Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma after completing her undergraduate studies at Wichita State University. Her research interests lie in the fields of mathematics pedagogy in higher education, quantitative reasoning and teaching mathematics for social justice. Specifically, she is interested in student-centered pedagogies, and alternative higher education mathematics curricula. She began her academic career as a mathematics faculty member before subsequently serving as a mathematics department chair and Dean. She now serves as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Partnerships at Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, where she has been a member of Academic Affairs since 2018. Dr. Bates regularly attends and presents at regional and national conferences. She is involved in multiple national mathematic associations.