The Dallas Morning News is profiling Texans who are making an impact today and inspiring future generations.
Rachel L. Proctor currently serves as the city of DeSoto’s 22nd mayor, and she will go down in the predominantly-African American city’s history books as the second woman — and just the third Black person — to ever hold the position.
But Proctor does more than just serve as the city’s mayor. She is also an entrepreneur with three businesses, a two-time published author, a mentor and an ordained elder. But those who work closely with her refer to her as the “ultimate public servant” because her love for the community shines through everything she does.
“I really just want to be remembered as somebody who helped people … whether that’s through [the] city, business or ministry,” Proctor said. “I do so many things, but I try to be somebody that people can call on.”
Serving through many avenues
Proctor, 44, describes her childhood as the “best of both worlds” having grown up in the church and in her family’s businesses. She said her upbringing taught her “how to serve others,” ultimately fueling her pursuits and overall love for the community.
“The reason why I navigated into ministry and public service is because of growing up in the church and learning how to serve others, learning how to just be a service to all mankind, and learning just how to really help people out that are around you.”
Proctor, having never held a corporate position, said she has only worked in her family’s businesses, one of which is a child care center that has been operating for over 30 years. She, along with her sister, are now the owners of the center — Neighborhood Christian Learning Center of Dallas — located in east Oak Cliff.
Proctor is the founder of nonprofit Emerge Leadership Inc., which assists young girls transitioning from high school to college, equipping them with the tools needed to succeed, such as scholarships. As a first-generation college student who “had no idea” what she was doing at first, Proctor sought to help others navigate the transition.
“One of the reasons why I started [Emerge] was to help other first-generation college students be able to navigate that pathway,” she expressed. “Just being for other people, what I wish I would have had for me during that time, in terms of mentorship, in terms of guidance.”
Proctor also became a Salata Salad Kitchen franchisee last year.
Proctor recognized that southern Dallas and southern Dallas County cities were “healthy food desserts” in need of more healthy options to choose from, she said, prompting her to open a Salata location in Midlothian, the first in the area, with more in the pipeline.
A DeSoto native, Proctor began her career in government roughly 15 years ago serving as a council member for the city. She started in her first term as mayor in 2022.Related:Newly elected DeSoto Mayor Rachel Proctor pledges accountability
Proctor described the importance of her and the other city council members’ jobs and how they “impact people’s quality of life” with the policies they enforce. She added that it’s a “real responsibility.”
“I think about all the people that live here in our city that I have jurisdiction over — and that’s almost 60,000 people. That’s a lot of people to be responsible for,” she said. “The decisions we make as a council, as mayor, the residents have to live with [them].”
Lori Mathis, a DeSoto resident of nearly 20 years who is a long-time educator and assistant principal at DeSoto High School, said Proctor spends a lot of her time out in the public, making herself available to the community.
“She goes everywhere,” Mathis said. “Doesn’t matter where — if it’s at school, if it’s at church. I mean, she’s everywhere, and people admire her.”
She’s so busy, yet she’s willing to make the time to take care of everyone.DeSoto City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry on Mayor Rachel L. Proctor
Although the DeSoto mayor role is part time, Proctor is “always on,” DeSoto Communications & Marketing Manager Liz Ortiz said, and she plays a significant part in shaping the city’s policy and operational goals.
Proctor said her ability to juggle her mayoral duties and business affairs — and juggle them well — is because “God has given her the grace” to be able to do everything she’s been called to do.
However, when you’re “multi-passionate,” it’s more about starting with one thing and getting solid in that one thing, she said.
“You see me doing the business, and you see me doing this, and you see me being the mayor. But it was really about starting with one thing, and getting that solid, and then adding on more,” she explained. “You can’t add more to your life without having to take something off your plate. You can only give 100%.”
With all that she’s done and all that she’s involved in, Proctor said she’s proud of the opportunities she’s been given to impact people.
“I’m really grateful that I’ve been trusted to be able to do all the [these] things,” she said.
Love for the community
Proctor and her family moved from Oak Cliff to DeSoto when she was in the third grade. Her love and passion for DeSoto is a result of how much the city invested into her when she was a child, shaping who she is today, she said.
“DeSoto is a community that has given so much to me as a young person,” she added. “Without the experiences, without the education, without the relationships, without just all the things that DeSoto has given to me, I don’t think I would be the person that I am today.”
Proctor said she’s passionate about giving back to the community that has given so much to her.
A lot of Proctor’s family members still live in DeSoto along with many of her teachers, educators and people she cares about, she said, so she strives to shape the city into what they “all know it can be.”
“Being able to make DeSoto the premier community that we all know it can be and is, is very important to me.”
Proctor is a DeSoto ISD alumni, having attended the district’s schools since third grade and graduating from DeSoto High School in 1999. This fostered in her a love for the young people and students in the district.
Mathis said Proctor is a “strong advocate” for DeSoto’s schools. The mayor said she even considered running for a seat on the district’s board of trustees prior to her joining the City Council over a decade ago.
“I’ve gotten used to having [Proctor] around, supporting the kids,” Mathis said. “If anyone asks her for anything that they’re needing, she’s there [and] the city is there to provide it.”
I see me in those kids. And seeing myself in them makes me want to do more for the community, because I understand what mentorship means. I understand what relationships mean.DeSoto Mayor Rachel L. Proctor
DeSoto City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry, who has only been in the role eight months, said one of the reasons he came to DeSoto is because of what he heard about Proctor’s reputation. Working with her and seeing it firsthand, he said, he was amazed.
“[Proctor] leads with integrity and true, genuine care of the community,” he said. “She’s very passionate about her community. She creates collaboration — she bridges the gap and really cares about relationships.”
‘Representation matters’
Years ago, when Proctor looked at the DeSoto City Council, she said she didn’t see anyone “who looked like her,” which prompted her to be the change she wanted to see.
“Representation matters,” she said. “I think it’s very important for the Black community to really see people in positions like what we have here — to be able to have those examples for young girls and young boys.”
Over the years, DeSoto has transitioned from being a predominantly white town, with very few minority residents, to one where minority residents are now the majority, data shows.
Because majority-minority communities are often associated with a “negative stigma,” Proctor said she works hard to make sure the term comes with “a sense of pride” for her community.
“When people come to DeSoto, they don’t see the things that oftentimes are associated with minority communities,” she said. “They see a very affluent community, a very engaged community, a very energetic and healthy community.”
An impact to be remembered
Proctor keeps a box in her office filled with all the ‘thank you’ tokens she has received over the years. She said it keeps her “grounded” and helps to remind her why she’s doing this.
“I probably have … thousands of notes and clippings and just little things that help to remind me of the people that my life is impacting,” she said. “Because there are a lot of times when I’m like, ‘why am I doing this.’”
But ultimately, Proctor wants to be remembered as someone who tried to “help things be better,” in whatever capacity she has been afforded to do so, she said.
Proctor has been instrumental in bringing big projects to DeSoto and giving back to the community, Mathis said, and she believes people will always remember Proctor for that.
She is always … making you feel worthy. She’s just overall a great person. She’s there for you when you need [her].Dr. Lori Mathis on DeSoto Mayor Rachel L. Proctor.
Al-Ghafry shared how he is “a big fan” of Proctor. He added that she’s “not just a politician,” but a “great human being.”
“[Proctor is] going to be remembered for her impact on the community,” he noted. “Impact is about changing the lives of people and changing it for the better. She’s one of those people that … I see as great people with [an] everlasting legacy that extends beyond their service life.”
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas- at the bottom.
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