STARKVILLE, Miss. -- An instructor and tourism specialist with the MSU Extension Center for Government and Community Development, or GCD, has been recognized professionally for her contributions to rural sociology.

Rachael Carter was honored with the 2025 Excellence in Research Award by the Southern Rural Sociological Association, or SRSA, during its annual meeting in January.

The career achievement award credits Carter’s work in advancing the study of rural development in the South and efforts to drive meaningful improvements in rural communities.

The SRSA is an organization focused on rural issues through its conferences and peer-reviewed publication, the Journal of Rural Social Sciences. Its interdisciplinary membership includes representatives of academia, business, government, industry, nonprofit organizations and Cooperative Extension systems.

Carter’s Extension specialties include community development, downtown revitalization, tourism, economics and natural resource policy.

She is a previous recipient of the Agnes Zaiontz Rural Tourism Leadership Award, which recognizes a significant contributor to tourism in the Alabama-Mississippi-Tennessee tri-state area.

For more information about the GCD and its services and educational programs, visit https://gcd.extension.msstate.edu.