Location San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States Regions West Coast, Western US Gender Male
Website rusticpathways.org/staff-member/chris/ Facebook View on Facebook LinkedIn View on LinkedIn X (Twitter) View on X
Rustic Pathways Former CEO Chris Stakich has dedicated his career to the intersection of education, travel and philanthropy. Chris joined Rustic Pathways, a global leader in community service and education based travel for students, in 2002 after graduating from Harvard University with a BS in Economics. Chris was appointed Rustic Pathways CEO and
Chairman of the Board of Rustic Pathways in 2014. Prior to being appointed Rustic Pathways CEO, Chris held several positions within the company, including: COO, Global Sales Director, Business Development Director, Costa Rica Country Director, and Program Leader. Chris Stakich stepped down as the Rustic Pathways CEO in January, 2020.
During Chris’ tenure at Rustic Pathways, the company has grown 40 times in size; employing over 500 people and recruiting students from 60+ countries to work and live in some of the most remote villages in the world. At Rustic Pathways, Chris has developed company strategy, built the executive team, established growth partnerships, and overhauled the client lifecycle.
In addition, Chris also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Thinking Beyond Borders. Poised as the most rigorous Gap Year experience, Thinking Beyond Borders takes students around the world to study global development issues from social, political and economic perspectives.
Chris also serves as a board member of Thrival Academies. Thrival Academies is creating the largest national network of schools specifically set-up to provide middle and low-income students with a 1-year study abroad experience. The goal is to enroll 50,000 students each year by the year 2030.
Over the past five years, Chris has also served as a board advisor for Global Citizen Year, Lifestyle Rewired, Trip Weave and his high school Alma Mater, University School. Chris lives in San Francisco with his wife and three sons, and is committed to developing future leaders who embody compassion and global understanding.
