Meet our team

Co-Founder and Co-Owner

Staci Gilpin (she/her) is a social scientist with expertise in applied research, program evaluation, and data visualization, with a robust background in leadership development and strategic planning. She earned her PhD from the University of North Dakota, where she served as a graduate research assistant for a collaborative initiative focused on enhancing capacity in North Dakota's rural areas regarding housing, workforce, and access to basic services. Her graduate research involved extensive work with nonprofits across North Dakota, enhancing their capacity in these critical areas.

In addition to her PhD, Staci holds a Master's Degree in Special Education from the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Administrator licensure as a principal, curriculum director, and special education director from St. Mary's University, MN, and Elementary Teacher licensure along with a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion from the University of Iowa.

Throughout her career, Staci has held various leadership positions in both K-12 and higher education institutions. Whether teaching 3rd graders or middle schoolers with emotional/behavioral disabilities, her work is characterized by a strong emphasis on equity and serving underserved groups. She has actively engaged in numerous grant-funded projects that promote social justice and equity across diverse educational and community settings. Notably, as the Director of Special Education for six rural school districts in Northeastern Minnesota, she led a multi-million dollar initiative that leveraged Medicaid and federal funding to provide necessary services for students with disabilities within their home schools. Additionally, she managed IDEA and low-incidence grants.

With a proven track record in grant writing and professional development, Staci has significantly contributed to the advancement of educational practices and improved outcomes for learners. She is a Fulbright Scholar and has secured several grants from the nationally recognized William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. In addition, Staci teaches doctoral-level courses in program evaluation and data visualization at her alma mater, preparing future academics and nonprofit leaders. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and presented at conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Staci also volunteers her time as a board member for You Are HigherED and serves on the University of North Dakota CEHD Alumni Advisory Board.

Born and raised in rural Northwest Iowa on a small grain and livestock farm, Staci's experiences have deeply informed her commitment to rural communities and equity. With just 29 students in her high school graduating class, she understands the unique challenges and opportunities of rural living. Staci currently resides in Duluth, MN. To learn more about Staci, visit her LinkedIn and Google Scholar pages.

Co-Founder and Co-Owner

Charity Anderson (she/her) is a social scientist with extensive experience in applied research, grant writing, program development and evaluation, and secondary and adult education. Prior to co-founding Rural Pathways, Charity was a senior researcher and program director at the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, where her work focused broadly on urban education and education policy, transformative learning, humanities education, and poverty and inequality. At Rutgers, she founded and directed the Clemente Veterans’ Initiative Newark, a humanities course focused on themes of war and reconciliation for veterans and civilians funded through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Additionally, Charity has written grants for national funders such as the Andrew Mellon Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Provident Bank Foundation, Russell Sage, and Spencer Foundation, plus state-level grantors like the New Jersey Department of Education. She has also written and received grants from Rutgers University, University of Chicago, and New York Community Trust, as well as support from Fulbright.

Charity is a former New York City Teaching Fellow and high school teacher. She taught in Title I high schools in Brooklyn and Queens and at a Medicaid-funded, residential psychiatric treatment facility for youth in Manhattan. She has also worked as an evaluator of first-year teachers in the Chicago Teaching Fellows program. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and presented at conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Her most recent book, Dignity-Affirming Education: Cultivating the Somebodiness of Students and Educators (2022), is available through Teachers College Press.

Charity holds a PhD in social work from the University of Chicago; master’s degrees in social work (University of Washington), special education (CUNY-Brooklyn College), and art history (Syracuse University); and a BFA in studio art (University of North Carolina). She is also a certified end-of-life doula through the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, as well as a New York State Mediator/Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Neutral. She is a member of the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and volunteers as a mediator with Community Mediation Services in Queens, New York.

Charity is from the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina and lives in New York. To learn more about Charity, visit her LinkedIn and Google Scholar pages.