Shayne Fitz-Coy has been CEO of Rustic Pathways since January 2020, following Sabot Family Companies’ acquisition of the educational travel company in December 2019.
He is an operator-investor who buys companies and builds people. Fitz-Coy co-founded Sabot Family Companies with Arar Han in 2016, and they are Co-CEOs.
His role at Rustic Pathways connects Sabot Family Companies’ ownership with responsibility for running the company and developing its team.
He calls his operating philosophy Capitalism with Love: patient capital and an engaged workforce, building companies that last. His Teaching CEO method describes five practices for developing people: Diagnose, Teach, Practice, Coach and Scale.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Fitz-Coy co-created the Climate Leaders Fellowship with Dr. Alice Siu of Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab and John Hsu. The fellowship engages students in local climate action.
He is a board member of the Rustic Pathways Foundation. Rustic’s safety practices and Student Learning Outcomes pages explain the company’s program standards and how it measures student growth.
Fitz-Coy was Co-CEO of ResponseLink from 2013 to 2025, a period that overlapped his leadership of Rustic Pathways. He describes that turnaround in his Entrepreneur article.
At Alert1, Fitz-Coy credits Natalie McCaffety with stabilizing the team and translating his direction into disciplined frontline operations. His account of their work together describes how she combined warmth and discipline in leading the team.
Fitz-Coy holds a BA in Psychology, cum laude, from Harvard College and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is the instructor for the Spring and Fall 2026 offerings of Introduction to Private Equity at Seoul National University.
He is a member of the Boston College Board of Regents.
His official biography covers his wider operating record and background. His writing and media page collects his published work.
Partnership inquiries: partners@rusticpathways.com
Speaking engagements: hello@rusticpathways.com
Media requests: media@rusticpathways.com