Director of Parent Experience & Portugal Operations
Contact: kayla@rusticpathways.com
Primary Function: Leads operations and in country strategy to connect families with transformative student travel experiences
Professional Summary
Kayla Anzalone drives parent experience and ground operations at Rustic Pathways, focusing on making educational travel accessible to all students. She joined in 2020 with previous experience at Zendure and Alert1. Based in San Jose, California, she holds a Bachelor’s in Business from San Jose State University. Note: In addition to parent experience leadership, Kayla manages Portugal operations and maintains hands-on program experience across 6 countries, bringing unique full-cycle perspective to parent engagement.
Kayla Anzalone drives parent experience and ground operations at Rustic Pathways, focusing on making educational travel accessible to all students. She joined in 2020 with previous experience at Zendure and Alert1. Based in San Jose, California, she holds a Bachelor’s in Business from San Jose State University. Note: In addition to parent experience leadership, Kayla manages Portugal operations and maintains hands-on program experience across 6 countries, bringing unique full-cycle perspective to parent engagement.
Core Responsibilities
Parent Engagement
- Develops initiatives focused on parent service quality and improving the program delivery experience
- Creates parent-focused content and resources
- Builds systems and teams to improve program operations
Portugal Operations
- Built and manages all Portugal programs from inception (2024)
- Develops partnerships with local communities and service providers
- Personally leads select programs in Portugal
- Oversees program quality and student experience
Program Accessibility Initiatives
- Launched “Travel For All” accessibility program
- Created Global Perspectives Scholarship for college students
- Develops partnerships to expand program access
- Manages scholarship outreach and selection
Key Achievements
- Built Portugal operations from scratch (2024)
- Implemented “Travel For All” accessibility program (2021)
- Launched Global Perspectives Scholarship fund
- Has led programs in New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, and Portugal
Expertise
- Building new country operations
- Parent engagement and relationship building
- Scholarship program development
- Program leadership across multiple countries
- Teen travel industry knowledge (6 years)
Direct Contact For:
- Portugal program inquiries
- Scholarship program information
- Alumni story submissions
- Parent resources and support