The Rustic Pathways Team

The Rustic Pathways Team

Need Help? Contact the Right Team:

School trips or group travelAnna Beckerman (Head of School Group Travel), Patrick Ziemnik, or Matija Paunovski
Enrolling your teen in a programScott Ingram (Director of Admissions), Emily Green, or any Personal Travel Advisor
Parent questions or supportPersonal Travel Advisors
Any issues or urgent mattersNicholas Pompa (Director of Operations)

General inquiries: Call us at 440-975-9691 or email rustic@rusticpathways.com

Learn more: Our missionOur impactOur vision

Leadership
Scott Ingram
Director of Admissions

Scott helps families find teen travel programs and gap year programs at Rustic Pathways. His global teaching and experiential education experience shapes how he matches students with life-changing adventures that connect personal growth learning with real-world impact.

Scott joined Rustic Pathways in 2018

See Scott’s Profile Page

 

Anna Beckerman
Head of School Group Travel

Anna leads educational travel partnerships with 400+ schools worldwide at Rustic Pathways. Her experiences from Beijing exchange student to leading programs across six continents shape how she creates school group travel experiences that connect students with authentic learning.

 

Anna joined Rustic Pathways in 2010

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Dr. Will Smith
Medical Director

Dr. Will Smith is the Rustic Pathways Medical Director. He is an Emergency Medicine Physician, and a recognized leader in wilderness medicine who practices primarily in Jackson, Wyoming. He is also a Colonel in the US Army reserve who has participated in Rustic Pathways programs to Kilimanjaro, Fiji, and the Dominican Republic.

Dr. Will joined Rustic Pathways in 2015

See Dr. Will Smith’s Profile Page

Nicholas Pompa
Director of Operations

Nicholas leads ground operations for student travel and group travel programs. He also directs Rustic Pathways programs in Italy and Greece.
 

Nicholas joined Rustic Pathways in 2022

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Patrick Ziemnik
Training and Development Manager

Patrick leads U.S. Group Travel sales at Rustic Pathways. His experience directing teen travel programs in Tanzania, Mongolia and Costa Rica—combined with his Harvard education and outdoor expertise—helps him match schools with transformative travel experiences.

 

Patrick joined Rustic Pathways in 2012

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Candice Jackson
Team Resources Manager

Candice leads Human Resources at Rustic Pathways, managing staff onboarding, benefits, and professional development. She ensures every team member has the support and resources they need to create exceptional student travel experiences.

 

Candice joined Rustic Pathways in 2017

Team
Chang Mo Ahn
Program Leader

Chang Mo leads teen travel programs across Asia and Latin America at Rustic Pathways. With 18 years of cross-cultural expertise, 1,000+ hours teaching international students, and trilingual abilities (Spanish, English, Korean), he creates transformative experiences and writes educational content that helps students navigate new cultures with confidence.

 

Chang Mo joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Gabrielle Alquinga Acosta
Personal Travel Advisor

Gabby supports families through their Rustic Pathways journey. She brings experience from 23 countries and humanitarian work in Russia to help students prepare for their adventures.
 

Gabby joined Rustic Pathways in 2022

Kayla Anzalone
Director

Kayla leads parent partnerships at Rustic Pathways, ensuring families feel supported before, during and after their student’s travel journey. A Bay Area native and SJSU graduate, she combines her passion for global adventure with helping parents discover how travel shapes their teens’ growth and worldview.
 

Kayla joined Rustic Pathways in 2020

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Amy Au
South Korea Operations

Amy leads South Korea operations for Rustic Pathways, overseeing program development, retail sales and the Seoul office. She drives strategic growth in the Korean market.

 

Amy joined Rustic Pathways in 2025

De'Lynn Boyd
Group Travel Program Curator

De’Lynn designs custom school group travel programs at Rustic Pathways. With a Master’s degree from RIT and experience building community partnerships worldwide, she crafts itineraries that align with educational objectives while helping students discover their global purpose.

 

De’Lynn joined Rustic Pathways in 2022

Anya Buyan-Erdene
Mongolia Country Manager

Anya leads Rustic Pathways operations in Mongolia, bringing students into her homeland. A graduate of Ikh Zasag International University with NGO experience across 21 Mongolian provinces, she teaches students to honor the land and communities they visit.

Anya joined Rustic Pathways in 2018

Hannah Claywell
School Partnerships

Hannah supports school groups at Rustic Pathways. Her journey from Chile study abroad to a Master’s in International Education formed her worldview: global citizenship, community engagement and curricular alignment.
 

Hannah joined Rustic Pathways in 2023

Janette Daneshmand
Social Media Manager

Janette Daneshmand manages Rustic Pathways’ social media presence across all platforms. She creates content that showcases student transformations and program highlights to connect families through storytelling.
 

Janette joined Rustic Pathways in 2021

Leigh Distajo
Personal Travel Advisor

Leigh enrolls students in Rustic Pathways programs. She leverages customer service expertise from leading teams of 20+ and retaining clients across four countries to guide families through program selection, answer questions, and ensure smooth enrollment processes.

Leigh joined Rustic Pathways in 2025

Cameron Edwards
School Partnerships

Cameron Edwards manages school partnerships and leads their custom programs at Rustic Pathways. She designs educational travel experiences for school groups and often personally guides them abroad, leveraging her nine years teaching internationally across China, Vietnam, and South Africa.
 

Cameron joined Rustic Pathways in 2022

Emily Green
Admissions Counselor

Emily matches students with gap year and teen travel programs at Rustic Pathways. She evaluates applications, interviews candidates and guides families through enrollment using her own international experience as a Program Leader to help teens find the right personal growth adventures.
 

Emily joined Rustic Pathways in 2022

Emma Gijsbers
Personal Travel Advisor

Emma is on the Personal Travel Advisor team and supports families on their travel experience. She guides enrollments, answers questions and helps students prepare for travel.

 

Emma joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

John Hsu
Director, Climate Leaders Fellowship 

John is the co-Founder of Climate Leaders Fellowship, an innovative global service and leadership development program for high school students created in partnership between the Stanford Deliberation Lab, Rustic Pathways and The Rustic Pathways Foundation. John was a previously a management consultant with McKinsey & Company, Vice President of Strategy & Innovation at Teach For America and a founding team member of two other education nonprofits, Braven and TEACH.org.
 

See John’s Profile Page

Ziyoo Hwang
Illustrator

Ziyoo leads illustration at Rustic Pathways. She transforms travel experiences into animations using her Royal College of Art training to capture the wonder of student travel.

 

Ziyoo joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Keegan Kennedy
Southeast Asia Regional Manager

Keegan leads program operations across Southeast Asia for Rustic Pathways. He brings 10+ years of Thailand expertise, fluency in Thai and Lao, and deep cultural knowledge to ensure every program.

 

Keegan joined Rustic Pathways in 2016

 See Keegan’s Profile Page

Yuri Kim
Program Leader

Yuri leads student programs and manages influencer partnerships at Rustic Pathways. She combines Norwegian-Korean heritage and fluency in five languages to guide teens abroad while creating marketing content that showcases authentic travel experiences.

 

Yuri joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Heather Love
Personal Travel Advisor

Heather manages program logistics and shipping at Rustic Pathways. She makes sure every travel document reaches families on time and student data flows smoothly using her Psychology background and Rustic alumni experience to support perfect pre-departure preparation.

 

Heather joined Rustic Pathways in 2016

Henrike Nietzold
Associate

Henrike qualifies and connects schools with Rustic Pathways programs. She identifies partnership opportunities across Europe and Asia using her German-Korean cultural expertise to match international schools with student travel experiences.
 

Henrike joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Jonathan Moskal
Personal Travel Advisor

Jonathan guides families through enrollment and leads programs on the ground at Rustic Pathways. Jonathan is a veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and brings leadership lessons from his Air Force service and international relations education.
 

Jonathan joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Matija Paunovski
Director - School Partnerships

Matija develops custom group travel programs for European and Asian schools. Matija partners with educators to design and launch experiences from initial concept through final itinerary.

Matija joined Rustic Pathways in 2012

Devon Proctor
School Partnerships

Devon manages school partnerships and personally leads on-ground programs at Rustic Pathways. He combines client relationships with hands-on guiding ensuring every adventure builds student independence and empathy exactly as schools envision.
 

Devon joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Danielle Sandland
Personal Travel Advisor

Dani supports families throughout their Rustic Pathways journey. She handles inquiries, resolves issues, and ensures every parent and student has a smooth experience from enrollment through post-trip—focusing on service excellence that drives referrals.

 

Dani joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Heeju Seo
South Korea Program Coordinator

Heeju coordinates South Korea operations for Rustic Pathways. She supports program delivery, manages influencer partnerships and retail sales and runs the Seoul office ensuring smooth operations while building relationships in the South Korean market.

 

Heeju joined Rustic Pathways in 2025

Emma Juno Sparkes
Associate

Emma Sparkes is a travel journalist and cross-cultural education advisor at Rustic Pathways. Based in South Korea for over a decade, she helps students and families navigate study abroad, cultural adjustment, and travel logistics. She is a fluent Korean speaker (TOPIK 5) and draws on past roles as editor for Morning Calm (Korean Air), radio co-host and international student advisor.
 

Emma joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Talia White
Personal Travel Advisor

Talia guides families through enrollment and manages client relationships at Rustic Pathways. She specializes in Central America and Europe programs, monitoring service quality to ensure exceptional experiences.

 

Talia joined Rustic Pathways in 2023

Quintin Willekens
Program Leader & Sustainability Expert

Quintin shapes sustainable student travel at Rustic Pathways. Quintin has firsthand experience in 20+ countries, eight years in South Korea and a Business Sustainability degree from ASU with honors.

 

Quintin joined Rustic Pathways in 2024

Teryn Williams
Personal Travel Advisor

Teryn matches students with student travel programs at Rustic Pathways and leads programs in Italy, Greece, Germany and Hawaii. Teryn brings firsthand cultural immersion experience to help teens find their perfect adventures.
 

Teryn joined Rustic Pathways in 2023

Former Rustic Pathways Team Members
Alumni Who Shaped Our Journey

Since our founding in Australia in 1983, exceptional team members have built Rustic Pathways into the transformative travel company we are today. These former staff members contributed their expertise, passion, and vision during their time with us. While they’ve moved on to new adventures, their impact on our mission continues.

Note: Links preserved for select alumni profiles below.

Chris Stakich – Former CEO