Rick Dalton

Rick Dalton is President and CEO of CFES Brilliant Pathways, a national nonprofit that has helped over 100,000 underserved youth become college and career ready. Dalton, who holds a doctorate from Harvard, has spent the last 30 years expanding opportunities in higher education for economically disadvantaged youth.

Prior to founding CFES in 1991, Dalton worked in the admissions office at Harvard and served as Director of Enrollment Planning at Middlebury College. He has written more than 200 articles and op-eds on college access and success, most recently published in USA Today. His book, College For Every Student: A Practitioner’s Guide to Building College and Career Readiness, co-authored with Ed St. John, was published in August 2016. His most recent book Rural America’s Pathways to College and Career: Steps for Student Success and School Improvement was released in April 2021.