Rick Dalton

Rick Dalton has spent more than five decades advancing equity and expanding opportunity for students. A lifelong educator and advocate, he began his career as a teacher, coach, and admissions officer at Middlebury, experiences that shaped his commitment to inclusion. In 1991, he founded CFES Brilliant Pathways, which has helped more than 110,000 students reach college and rewarding careers. Dalton holds a doctorate from Harvard and an honorary doctorate from the University of Vermont and is the author of four books.

More than two decades ago, Rick and Ray found in one another a shared conviction: that every young person deserves not just a chance, but a pathway to possibility. Since then, their friendship and work have evolved in parallel, expanding what students, schools, and communities can imagine and achieve together. This book is the product of that partnership.