About Us

We’re reimagining education by putting agency and choice at the center. AutonomyED empowers learners, educators, and communities to create pathways to opportunity

Why Our Work Matters

We build solutions that hand power back to people.

Too often, education feels like a system of closed doors. Students are pushed through predetermined paths, educators are stretched thin, and communities are left trying to solve inequities they didn’t create. AutonomyED was born to change that.

We believe agency and choice are the keys to unlocking equity in education—not as privileges for a few, but as a foundation for all. Our work is about more than programs; it’s about rewriting the narrative so everyone has the voice, tools, and confidence to design their future.

Our flagship initiative, the Career Pathways Project, is just the beginning. This 12–16 week experience gives young people a chance to explore what’s next—with credentials, personalized coaching, AI fluency, and mentorship

Mission

To design, test, and scale choice-driven solutions that close opportunity gaps, expand pathways, and hand individuals and institutions the tools to lead their own change.

Vision

Choice isn’t a privilege for a few, it’s a foundation for all.

80%

Completion Rate

AutonomyED – Career Pathways Project is proudly supported by the Tides Foundation.

Leadership

Founder & CEO

Michael Hutchins Gilchrist

Michael Gilchrist is a nationally recognized education and workforce leader with a track record of building programs that expand opportunity and transform communities. As Managing Director of Program Strategy at Merit America, he leads national initiatives connecting underrepresented learners with career pathways. Michael’s career spans real estate leadership and years in K–12 education, where he focused on unlocking potential and creating choice-filled futures. At AutonomyED, he’s combining strategy, innovation, and heart to reimagine education through agency and choice.

Meet Our Team

If you can laugh together, you can work together.

Director

Manager

Mentor

You

Join the Dream Team!

We believe the best teams laugh together, learn together, and build incredible things together. At AutonomyED, we’re not just reimagining education—we’re designing futures filled with agency, choice, and opportunity.

Passionate about making an impact?

Love collaborating and bringing big ideas to life?

Send your resume to info@autonomyed.org and let’s make magic happen!