About Us
Anchored Pathways exists to help first-generation and working-class families navigate complex education and career systems with more clarity and less pressure. We create calm, practical spaces where families can explore options, ask questions without judgment, and make decisions that fit their real lives. Our work is grounded in lived experience, community partnerships, and a long-term commitment to changing how guidance and planning feel.
Bilingual Support • Community First • Practical Literacy
Executive Leadership
Anchored Pathways is led by an independent executive board that provides governance, oversight, and strategic direction. Board members ensure accountability, financial health, and long-term stewardship, allowing our programs to remain practical, community-rooted, and sustainable over time.
Michelle Gutiérrez, M.S.
Founder & Executive Director | Board Chair
Carlos Lopez, CISA
Board Member
Melissa Meléndez, LMSW
Board Member
Michelle Gutiérrez is the Founder and Executive Director of Anchored Pathways to Higher Education. As a first-generation student, she brings lived experience alongside more than a decade of professional work in higher education, community-based initiatives, and student support systems.
Ms. Gutiérrez founded Anchored Pathways to address the gaps that leave families navigating education and career decisions without clear guidance or accessible information. Her leadership emphasizes decision-making literacy, ethical governance, and long-term sustainability, with a focus on empowering families rather than creating dependency.
She leads the organization with a commitment to integrity, clarity, and mission alignment, ensuring Anchored Pathways remains grounded in its values while building scalable, responsible programs.
Carlos Lopez is an audit, risk, and financial systems professional with over a decade of experience in corporate governance, IT controls, and risk management.
A Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) and graduate of the University of Houston, Carlos has worked with organizations including Marathon Oil, Schlumberger, and AIG. His expertise includes internal auditing, compliance, and strengthening financial safeguards within complex organizations.
As a first-generation professional, Mr. Lopez is deeply committed to responsible governance and financial integrity. He serves on the Anchored Pathways board to help ensure the organization is sustainable, accountable, and well-positioned to expand access to higher education for under-resourced families.
Melissa Meléndez is a Licensed Master Social Worker with experience spanning social work, student affairs, and community-based mental health and family support systems. Her professional background includes work with organizations such as the Houston Food Bank, United Way, and SEWA International, where she has focused on community-rooted advocacy and access to essential resources.
Ms. Meléndez brings a strong understanding of how policy and systems intersect to shape family outcomes and serves on the Anchored Pathways board with a commitment to building sustainable systems of care that support students and families with dignity, stability, and long-term impact.
Join the interest list
Fill out this interest form to join the Anchored Pathways list for upcoming navigation groups. This is the first step, not a final registration. We’ll reach out with dates, locations, and language options before placing you in a cohort.