Rustin Pangburn
Founder, CEO, and Chair
Rustin serves because he knows what it means to come home with little support and still choose a different life. His leadership is rooted in lived experience, accountability, and hope.
Contact about RustinAbout Why Not Mindset
We believe there is a way forward.
Why Not Mindset is built for people coming home, families carrying hope, and communities ready to believe in second chances with accountability.
Mission
Why Not Mindset supports justice impacted individuals during the first 90 days after release through mentorship, accountability, stabilization support, transportation assistance, employment readiness, and community connection.
Vision
We are working to build bridges between incarceration and successful reintegration while redefining second chances through lived experience leadership.
This is personal work.
This work is not built from a distance. It is built from lived experience. Rustin Pangburn knows what it means to come home, face barriers, rebuild trust, and learn how to take responsibility one day at a time.
Why Not Mindset exists because people are more than their worst decision. We do not ignore accountability. We believe accountability and hope belong in the same room.
Meet The Team
People helping carry the work forward.
This team believes in dignity, responsibility, research, education, community wellness, and the kind of support that helps a person keep going.
John Walton
Vice Chair and Director of Community Wellness
John serves because reentry is not only about one person. It is about community wellness, relationships, belonging, and helping people rebuild with support around them.
Contact about JohnCaryn Saxon
Board Advisor and Director of Research and Program Development
Caryn serves because real impact should be cared for, studied, and strengthened. Her work helps Why Not Mindset grow with better programs and stronger outcomes.
Contact about CarynDr. Andrea Jones
Director of Academic Outreach and Education
Dr. Jones serves because education can change how people see incarceration, reentry, and second chances. Her work helps build bridges between lived experience and learning.
Contact about Dr. JonesWant to connect with our team?
Reach out about partnerships, speaking, education, volunteer support, or the 90 Day Reentry Initiative.
Contact Why Not MindsetFounder and CEO | Why Not Mindset
From federal prisoner to founder
From surviving to serving.
From "Why me?" to "Why Not?"
Changing lives through second chances, mentorship, and hope.
About Rustin Pangburn
My life is a testament to what is possible when a person refuses to be defined by their past.
My name is Rustin Pangburn, and my life is a testament to what is possible when a person refuses to be defined by their past.
In 2010, after serving a 60 month federal prison sentence, I stepped off a bus with little more than a bag of clothes, no money, no local support system, and no clear path forward. What I did have was a decision:
I refused to go back.
I rebuilt my life one step at a time. I walked to work, rode buses, pedaled a bicycle through rain and snow, and took every opportunity I could find. The journey was not easy, but each challenge strengthened my resolve and reinforced the question that would eventually become the foundation of my life's work:
Why Not?
Why not break the cycle?
Why not refuse to become another statistic?
Why not build a life filled with purpose, service, and hope?
That simple question transformed my life.
Today, I am the Founder and CEO of Why Not Mindset, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping men and women successfully navigate reentry after incarceration. Through mentorship, advocacy, community partnerships, speaking engagements, and direct support, our mission is to provide the resources, encouragement, and opportunities that so many people need during the critical first days, months, and years after release.
What began as a personal journey became a movement.
A movement built on the belief that people are more than the worst decision they have ever made.
A movement that challenges stigma, creates opportunity, and helps individuals discover strengths they may not yet see in themselves.
I have had the privilege of sharing my story at universities, conferences, correctional institutions, recovery organizations, and community events. My message remains simple:
"You are not your number."
"You are not your charge."
"Your past does not determine your future."
Why Not Mindset was born from lived experience and fueled by a passion to give others the support I wish I had when I came home.
Every day I continue to learn, grow, and serve. Every conversation, every partnership, and every life impacted reinforces the belief that transformation is possible when people are given hope, opportunity, and someone willing to walk beside them.
My journey is still being written.
But if my story proves anything, it is this:
Transformation is possible.
Redemption is real.
And no matter where you start, your next chapter can be greater than your last.
Because your story is not over.
In many ways, it may just be beginning.
Why Not Be The Change #Together
Our values
The work has to stay grounded.
Accountability
Second chances still require responsibility, honesty, and follow through.
Community
People need support networks, not just a list of phone numbers.
Hope
Hope matters most when it is connected to real steps and real people.
Lived experience
We lead with what has been lived, learned, rebuilt, and carried forward.