Garret Zastoupil

Garret Zastoupil is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Business at Northland College, with a joint appointment in the Business and Sustainable Community Development programs. His research focuses on regenerative rural economies, challenging extractive practices, and fostering equitable third-sector organizations. Northland College closed at the end of the 2024–25 academic year, as announced by its Board of Trustees on February 19, 2025.

He holds a PhD in Human Ecology—Civil Society and Community Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Connecticut, and a BSB in Entrepreneurial Management and Public & Nonprofit Management from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Zastoupil’s research interests include dismantling colonial economic policies, cooperative principles in rural development, and creating just, democratic communities through regenerative practices. He explores how rural communities can resist extraction-based economies and build alternatives like cooperatives. His current projects include studying cooperatives in the Upper Midwest and analyzing ‘real rural utopias’ that model sustainable community economies.

His publications emphasize critical pedagogy, community-engaged scholarship, and intersections of race, labor, and environmental justice in rural contexts. Notable works include analyzing white privilege in sport management education, fostering critical consciousness among Latinx students, and applying liberating service-learning models to rural higher education.

Zastoupil collaborates with community organizations to co-design research advancing justice goals. He teaches courses integrating service-learning and inquiry-based projects, such as BUS 311: Social Innovation and Impact, and emphasizes student reflection and holistic engagement. While no advising or grant details are provided, his work highlights collaborative research with Wisconsin and North Dakota groups.

He maintains ongoing research collaborations focused on community-driven methodologies, aiming to translate academic insights into actionable strategies for marginalized rural communities.