Company Board of Directors

Kraig D. Kuipers – Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Kraig Kuipers is Chairman and CEO of Pangea Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a trusted partner to nonprofits since 1996. As the leader in Nonprofit Visual Intelligence®, Pangea Foundation brings the scalable, enterprise-class software driving the innovation of the world’s mega-corporations to over 2,000 nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

Kraig Kuipers has been involved with Pangea Foundation since 2003, serving as an advisor and a financial backer of the San Diego-based organization. Elected to Pangea Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2005, Kuipers was named President and CEO in 2006. Since 2009, Kraig Kuipers has served as Chairman and CEO of Pangea Foundation, where he invests his time and energy defining and focusing the company’s strategic direction.

A 15 year stint in the business sector left Kuipers with a passion for delivering consistently outstanding work that produces quantifiable value for clients. Kraig Kuipers came to Pangea Foundation from ITW, a Fortune 200 company, where he held several business development and marketing positions throughout North America.

After joining Pangea Foundation, Kraig recognized the value of blending the most innovative strategic models from the business sector with the most impactful service models from the nonprofit sector—to create a one-of-a-kind service offering for nonprofits. Kraig’s efforts went into instilling a deep commitment to service and innovation at every level of the company.

Under Kraig’s leadership, the high standards of service and innovation at Pangea Foundation have been regularly cited nationally. In 2008, Pangea Foundation was named Winner of the coveted FANATI® Award for Outstanding Customer Service, after being named a FANATI Finalist the previous year. In 2009, Pangea Foundation was named Winner of the Microsoft® Impact Story Contest for its innovative disaster relief software. That same year, Pangea Foundation was named Finalist in the “Most Innovative Company of the Year” category in The American Business Awards, the nation’s premier business awards program—also hailed as “the business world’s own Oscars”.

Kraig Kuipers graduated with honors from Michigan State University where he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing. He also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising from Michigan State University.

Kristin M. Kuipers – Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer

Kristin Kuipers is Executive Director and CFO of Pangea Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a trusted partner to nonprofits since 1996. As the leader in Nonprofit Visual Intelligence®, Pangea Foundation brings the scalable, enterprise-class software driving the innovation of the world’s mega-corporations to over 2,000 nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

Widely recognized for her vision and resourcefulness, Kristin Kuipers launched Pangea Foundation in 1996, after she decided to leave her job on Wall Street to start the San Diego-based organization. In her role as Pangea Foundation’s Executive Director, Kristin drives strategic initiatives across the company. Kristin also serves as CFO of Pangea Foundation, where she is responsible for the company’s overall financial position and performance.

With an extensive background in public policy, Kristin has forged collaborative partnerships in the nonprofit sector, as well as with government leaders at the local, state, and national levels—people, organizations, and agencies that have been instrumental in helping Pangea Foundation advance its mission of empowering nonprofits with capacity-building digital environments.

During Kristin’s tenure, the high standards of service and innovation at Pangea Foundation have been uniquely recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Opportunities Program, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the State of California.

On September 21, 2000, Kristin led the company to the national stage, when President Clinton publicly announced Pangea Foundation as the first recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Technology Opportunities Program’s (TOP) Fiscal Year 2000 grants. The grant was part of a nationwide initiative to bridge the digital divide and create digital opportunities for all Americans. In 2002, Pangea Foundation was honored once again for its innovation, being named Winner of California’s prestigious Governor’s Award for Technology and Innovation under her leadership.

Kristin Kuipers holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.

Preston Chipps – Director

Preston Chipps is a Director at Pangea Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a trusted partner to nonprofits since 1996. As the leader in Nonprofit Visual Intelligence®, Pangea Foundation brings the scalable, enterprise-class software driving the innovation of the world’s mega-corporations to over 2,000 nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

Preston Chipps first became involved with Pangea Foundation in 1998. As President and CEO of Hands-On Technical Training & Placement, Inc., he initiated a strategic partnership with Pangea Foundation to provide technical training to at-risk youth and youth with disabilities. Together with Pangea Foundation, Hands-On Technical Training and Placement provided technical training to over 500 youth. In 2005, Chipps was elected to Pangea Foundation’s Board of Directors.

With more than 30 years of professional experience in workforce development, Chipps is a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and a California Registered Professional Counselor.

Chipps currently serves as a Career Counselor at San Diego State University, a position he has held since 2004. He also serves as an Instructor in the College of Business Administration at San Diego State University, where he has taught since 2005.

Preston Chipps holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Steve Gardner – Director

Steve Gardner is a Director at Pangea Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a trusted partner to nonprofits since 1996. As the leader in Nonprofit Visual Intelligence®, Pangea Foundation brings the scalable, enterprise-class software driving the innovation of the world’s mega-corporations to over 2,000 nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

Serving Microsoft in a variety of business development roles since 1990, Steve Gardner has been a dedicated advocate for Pangea Foundation since 1999. He was elected to Pangea Foundation’s Board of Directors in 2006.

Gardner is widely credited for leading the efforts that have resulted in Microsoft’s consistent support of Pangea Foundation’s mission, both through its generous software contributions and its cash donations. With Microsoft’s assistance, Pangea Foundation is able to equip nonprofits of all sizes with innovative online workspaces that expand organizational capacity, broaden collaborative visibility, and dramatically magnify impact creation.

Today as a member of the Board of Directors, Gardner continues to play a pivotal role in linking Pangea Foundation with both the people and the advanced technologies that help the organization deliver value to nonprofits.

Steve Gardner is a graduate of San Diego State University where he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business.

Edith Y. Yang – Director

Edith Yang is a Director at Pangea Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a trusted partner to nonprofits since 1996. As the leader in Nonprofit Visual Intelligence®, Pangea Foundation brings the scalable, enterprise-class software driving the innovation of the world’s mega-corporations to over 2,000 nonprofit organizations of all sizes.

As part of Pangea Foundation's first AmeriCorps VISTA cohort in 2002, Edith Yang played a pivotal role in designing the beta version of Pangea Foundation's senior social services software, now used in public and affordable housing facilities nationwide. In 2006, she was elected to Pangea Foundation's Board of Directors. Today Edith serves as the Secretary of the Board of Directors, a position she has held since 2007.

Edith is currently a Social Science Research Analyst at SRI International's Washington, DC office and brings her statistics and program evaluation expertise to the Policy Division's Center for Technology in Learning. Her research encompasses evaluations of educational technology programs administered by the U.S. Department of Education, national education initiatives funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and math and science education programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Living in the Washington, DC metropolitan region since 2003, Edith has worked closely with urban youth and low-income families in DC neighborhoods. In 2007, she combined her academic and community-based experiences to launch WorkUp, a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC that empowers low-income young adults to live financially stable and productive lives.

Edith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Math from Duke University and a Master's degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University.