FamilyMetrics Blog

Corey's young. Like born AFTER Michael Jackson performed the legendary moonwalk for the first time. But don't let that fool you! Corey's received more honors and awards than many people have in their entire careers. She's earned all kinds of scholarships, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pepperdine, and even received special recognition from the Wall Street Journal. Translation: Corey is way smart! She's also one of the coolest people in the office. She won't admit it, but that's how everyone knows her. If she says "uhh, those shoes are kinda' lame" to another Pangean, they're likely to leave immediately and burn the shoes in a dumpster. That's how much people respect her! She's creative, too. Stay tuned to our blog to learn about some of the cool things Corey is doing at Pangea Foundation.

We almost didn't include James on our blog, because the head-shot he submitted was so embarrassing. Anyone else on the team could pretty much expect immediate termination for submitting a head-shot like that. But everyone really likes James, so we're going to play nice for now. After college, he became a Microsoft Certified Professional, and a Microsoft Certified Application Developer. Prior to Pangea Foundation, James was a Software Engineer for a Fortune 100 company. That means he's really smart. Except for the headshot thing, we've yet to find anything he can't do well. James came to us from Paw Paw, Michigan. Where people use normal words. We're from Southern California. Where words are invented daily. We told James that Pangea Foundation is “all the rage”, everyone who works here is totally “rad”, and that plenty of Software Engineers would work here for free, if we let them. So he told his wife that he was offered this really sweet high-paying job in California with this “off the hook” software company that’s been “all the rage” since 1996. She asked him why he was acting all “wack”, and dude froze up. In fact, he had to bail, making some lame excuse for leaving the room! Lucky for us he still accepted the job. And the rest is history in the making. We figure we’ve got about a year before James’ wife wakes up to the reality of who we are, and by then we’ll have her brainwashed that California speech is actually normal. Meanwhile, we’ve already brainwashed James to think he’s in a high-paying job—so be sure to let him pick up the bill if he’s ever at lunch or dinner with you. Oh, and one more thing: don’t expect any head-shots on this blog until James submits something respectable.

Jenell makes clients feel special. She makes everyone feel special! And since she joined Pangea Foundation in 2007, her kids even think she's cool. She's also very resourceful—kinda' like the TV show MacGyver. Put a roll of duct tape in her hands and you'll be amazed what she can do with it. I guess when you have six kids running around the house you have to be resourceful—and patient! And Jenell is very patient. She loves her work. She loves the people she works with. And she loves her clients. No surprise—they love her, too! Jenell currently has one of the shortest commutes of any of us. She operates out of the Pangea Foundation Michigan customer service center, which is code for the fact that the Michigan customer service center looks a little bit like Jenell's family room.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Systems, Kelly went on to study Quantum Physics and Advanced Calculus for four more years—just for fun. Yeah... we thought the same thing! Other than that though, Kelly's really respected around here. Some of it has to do with the fact that he's a pretty good hockey player, and some of it because he's totally nice—a real family guy. Prior to Pangea Foundation, Kelly developed software for a well-known Fortune 100 company. During his career, he has worked on some of the most sophisticated software applications in the world, including applications used by the Federal Government, the Department of Defense and NATO. That means dude's got mad skills. (And a pretty high security clearance too...). Throughout his career, Kelly has received numerous commendations for his technological expertise. We all think that's pretty cool. But, Quantum Physics for fun? Dude!

Beneath the polite veneer of the voice and consciousness behind Pangea Foundation's strategic vision beats the pulse-pounding performance of a man whose passion for equipping nonprofits with transformational technologies knows no boundaries. (Okay, so he secretly wanted to be a copywriter...). Kraig's 15 year stint in marketing and business development led to a deep understanding of what resonates with people. He's a man who still believes in the power of a face-to-face meeting, a hand-written note, and the importance of big ideas. Committed to democratizing nonprofit access to enterprise software, Pangea Foundation thrives on Kraig's unconventional methods. His strategic approach makes him a pain in the butt during strategy reviews, but really fun at dinner parties.

Kristin is the embodiment of 74 degrees and sunny—just like her home town of San Diego. She's warm, pleasant, and bright. She makes you feel good. And she's fun to be around. Part of it has to do with her belief that you should really only do what you love. Another part if it has to do with the fact that she has put her heart and soul into Pangea Foundation since she founded the company in 1996. Kristin was the Executive Director for 10 years, doing just about everything there is to do around here. Prior to Pangea Foundation, she worked on Wall Street, earned a Master's degree in Public Policy from Georgetown, and studied overseas. Few people make a flip chart presentation as riveting, in large part because Kristin's presentations often feel like a one-person Broadway show.

We first met Michael when he was in junior high. He was smart back then, and could already do complex math and write code better than anyone in the nation. It was something right out of the 80s TV show "Whiz Kids". More than two decades later, after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, earning advanced Microsoft Certifications, and developing software for a highly respected Fortune 400 company, Michael is our in house uber-genius. He's the "go to" guy for Advanced Algorithms that would cause even some of the best minds on the planet to overheat. We have yet to throw anything at Michael that he couldn't make possible. And believe me, we've tried. We think he secretly enjoys proving naysayers wrong when they declare things like "that's not possible" or "that can't be done". Everyone on the team still can't believe that a guy that smart could be so humble. Ultimately though, when it comes to creating software that helps to make a difference in people's lives, it's the people in Michael's life—his wife and daughters—that are his driving factor every day. His two little girls exude a countless number of ideas daily that have taught Michael perhaps his most valuable quality, how to be a good listener.

Some people know a lot about a little. Others know a little about a lot. Mike knows a lot about a lot. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics, Mike is MIT smart. That's code for the fact that Mike's ridiculously talented. He could easily take on almost any of the responsibilities in the organization. And while he's good at a lot of things (uh, except driving), if you ask him what he is, he'll tell you he's an artist. He's even got the stuff to prove it! Beyond the art thing (even his mom will tell you that's no way to pay the rent) we count on Mike for just about everything around here. From Web site design to Web site development to software architecture. From advanced technical support to hardware configurations to data integration—Mike delivers the rich background required to manage his vast responsibilities at Pangea Foundation. He's also an accomplished "film producer". You'd think someone that talented would be annoying. Perhaps it's his Irish charm.

Mike loves the San Diego Coaster. He loves it because during his daily commute from Encinitas, California to downtown San Diego, he gets to think. And that's what he's been doing for Pangea Foundation since 2005. He thinks about our clients, about their needs, about their challenges, about the people they serve. His intelligence, breadth of experience, and grace under pressure serve him well in his wide variety of responsibilities at Pangea Foundation. From client support to software testing to accounts receivable, Mike is always up to the challenge. Prior to Pangea Foundation, Mike served as a leader in the AmeriCorp Vista program, which means he loves to help people. Mike also loves to visit new places and never passes up a chance to sneak off to another continent or time zone. He's lived in Germany, hiked in the Amazon, and rode elephants in Thailand. And he's pretty good at running marathons too. I guess that's why he likes to eat so much. The guy burns more calories in a day than most people burn in a week. Dude's like a well-oiled machine!