Board of Directors

The Pangaea Project welcomes talented individuals who believe in our mission and vision, and who will bring skills, experience, diversity and wisdom to the leadership of our organization.  For application information, please contact us at info@thepangaeaproject.org.

Jennifer combines a passion for intercultural learning and international development with extensive experience leading nonprofit organizations, where she has held executive positions and served on boards.  A Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand she was later appointed Associated Director of the Peace Corps in Washington.  Her many years with AFS Intercultural Programs included six years as President of AFS-USA.  From 2003-2006 she was Country Director for Save the Children in Malawi.  Her extensive consultancies include work with Shorebank Enterprise, Ecotrust and the World Affairs Council of Oregon as well as Save the Children and World Learning.  Locally, Jennifer has served on the boards of the Harambee Centre and The Banyan Tree (formerly Ten Thousand Villages) – a nonprofit fair trade store.

Christine is a Project Manager at the National Policy Consensus Center, and prior Christine worked at the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) in the areas of development and community engagement. Before her time with NAYA Family Center, Christine coordinated the Indigenous Ways of Knowing Project (IWOK) at Lewis & Clark Graduate School and also worked at the Oregon Historical Society on a Tribal cultural preservation project. Christine graduated with a Ph.D. from the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania in 2007. She is an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of southwestern Washington and has acted as a Tribal council member interested in both cultural and educational affairs. She is an American Leadership Forum Senior fellow, a passionate traveler, dedicated writer and fond mother of three. Christine is enthusiasitic to be a member of the Pangaea Board and is committed to the future our our students. 

Gloria Sica was an invaluable member of our Advisory Council for many years and joined the Board in the summer of 2011.  Gloria has been  advising entrepreneurs since 1995. She has over 25 years of experience in executive management, accounting, sales and marketing. Her diverse background leads to practical and insightful advice which helps managers avoid common pitfalls and maximize business value. Ms. Sica holds a BS in Business Management from Oregon State University and has completed graduate classes in Finance, Marketing and Accounting. She is a guest speaker at SBA executive trainings, University of Portland MBA entrepreneurship program and Invention2Venture and served on several non-profit boards. For more information visit: www.fulcrumdrive.com. 

Jill’s belief in exposing adolescents to new experiences, culture and diversity led her to The Pangaea Project. She is an experienced corporate leader, with over 25 years of business leadership and an established track record of consistently driving change and proven results. For the past fifteen years she has been a Senior Executive at Nike where she has developed her ability to provide vision and drive strategic leadership. Jill is British and has lived and worked throughout the UK, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and is now settled in Oregon.

Jim Laden, Program Advisor
AFS Intercultural Programs, Training and Organization Development Specialist

We are excited to have Jim Laden back on the Board of Directors. Jim has worked and volunteered with AFS Intercultural Programs, an international high school exchange program, since 1996.  He is currently the Training and Organizational Development Specialist for the Western USA, focusing on the development of the staff and volunteers who make the exchange experiences possible.  He is also an adjunct instructor in the Human Development Department at Clark Community College.  Prior to these experiences, Jim worked in the Career Services office at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, where he also had the privilege to lead a semester-long overseas study program to India.  Jim has spent many years living, studying, and traveling overseas, including two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Sierra Leone. He has a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College and an M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Virginia.

Riikka, a native of Finland, is a facilitator, educator, and consultant with 16 years of experience in intercultural competence development in corporate, governmental, academic, and non-profit contexts globally. She is a co-founder of Global Inclusion Consulting, a company that offers intercultural training and organizational development services. Currently, Riikka  is the program manager of diversity and inclusion at Oregon Health & Science University. She leads the diversity and inclusion strategic planning and facilitates intercultural training programs for 7,000 OHSU Healthcare employees.

From 2007-2008 she taught college students and traveled to 17 countries with the ocean-going university, The Scholar Ship. Prior to this, Riikka worked for seven years at the Intercultural Communication Institute, specializing in assessment and program development in the area of intercultural competence. Riikka received her master's and bachelor's degrees from the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, majoring in Intercultural Relations.