As the Founder and Executive Director of The Pangea Network, Nicole has spent more than two decades building partnerships across the nonprofit, corporate, academic, and philanthropic sectors to expand opportunity for women and youth.
Nicole earned a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a Master of Arts in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Before founding The Pangea Network, she worked in international management consulting with organizations around the world, experiences that shaped her passion for community-driven development and global partnership.
Under Nicole’s leadership, The Pangea Network has grown into a trusted international organization serving thousands of women and youth across Kenya and the United States.
Nicole lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where The Pangea Network is headquartered.

Dorothy Ombajo is a human rights attorney. Her professional qualifications include a Masters of Arts in Project management and Planning, Degree in Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Political Science and Psychology, Bachelors of Laws, Postgraduate diploma from Kenya school of law, Diploma in Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation. She was previously at the Attorney General Chambers then an Associate with Oduk and Company Advocates for two years before leaving to join Miller and Company Advocates where she rose to the position of Senior Associate for a period of five years. She is also a legal Consultant in Human Rights, Family Law, Gender issues, Labour Laws and Civic Education. She began working with Pangea in 2007 and has served as County Director since 2009. As head of the field office in Kenya, Dorothy’s primary role is to oversee and provide education, training and structural support to our cooperatives. With more than a decade of field experience, Dorothy is a gifted trainer and mentor who continues to spread joy alongside the women and children of The Pangea Network.

Ivana Situm serves as The Pangea Network’s U.S. Programs Director. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the organization’s U.S.-based programs, which includes the Young Women’s Leadership Challenge (YWLC) program and its growth through a Training of Trainers (TOT) program to expand in Texas and beyond.

Before joining Pangea, Situm served as the international education director for the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston for seven years. While in this position, she annually developed and managed 100+ programs for 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers in the Houston-area, including community colleges and universities. As a result of these programs, students and educators were given the opportunity to become globally competent and culturally sensitive world citizens through networking, workshops and international travel.

Situm’s other work experience has consisted of program development positions at the Asia Society in New York, New York and Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) in Paris, France.

As an avid traveler and “global nomad,” Situm uses this experience to connect locally and globally and help others face their challenges through her nonprofit work. She obtained her master’s degree in International Affairs from Sciences Po in Paris, France, a B.A. from the University of Houston and earned an international baccalaureate diploma from the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore.

Hyline Kachuodho is a skilled educator and finance specialist who joined Pangea in 2012. As Program Director, she provides technical expertise and support to our project activities, along with strategy development and implementation. Hyline has been deeply involved with women and youth in the community since she began attending the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya in 2009.

Samson Aling has worked in the areas of finance and accounting for over 25 years in the commercial, NGO, insurance and banking sectors. He is currently a manager at one of the leading financial institutions in Kenya. His major work experience covers accounting, auditing and investigation, supervisory of banks and financial Institution’s operations, fund and investment management.

Collins was born in Eldoret but grew up in Kindu Bay South Nyanza in western Kenya. He moved to Nairobi in 2009. He previously worked at Ken Afric Industries in Nairobi and Siginol Global Freight in Mombasa. His dream is to see one world where all children are given equal opportunity regardless of their background or financial status. Collins enjoys running and hopes to one day run a marathon for Pangea.

Ingrid is a skilled facilitator and trainer. Before joining the Pangea Network in 2016, she worked at Digital Opportunity Trust that mostly empowered the youth in rural areas of Kenya. She studied at the University of Nairobi in the areas of Mathematics and Finance. She is passionate about knowledge sharing and believes that through educating the womenfolk and the youth, leaders of tomorrow, the society will be a better place for all.

Sonia Apondi Odera is a skilled HR & Office Administrator who joined Pangea in 2017. She provides a critical HR role and assistance in the day-to-day operations of the organization while supporting our programs and the team. Sonia was educated at St. Paul’s University and has a Bachelor of Business Administration. She holds certifications in Secondary Education, Computer Application, Management, and a diploma in Purchasing and Supplies. Sonia is passionate about mentoring our youth and believes that education is the key ingredient they need in order to achieve their goals and dreams.

Kate was first introduced to the Pangea Network in 2017 as a YWLC Participant. Throughout the year-long program, she continuously discovered a passion for empowerment through education. After completing her TAC, she attended UT Austin for Astronomy and earned a certificate in NGO Ethics and International Development. She also became a published astrophysicist after working with a research team on dark matter! Kate spent a few years in the booming tech industry in Austin, interning and volunteering for YWLC as much as possible for 7 years, before joining the Pangea team to fulfill her long-term goal of empowering other young women with invaluable skills and resources.

Elyssa humbly brags about attending the first iteration of YWLC in 2013, and interning and volunteering with The Pangea Network for several years since! Elyssa’s first Take Action Challenge was to bring YWLC to her school. Now, she’s working to bring YWLC all the way to Austin! After graduating with a business degree from Texas A&M, she served an Americorps VISTA year of service in Houston. Combining what she loves from project management, technology and innovation, and a passion for community impact developed with YWLC, Elyssa is an experienced fundraiser and advocate in the nonprofit sector. As a part of several community organizations in Austin, she looks forward to local partnerships that inspire global change.

Michelle Patterson is a sharp brand architect and communications executive with over 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and communications. She is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at McLane Company Inc., one of the largest distributors in America, where she shapes the company’s brand presence, voice and vision, leads go-to-market strategies for new innovations and manages internal and external communications. Her finely tuned instincts, bold ideas and entreprenurial approach are steadily ushering the distribution and logistics giant into the future.

Prior to joining McLane, Michelle co-founded ShakeWell Creative, a strategic marketing agency based in Austin, Texas. For seventeen years she led the agency as CEO with a focus on positioning Fortune 500, medium-sized, and non-profit companies for long-term growth. Michelle is the Board Chair for the Pangea Network, an international nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of women and youth through proven education and empowerment programs. Her passion for advancing women in leadership positions continues in her work as a founding board member of Convenience Store Women (CSW), which formed in 2023 to drive positive change in the convenience industry.

When not in the board room or at the office, Michelle enjoys challenging hikes, long runs, birdwatching, devouring podcasts and books, and spending quality time with her husband, John and Boston Terrier rescue, Max. She resides in Austin is a proud graduate of the University of Texas.

Ian is a Director/Producer and founder of FLMSCHL. FLMSCHL is pushing creative boundaries with clients across the globe. Located in Silverlake Los Angeles, handling business worldwide. We are creative and strategic brand leaders with 20+ years of experience across broadcast, digital, content, design/creative and consumer marketing for entertainment, media & global brands. We bring out the human voice that exists within every brand and create big moments with unique points of differentiation in an overcrowded sea of messaging.

A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Kristin began her career with ExxonMobil in Baton Rouge in 2006 after graduating from the University of Tennessee with a Chemical Engineering degree and after working at Dow Chemical Company for two years. Over her career with ExxonMobil, Kristin has lived and worked in several locations across the Gulf Coast, including Baton Rouge, Baytown, and Houston. She’s also had the opportunity for an expat assignment which moved herself and her family to Brussels, Belgium for three years. While Kristin’s career has spanned a variety of engineering and leadership roles and across several different companies within the corporation, much of her experience is in manufacturing, two of her most rewarding roles being the Operations Manager and then Plant Manager at two plastics sites in Baton Rouge. More recently, she’s had the opportunity to tackle a new skill – a regional sales manager role and currently, Kristin serves as Senior Advisor to the Senior Vice President of ExxonMobil Corporation located at the Houston HQ.

Prior to pursuing a degree in engineering, Kristin was a classically trained ballet dancer and performed with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. For much of her career with ExxonMobil, she continued to both take and teach ballet classes, allowing her to tap in to her creative side (and provide some balance!) She is married to Connor, also an engineer by degree, and together they enjoy being active, outdoors and traveling. Kristin is also passionate about animal rescue – she and Connor currently have three dogs all rescued while on assignment in Louisiana – Nora, Neyland, and Magnolia.

T’shai Christopher is a 2018 YWLC alumna. She previously interned with The Pangea Network to help provide girls with the same transformative experiences she gained through YWLC. Now, she continues to support Pangea’s mission as a member of the board, working to strengthen its impact and marketing opportunities. A UH graduate with a degree in marketing, T’shai is now a Digital Marketing Specialist at a branding agency, where she helps businesses grow through strategic storytelling.

Katherine’s life experiences have been greatly shaped by not only her education and career in technology and the energy industry but also by her travel to over 25 different countries. She uses these perspectives and passion for learning about others to drive innovation. Throughout her life, Katherine faced challenges of being the only woman on an executive team or being the only Latina in the room. She draws inspiration from her grandmother and parents who paved the way. Katherine’s main goal is to always mentor the next generation of young girls from all backgrounds to build their confidence and reach their goals. Katherine has been a mentor for the YWLC and her daughter also was in the program this past year. She lives by this motto: Be confident and go surprise yourself!