NICOLE MINOR
Founder and Executive Director
As Founder and Executive Director of The Pangea Network, Nicole believes women and motivated individuals can be a powerful force for change through entire families and communities. After working in consulting for companies around the world, Nicole returned to the United States and renewed her commitment to service. In 2005, Nicole began to design programs that are now the foundation of The Pangea Network. She enlisted a board of directors, filed for non-profit status and initiated the efforts which today benefit hundreds of women and youth in disadvantaged areas. Nicole resides in The Woodlands, Texas, where she established The Pangea Network’s headquarters.
Ivana Situm
U.S. Programs Director
Ivana Situm serves as The Pangea Network’s U.S. Programs Director, 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. Situm uses her vast experiences 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.
Kate Colston
U.S. Programs Manager
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 BUNTZEL
YWLC Austin Leader
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.
Gretel Wurdack
YWLC St. Louis Leader
Gretel Wurdack first joined YWLC in 2020. Living in St. Louis, Missouri, the virtual conference gave Gretel the opportunity to join as an incoming senior. Even though the format was online, Gretel gained the necessary skills to expand an animal education nonprofit to five high schools in the St. Louis area. The following year, she worked as a conference intern for Pangea and loved helping young women through developing their own Take Action Challenges and leadership skills. Since then, Gretel has attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, majoring in Animal Sciences, to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. YWLC gave Gretel the skills necessary to continue her non-profit work, serve as President of the Pre-Veterinary Club at UIUC, and President of the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association. Gretel returned to work for the Pangea Network as a YWLC Leader to bring the conference to the greater St. Louis area. She loves being able to give back to her community and helping students find their passion.