Kristen Atwood
Our national board of trustees is committed to building stronger communities by supporting local schools and helping our AmeriCorps members become civic leaders.
Throughout her life, Kristen Atwood has devoted her energies and passion to uniting our global community through service, cultural enrichment and the profound impact of friendships that bridge geographies, sectors and socioeconomic backgrounds.
As a founding staff member of City Year, Kristen spent two decades immersed in the transformative power of service where she played an instrumental role in the development of the organization. She continues to serve as a resource for City Year’s strategy for international growth and development as a champion of City Year South Africa and as co-chair for the international committee for City Year’s national board of trustees.
She also serves as board member for Be The Change, Inc. and on the board of advisors for South Africa Partners.
Kristen is the founder of Ripples of Hope, a nonprofit organization which inspires families to be engaged and take action in local and global service journeys utilizing service as the international passport to change lives, open hearts and forge bonds of understanding and humanity. Ripples of Hope is built on that simple premise and profound understanding. It is an ideal first demonstrated by Kristen's father, a Presbyterian minister, and one that is the foundation of the family she has created with her husband Jim and their five children.
Ripples of Hope is an expression of Kristen's hope for our world and belief that families united in common purpose can be a global force for humanity.
