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| Kristine McDivitt Tompkins | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kristine McDivitt Tompkins |
| Birth date | 1950 |
| Birth place | Spokane, Washington, United States |
| Occupation | Conservationist; Philanthropist; Former CEO |
| Spouse | Douglas Tompkins (m. 1993–2015) |
| Known for | Land conservation; National park creation; Rewilding |
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins is an American conservationist and philanthropist known for large-scale land protection efforts in Chile and Argentina, work in the outdoor apparel industry, and leadership in establishing national parks and biodiversity corridors. She helped transform private conservation strategies into public protected areas through partnerships with national governments, international conservation organizations, and indigenous communities. Her activities span nonprofit management, rewilding initiatives, and advocacy at transnational environmental forums.
Born in Spokane, Washington, she was raised in a family engaged with Pacific Northwest outdoor life and civic institutions, which shaped her early interest in conservation and public service. She attended universities linked to environmental and business networks, connecting with institutions such as University of Washington, Stanford University affiliates, and organizations like The Nature Conservancy during formative years. Her education intersected with influences from leaders associated with Sierra Club, National Park Service, World Wildlife Fund, and international conservation movements.
She began a corporate career in the outdoor apparel sector, holding executive roles at companies that are central to the outdoor industry. Her professional trajectory included leadership at Patagonia (company) and The North Face, where she worked alongside executives and founders connected to Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, and boards including members from REI and VF Corporation. Her work involved strategic planning, marketing, and corporate philanthropy, collaborating with nonprofit partners such as Conservation International, WWF, Nature Conservancy, and stakeholder groups in regions like Patagonia (region), Andes Mountains, and Southern Cone. Through these roles she engaged with networks linking Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, and philanthropic entities including Packard Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
After leaving corporate roles she partnered with conservation leaders to create a dedicated philanthropic organization focused on land protection in South America. She co-founded Tompkins Conservation, building alliances with governments of Chile and Argentina, international NGOs like World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, and scientific institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society. The organization worked with provincial and national ministries, indigenous authorities, and multilateral entities including Inter-American Development Bank and United Nations Environment Programme to secure large tracts of private land for public protection. Her approach combined private purchase, ecological science, and policy negotiation involving actors such as Mauricio Macri, Michelle Bachelet, and ministers from both countries.
Tompkins led initiatives to restore ecosystems, reintroduce species, and create connectivity across landscape scales, coordinating with conservation biologists from Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, Rewilding Institute, and academic partners like University of Chile and University of Buenos Aires. Major projects resulted in the donation or transfer of lands that contributed to the establishment or expansion of protected areas including Pumalín Park, Bosques Templados Lluviosos, Corcovado National Park, and large additions to Los Alerces National Park and Perito Moreno National Park. These efforts involved negotiations culminating in the creation of Parque Nacional Patagonia, Corcovado National Park (Chile), and expansions recognized by international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and technical cooperation with agencies like United Nations Development Programme.
Her philanthropic model emphasized strategic land acquisition, legal transfer to state stewardship, and public access, working with philanthropic peers from organizations including Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Ford Foundation. She has advocated at forums like World Economic Forum, IUCN World Conservation Congress, and diplomatic venues, collaborating with figures from Prince Charles's environmental initiatives and representatives from European Union conservation programs. Her advocacy addressed climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and community-based conservation, engaging with indigenous groups such as the Mapuche and regional governance structures like SERNATUR and provincial governments.
Her work has been honored by institutions and awards associated with conservation and environmental leadership, including recognitions from National Geographic Society, WWF International, IUCN, the MacArthur Foundation network of fellows, and civic awards presented by presidents and ministers from Chile and Argentina. She has been profiled in media outlets connected to The New York Times, BBC, The Guardian, and featured in documentary projects with National Geographic and PBS that highlight large-scale conservation successes.
She was married to entrepreneur and conservationist Douglas Tompkins until his death; their partnership merged business, philanthropy, and field-based conservation strategies often discussed in profiles alongside figures like Yvon Chouinard, Paul Watson, and leaders from Conservation International. Her legacy includes significant protected-area expansions, institutional innovations in philanthropy-to-state transfers, and influence on contemporary rewilding discourse promoted by scholars and practitioners from Rewilding Europe, Rewilding Institute, and academic programs at Yale University and University of California, Santa Cruz. Her ongoing work continues to shape policy dialogues involving multilateral environmental agreements and conservation finance mechanisms championed by bodies such as World Bank and Global Environment Facility.
Category:American conservationists Category:Philanthropists