Biography

Michael Pinto, Ph.D., Chair of the Board - Dr. Pinto is an accomplished entrepreneur with decades of success in distribution and real estate, and an equally accomplished philanthropist who has contributed his resources and business acumen to a plethora of causes.

Dr. Pinto received his B.A. in political science from the California State University at Long Beach in 1963 and his secondary teaching credential from UCLA in 1965 before teaching history, world geography, and cultures with the Los Angeles Public School System. In 1996, Dr. Pinto received his Ph.D. from CIIS in Learning and Change in Human Systems, emphasizing nonprofit organizational development and philanthropy.

A committed philanthropist, Dr. Pinto served as President and Campaign Chair with the United Jewish Welfare Fund and United Jewish Appeal, Orange County, where he helped to raise more than $5 million to support Jewish communities. Other philanthropic efforts include roles with the Warner Resource Center and the California Consortium of Educational Foundations, where he was pivotal in helping to raise millions of dollars for education and guide effective stewardship of funds.

Also an avid conservationist, Dr. Pinto has lent his expertise to numerous environmental foundations, often in a leadership role, including the Laguna Canyon Foundation, which he founded to protect a wilderness preserve that now forms the heart of a 20,000 acre park system.

In addition to his leadership as Chair of the Board at CIIS, Dr. Pinto currently serves on the boards of the Laguna Greenbelt and Ilan-Lael Foundations and consults pro bono for numerous other charities.