LEADERSHIP & BOARD
An independent board of creators, operators, and advisors stewarding Kindplay Foundation's mission and finances.
As the President, Founder, and Board Director of the KindPlay Foundation, David Chao leverages his decades of executive leadership to champion compassionate, positive media. An avid fan of the arts and comic book storytelling, David became concerned by the diminishing availability of uplifting content for readers of all ages. He founded KindPlay to directly address this gap—not only by cultivating mission-aligned creative talent, but by actively developing original stories and intellectual property (IP) designed to propagate the foundation's message of empathy and mindfulness worldwide. Alongside his philanthropic vision, David brings a robust background in global business and corporate governance to the foundation's operations.
As Board Chair of the KindPlay Foundation, Catherine applies 20 years of experience as a multidisciplinary designer and licensed architect to guide the organization's strategic vision. Trained at Stanford, RISD, and Columbia, she excels at bringing a creative, systems-level approach to complex challenges. Catherine provides a collaborative, hands-on approach to advance the foundation's impactful work in compassionate multimedia storytelling.
Board Director Elizabeth brings a deep well of empathy and a love for disciplined storytelling to the KindPlay Foundation. Drawing on her past experience as an oncology and geriatric nurse, alongside her current work as a nonprofit professional and poet, she helps steer the foundation's mission to foster compassion through media. A lover of alliteration and exacting commas, she believes deeply in the power of words and art to connect us.
Richard serves as Treasurer for the KindPlay Foundation, leveraging over 25 years of leadership in private equity, finance, and public accounting. Richard applies his deep expertise in compliance and internal controls to his role at KindPlay, ensuring the financial transparency and operational stability required to advance the foundation's mission of producing socially important media.
Vincent's lifelong love of storytelling began with a beat-up copy of The Dark Knight Returns and evolved into a conviction that media can be a genuine force for good. Combining this passion with years of management experience, Vincent works behind the scenes to keep the organization running so its mission can stay front and center.
Lily Nygren serves as Corporate Secretary, bringing over 20 years of expertise in board governance and executive support to further the organization's mission of creating compassionate media. Based in Houston, she is a trusted partner in governance administration, board relations, and complex logistics.