A farewell tribute to outgoing Board President Carin Kaltschmidt

Carin Kaltschmidt's PMI SFBAC story began the way many do — through mentorship. A PMI member since 2010, Carin was looking for community in a business-oriented environment as she transitioned into retirement. She signed up for the mentorship program, moved through one-on-one and circle mentorship, and before long was helping launch what would become one of the chapter's signature offerings: the Next Generation Leaders (NGL) program.

"I gravitate towards making things happen," Carin says. And that instinct — to see potential, step in, and build — has defined her entire chapter journey.

From Mentee to Movement Builder

The Next Generation Leaders program holds a special place in Carin's heart. What started as an idea from Dhruti and a few others became, under Carin's hands-on leadership, a robust pipeline for emerging professionals. The program creates a pathway for undergraduate and graduate students to become career-ready while experiencing the broader world of a professional business organization. "I get a lot of joy out of helping students turn on the light bulb to kind of see beyond their academic experience," she says.

Carin brought the same entrepreneurial energy to everything she touched — connecting volunteers to guest speaking opportunities at universities like San Jose State, recruiting judges for entrepreneurship challenges like the Hult Prize, and constantly tapping into her network to bring fresh talent into the chapter. She treated PMI SFBAC like an entrepreneurship organization in its own right — a place where people could take initiative, try new things, and grow.

Building Leaders, One Person at a Time

Ask Carin what she's most proud of, and she won't point to a program or an award. She'll talk about people. Tapping someone on the shoulder to take on a role they didn't think they could handle. Being there to guide them. Watching them grow and then do the same for others. "It's how you make impact one person at a time," she says.

That philosophy extended well beyond chapter walls. Under Carin's presidency, PMI SFBAC earned two PMI Global Awards and sent one of the largest volunteer contingents to the PMI Global Summit. She championed nominations for both seasoned volunteers — the "unsung heroes" who had been quietly serving for years — and emerging leaders with untapped potential. Recognition, she believes, isn't just a nice gesture — it's a gift you give back to people who give so much of themselves.

What many in the chapter may not know is that Carin stepped into the presidency during one of the most difficult periods of her life. Her mother passed away on a Saturday — and Carin was at the board meeting the next day. "Maybe I was still in shock," she reflects. There was no formal transition, no playbook handed over. She had to figure it out on her own while carrying personal grief that few around her fully understood. Rather than let that experience hold her back, it deepened her empathy as a leader. She became attuned to the fact that every volunteer has something going on in their life, and she made it a point to check in one-on-one — especially when people weren't raising their hands to ask for help. "Everybody has something going on in their life," she says. "We all do."

Lessons from the Presidency

Carin's key takeaways from her board tenure are one’s future leaders should take to heart. Focus on strengths. "It's like the child that behaves well doesn't get attention — it's the troublemaker that does," she says. Strong programs like mentorship deserve continued investment, not just the struggling ones.

Second: the delicate art of feedback. In volunteer organizations, Carin notes, there's a natural tendency to always pump people up. But leadership sometimes means having honest conversations — not by pointing fingers, but by owning challenges together. "We both were in this together," she would say. "Let's talk about how together it could be done differently." That vulnerability, she found, often brought people closer rather than pushing them apart.

Showing Up — Even in the Background

One of the most powerful ideas Carin shared in her farewell interview was about what it means to show up. She pointed to fellow volunteer Shey as an example — someone passionate about nonprofit work who was pursuing something new and meaningful to him. Carin made it a point to be there: on a call, at a meeting, at an event. Not to take over. Not to hold the microphone. Just to be present and show that his mission mattered. "You don't always have to be in the lead," she says. "You can come in and be that servant leader in the background." It's a lesson in leadership that has nothing to do with titles and everything to do with character.

A Parting Message

Carin's advice to incoming board members: find where you can make an impact, understand your "why," be open about what you know and what you don't, and invest in getting to know each other deeply. For the chapter's future, she sees three priorities — building a sustainable volunteer talent management function with clear pathways for growth, evolving programs to meet broader career needs beyond traditional project management, and strengthening the PMI SFBAC brand across the region and beyond.

Her parting words capture the philosophy she brought to every role she held: "Volunteering is a gift that keeps on giving. Leadership is not about what we build for today, but what we make possible for others tomorrow."

Carin would like to thank every board member, chapter leader, volunteer, and partner she's worked with — because, as she puts it, none of it could have been done alone. She specifically acknowledges MaryAnn for her direct advice and experienced mentorship, and the many emerging leaders she invested in who went on to carry that energy forward. The chapter thanks her right back.