Kristine Tompkins Biography – Patagonia CEO, Conservationist & Achievements

Kristine McDivitt Tompkins is an American conservationist, business leader and environmental philanthropist best known for transforming her career from the outdoor clothing industry into one of the world's most ambitious private conservation efforts.

Before becoming a conservation icon, Kristine Tompkins was a pioneering business executive. She joined Yvon Chouinard and helped build Patagonia, eventually becoming the company's CEO. After leaving Patagonia in 1993, she turned her attention almost entirely toward protecting wilderness and biodiversity.

Together with her late husband, Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of The North Face and Esprit, she helped purchase and protect enormous areas of land in Chile and Argentina.

Their vision was unusual.

They did not simply want to own wilderness.

They wanted to restore ecosystems, bring back wildlife, create national parks and eventually return protected land to governments so that it could belong to the public forever.

Through Tompkins Conservation and its partner organizations, Kristine and Doug helped protect approximately 14.8–15 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina and contributed to the creation or expansion of numerous national parks.

Today, Kristine Tompkins remains a major international voice for rewilding, biodiversity protection, national parks and large-scale wilderness conservation.

Kristine Tompkins Biography at a Glance

Information	Details
Full Name	Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
Known As	Kris Tompkins
Born	June 1950
Birthplace	Southern California, USA
Nationality	American
Profession	Conservationist, Business Leader, Environmentalist, Philanthropist
Former Position	CEO of Patagonia
Patagonia Career	1973–1993
Major Organization	Tompkins Conservation
Current Role	President & Co-Founder, Tompkins Conservation
Rewilding Role	President of the Board, Rewilding Chile
Major Region	Patagonia, Chile & Argentina
Conservation Focus	National Parks, Rewilding, Biodiversity, Wilderness
Late Husband	Douglas Tompkins
UN Role	Patron for Protected Areas, 2018–2022
Major Honor	Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy
2025 Honor	Ellis Island Medal of Honor
2026 Honor	Explorers Club Medal
Major Documentary	Wild Life
TED Talk	“Let's Make the World Wild Again”

Who Is Kristine Tompkins?

Kristine Tompkins is a conservationist who has spent decades working to protect some of the wildest landscapes in South America.

Her career is unusual because it began in business.

She was one of the people who helped build Patagonia into an influential outdoor company and eventually became its CEO.

But after two decades in the corporate world, she decided that her future belonged somewhere else.

She left Patagonia in 1993 and moved to Chile, where she joined her husband Doug Tompkins in a massive experiment in conservation.

Their idea was simple but extraordinarily ambitious:

Buy threatened wilderness, restore it, protect it and eventually turn it into national parks.

That strategy helped transform large parts of Patagonia and other regions of Chile and Argentina.

Today, Kristine Tompkins is regarded as one of the most influential private conservationists of the modern era. Fundación Rewilding Chile describes her as a former Patagonia CEO, President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation, and a key figure behind the creation of national parks in Chile and Argentina.

Kristine Tompkins Early Life

Kristine McDivitt was born in June 1950 in Southern California.

She spent much of her childhood at her great-grandmother's ranch.

That experience helped develop her lifelong relationship with nature and the outdoors.

Instead of growing up viewing wilderness simply as scenery, she experienced it as a place to explore, work and live.

She became interested in outdoor sports and eventually became a competitive skier.

Her childhood connection with the natural world would later become a major part of her conservation philosophy.

Fundación Rewilding Chile notes that her childhood at the family ranch played an important role in cultivating her connection with nature.

Kristine Tompkins Education

Kristine Tompkins attended the University of Idaho, where she competed on the university's ski team.

Her college years combined formal education with her passion for outdoor adventure.

Skiing, climbing and other outdoor activities became important parts of her identity.

These experiences would later influence both her business career and conservation philosophy.

She learned to appreciate landscapes not simply from a distance, but by physically experiencing them.

Kristine Tompkins and Patagonia

One of the most important chapters in Kristine Tompkins' life began in 1973.

She returned to California and began working with her longtime friends Yvon and Malinda Chouinard.

At the time, the business that would become Patagonia was still relatively small.

Kristine helped the Chouinards develop the company and eventually became its first CEO.

Her career at Patagonia lasted approximately 20 years.

She eventually helped turn the company into an innovative outdoor brand known not only for its products but also for its environmental values.

Building an Unusual Company

Patagonia was different from many traditional businesses.

Its culture emphasized:

• Outdoor adventure

• Environmental responsibility

• Product durability

• Simplicity

• Activism

• Responsible business practices

Kristine helped shape that culture during the company's formative years.

Her experience demonstrated that a business could be successful while also taking environmental issues seriously.

That philosophy later became central to her conservation career.

Kristine Tompkins as Patagonia CEO

Kristine Tompkins eventually became CEO of Patagonia.

Her leadership helped the company grow while maintaining its strong connection with outdoor culture and environmental values.

She was not simply managing a clothing company.

She was helping build a new model of outdoor business in which environmental responsibility became part of the company's identity.

Her experience at Patagonia gave her skills that later became extremely valuable in conservation:

• Leadership

• Fundraising

• Strategic planning

• Organization building

• Public communication

• Marketing

• Long-term project management

Those skills would eventually be applied to protecting millions of acres of wilderness.

Why Did Kristine Tompkins Leave Patagonia?

In 1993, Kristine Tompkins retired from Patagonia.

Her decision marked a dramatic change in her life.

She had spent approximately two decades helping build one of the world's most influential outdoor companies.

Now she wanted to dedicate herself to conservation.

Around the same period, she married Douglas Tompkins, who had co-founded The North Face and Esprit.

The couple decided to leave the business world behind and concentrate their energy on protecting nature.

Kristine later described how quickly the transition happened.

She went from a successful corporate career to living in a remote part of Chile, beginning a completely different chapter of her life.

Kristine Tompkins and Douglas Tompkins

The partnership between Kristine and Douglas Tompkins became one of the most important conservation collaborations of the modern era.

Doug had made his fortune through companies including The North Face and Esprit.

Kristine had spent decades leading Patagonia.

Together, they had business experience, financial resources and a deep passion for wilderness.

But their goal was not to build another company.

It was to protect landscapes.

They focused heavily on Patagonia, a vast region shared by Chile and Argentina.

They began purchasing large properties that contained forests, rivers, wetlands, mountains, grasslands and other ecosystems.

Their ultimate goal was to convert these lands into protected areas and national parks.

Kristine Tompkins Conservation Journey

The couple's conservation strategy was based on a simple principle:

Protect large ecosystems rather than isolated pieces of habitat.

They believed that wildlife needs connected landscapes.

A small protected area might preserve individual species, but large connected ecosystems can protect entire ecological processes.

Their conservation work therefore involved buying enormous properties.

One of their earliest major projects was Pumalín, a huge protected landscape in southern Chile.

The project initially generated significant controversy.

Some Chileans were suspicious of foreigners purchasing large areas of land.

Kristine and Doug nevertheless continued their work.

Over time, their approach gained greater recognition as protected landscapes were transferred into public conservation systems.

Kristine Tompkins and Pumalín

Pumalín became one of the defining conservation projects associated with the Tompkinses.

The area contained vast temperate rainforests, rivers, lakes and other ecosystems.

The Tompkinses worked to protect the land from development while restoring damaged areas.

Eventually, the conservation effort helped lead to the creation of Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park in Chile.

The park became an important example of private conservation eventually becoming public conservation.

The underlying philosophy was that private individuals could purchase threatened landscapes and then work with governments to ensure permanent public protection.

Kristine Tompkins and Patagonia National Park

Another major achievement was Patagonia National Park in Chile.

The park protects a large and biologically important landscape in the Aysén region.

Conservation work involved restoring ecosystems and protecting wildlife while creating opportunities for visitors to experience the landscape.

The project demonstrated Kristine's belief that conservation should not mean locking landscapes away from people.

Instead, responsible access can help people understand why places are worth protecting.

Fundación Rewilding Chile identifies Kristine as a key figure behind the creation of Patagonia National Park.

Kristine Tompkins and National Parks

Creating national parks became the central strategy of Kristine Tompkins' conservation career.

Through Tompkins Conservation and its partner organizations, she helped create or expand numerous national parks across Chile and Argentina.

These include landscapes such as:

• Pumalín

• Patagonia National Park

• Iberá-related protected landscapes

• Monte León

• El Impenetrable

• Other protected areas across Patagonia and Argentina

National parks provide long-term protection for ecosystems while also creating opportunities for tourism, research and local economic development.

National Geographic reports that Tompkins Conservation and its related organizations helped create or expand 15 national parks in Argentina and Chile, including two marine national parks.

Kristine Tompkins and Rewilding

Protecting land is only one part of conservation.

Kristine Tompkins has also focused on rewilding.

Rewilding means restoring ecosystems and, where possible, bringing back species that have disappeared or declined dramatically.

Her conservation organizations have supported efforts involving species such as:

• Jaguar

• Giant river otter

• Giant anteater

• Red-and-green macaw

• Darwin's rhea

• Huemul deer

• Andean condor

The objective is not simply to protect individual animals.

It is to restore functioning ecosystems.

National Geographic notes that the Tompkins organizations have worked to return locally or nationally extinct species to parts of their former ranges.

Kristine Tompkins and Wildlife Restoration

Rewilding can change an ecosystem dramatically.

Consider a landscape where a top predator has disappeared.

Without that predator, populations of other animals may increase dramatically.

Vegetation can be affected.

Water systems can change.

The balance of the ecosystem can shift.

Reintroducing native species can therefore help restore ecological relationships.

This is why Kristine's conservation philosophy goes beyond simply preserving land.

She wants landscapes to become ecologically complete again.

Kristine Tompkins and Iberá

One of the most important conservation efforts in Argentina has involved the Iberá wetlands.

Iberá is one of South America's major wetland ecosystems.

The Tompkins organizations helped acquire and protect large areas while supporting restoration and wildlife reintroduction.

Species such as the jaguar and giant anteater have been part of broader rewilding efforts in the region.

The project demonstrated how conservation can combine:

Land protection + Wildlife restoration + Local communities + Tourism

The goal is to create a functioning ecosystem that can also support sustainable economic activity.

Kristine Tompkins and Community Conservation

Kristine Tompkins has emphasized that conservation cannot succeed permanently without people.

Protected areas need:

• Local jobs

• Tourism opportunities

• Infrastructure

• Education

• Community participation

• Long-term economic incentives

Her organizations have therefore promoted nature-based tourism and local economic development alongside conservation.

The underlying idea is straightforward:

If communities benefit from healthy ecosystems, there is a stronger reason to protect them.

The UN Environment Programme highlights the Tompkinses' efforts to combine conservation with jobs and incomes in local communities.

Kristine Tompkins and Douglas Tompkins' Death

On December 8, 2015, Douglas Tompkins died in a kayaking accident on General Carrera Lake in Chile.

The accident was a devastating personal loss for Kristine.

It also created uncertainty about the future of the enormous conservation project the couple had built together.

But Kristine continued their work.

Instead of abandoning the vision they had developed together, she took on an even greater leadership role in ensuring that their conservation projects continued.

His death became one of the most difficult moments in her personal and professional life.

Yet the conservation movement continued.

Kristine Tompkins After Doug's Death

After Douglas Tompkins' death, Kristine became an even more prominent international conservation leader.

She continued working through Tompkins Conservation and related organizations.

Her work increasingly emphasized:

• Rewilding

• National park creation

• Wildlife restoration

• Large-scale conservation

• Climate resilience

• Biodiversity

• Community-based tourism

The conservation legacy they created together continued to expand.

Kristine Tompkins and Tompkins Conservation

Tompkins Conservation became the central organization associated with Kristine's conservation career.

Its approach combines three major goals:

Protect Wild Landscapes

Large areas of wilderness are acquired and protected from development.

Restore Wildlife

Native species are returned to landscapes where they have disappeared or become rare.

Support Local Economies

Nature-based tourism and other conservation-compatible activities help communities benefit from protected areas.

The organization describes its mission as protecting and restoring wild beauty and biodiversity through national parks, rewilding and economic vitality.

Kristine Tompkins and Rewilding Chile

Kristine Tompkins is also closely associated with Rewilding Chile.

She serves as President of the Board.

The organization continues conservation and rewilding projects across Chile, including Patagonia.

Its work includes restoring wildlife populations, protecting ecosystems and strengthening conservation-based local economies.

This represents the evolution of the original Tompkins conservation model.

What began as private land acquisition has developed into a broader movement involving governments, scientists, local communities and conservation organizations.

Kristine Tompkins and the UN

From 2018 to 2022, Kristine Tompkins served as the United Nations Environment Programme's Patron for Protected Areas.

The role reflected her international standing as a conservation leader.

It also allowed her to promote protected areas and large-scale conservation beyond South America.

Her international advocacy has focused on the importance of protecting biodiversity and maintaining large connected ecosystems.

Kristine Tompkins and Conservation Philanthropy

Kristine Tompkins has helped redefine what conservation philanthropy can accomplish.

Traditional philanthropy often funds projects.

Her approach has involved making enormous long-term investments in actual landscapes.

The objective is to create permanent ecological protection.

The scale is extraordinary.

Tompkins Conservation estimates that approximately 14.8 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina have been protected through the organization's work and partnerships.

This places Kristine and Douglas Tompkins among the most significant private contributors to national park creation in modern history.

Kristine Tompkins Awards and Achievements

Kristine Tompkins has received numerous international honors.

Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Kristine became the first conservationist to receive the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.

The award recognized her extraordinary contribution to conservation philanthropy.

UN Patron for Protected Areas

She served as UNEP's Global Patron for Protected Areas from 2018 to 2022.

Rachel Carson Award

In 2021, the National Audubon Society honored Kristine Tompkins with the Rachel Carson Award.

Senckenberg Prize

She received the Senckenberg Prize for Commitment to Nature in 2022.

Ken Burns American Heritage Prize

In 2023, she received the Ken Burns American Heritage Prize.

Ellis Island Medal of Honor

In 2025, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, another major recognition of her contributions.

Explorers Club Medal

In 2026, Kristine Tompkins was awarded the Explorers Club Medal, recognizing extraordinary contributions connected with exploration, science and the welfare of humanity.

Kristine Tompkins and Wild Life Documentary

Kristine Tompkins' extraordinary life became the subject of the National Geographic documentary Wild Life.

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, the film explores the lives of Kristine and Douglas Tompkins and their decision to leave the corporate world to protect wilderness.

The documentary presents their conservation journey as both a personal story and an environmental story.

It shows how two successful outdoor-industry entrepreneurs redirected their wealth and experience toward protecting landscapes.

The film also helped introduce Kristine's conservation philosophy to a much wider international audience.

Kristine Tompkins TED Talk

In 2020, Kristine Tompkins delivered a TED Talk titled:

“Let's Make the World Wild Again.”

The title captures the central philosophy of her conservation career.

Rather than simply trying to prevent further environmental destruction, she argues for actively restoring ecosystems.

Her message focuses on hope and action.

If humans have damaged ecosystems, humans can also help repair them.

Her TED Talk has received more than two million views, according to Tompkins Conservation.

Kristine Tompkins Struggle Story

Behind Kristine Tompkins' achievements were significant challenges.

Leaving a Successful Corporate Career

Walking away from a successful CEO position is difficult.

Kristine had spent two decades helping build Patagonia.

Yet she chose to leave that career behind and start again in conservation.

Controversy in Chile

When the Tompkinses began purchasing large areas of land in Chile, their activities generated suspicion and controversy.

Some people questioned their motives.

There were fears about foreign ownership and control over large areas of territory.

The couple continued despite the criticism.

Living in Remote Wilderness

Their early conservation work was not glamorous.

Kristine and Doug lived in remote areas without many of the conveniences of modern life.

The work required dealing with difficult terrain, limited infrastructure and enormous logistical challenges.

Losing Doug

The death of Douglas Tompkins in 2015 was perhaps the most painful challenge of Kristine's life.

She nevertheless continued their shared mission.

Kristine Tompkins Success Story

Kristine Tompkins' success story is unusual because her greatest achievements came after leaving a highly successful business career.

She had already achieved professional success as Patagonia's CEO.

But she decided that protecting nature was more important.

That decision changed the scale of her impact.

Instead of managing a company, she began managing a conservation movement.

Instead of selling outdoor products, she began protecting the landscapes that outdoor enthusiasts wanted to experience.

Instead of building a corporate brand, she helped build national parks.

Her story demonstrates that professional success can be redirected toward a larger purpose.

Kristine Tompkins and Geography

Kristine Tompkins' work has a powerful connection to geography.

Her conservation projects involve:

• Landscapes

• Land use

• Protected areas

• Ecosystems

• Rivers

• Forests

• Wetlands

• Mountains

• Wildlife corridors

• Human settlements

Her approach shows that geography is not merely about locating places on a map.

It is also about understanding how humans, wildlife and physical environments interact.

Creating a national park can change land use.

Reintroducing a predator can change an ecosystem.

Building a tourism economy can change a local community.

Protecting a river can affect agriculture and wildlife far downstream.

Kristine's work therefore demonstrates geography as a living system.

Kristine Tompkins and Rewilding Philosophy

The central philosophy behind Kristine Tompkins' work can be summarized in three steps:

Protect → Restore → Reconnect

First, protect remaining wilderness.

Second, restore damaged ecosystems and missing species.

Third, reconnect people with nature through national parks, education and responsible tourism.

This approach moves conservation beyond simply stopping destruction.

It asks a bigger question:

What would it take to make ecosystems healthy again?

That question has become increasingly important as conservation organizations around the world explore rewilding as a response to biodiversity loss.

Kristine Tompkins Current Work

As of 2026, Kristine Tompkins remains active in conservation.

She is President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation and President of the Board of Rewilding Chile.

Her current conservation work continues to focus on:

• National park creation

• Wilderness protection

• Rewilding

• Biodiversity restoration

• Wildlife recovery

• Nature-based tourism

• Indigenous and local communities

• Large-scale ecosystem conservation

Her 2026 Explorers Club Medal also reflects the continuing international recognition of her work.

Kristine Tompkins Personal Life

Kristine Tompkins was married to Douglas Tompkins from 1993 until his death in 2015.

Their relationship became both a personal partnership and a conservation partnership.

Together, they built one of the largest private conservation efforts in South America.

After Doug's death, Kristine continued the conservation mission they had developed together.

She has generally kept her private life away from unnecessary publicity, allowing the focus to remain on conservation.

Kristine Tompkins Net Worth

Kristine Tompkins' exact current personal net worth is not reliably established through authoritative public financial records.

Online estimates vary and should therefore be treated cautiously.

Her earlier career as Patagonia CEO and her later conservation philanthropy are well documented, but her conservation work should not be reduced to personal wealth.

The more meaningful measure of her impact is the enormous amount of land protected, the national parks created and expanded, and the ecosystems and species being restored.

Why Kristine Tompkins Is Important

Kristine Tompkins is important because she demonstrated that conservation can operate at an extraordinary scale.

Many conservation projects protect thousands of acres.

Her work helped protect millions of acres.

Many conservation projects focus on one species.

Her approach focuses on entire ecosystems.

Many environmental campaigns ask people to stop destroying nature.

Kristine's philosophy also asks people to restore what has already been damaged.

Her work therefore combines:

Conservation + Rewilding + National Parks + Biodiversity + Local Economies

That combination has influenced modern thinking about large-scale environmental protection.

Kristine Tompkins Legacy

Kristine Tompkins' legacy is still developing, but several achievements already stand out.

National Park Legacy

She helped transform privately protected land into public national parks.

Rewilding Legacy

She helped demonstrate that restoring missing wildlife can be an important part of conservation.

Patagonia Legacy

Her work helped protect some of the most spectacular landscapes in southern South America.

Conservation Philanthropy

She demonstrated how private philanthropy can contribute to permanent public conservation.

Business-to-Conservation Leadership

Her transition from Patagonia CEO to conservation leader provides an unusual model of using business skills for environmental protection.

Global Environmental Leadership

Through international roles and advocacy, she helped bring large-scale conservation into global discussions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Kristine Tompkins

Who Is Kristine Tompkins?

Kristine Tompkins is an American conservationist, environmental philanthropist and former Patagonia CEO known for large-scale wilderness protection and rewilding in Chile and Argentina.

What Was Kristine Tompkins' Role at Patagonia?

She worked at Patagonia beginning in 1973 and eventually became its CEO, helping shape the company's influential outdoor and environmental culture.

When Did Kristine Tompkins Leave Patagonia?

She retired from Patagonia in 1993.

Who Was Kristine Tompkins' Husband?

Her husband was Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of The North Face and Esprit and a major conservationist.

What Is Tompkins Conservation?

Tompkins Conservation is the organization associated with Kristine and Douglas Tompkins' large-scale conservation work in Chile and Argentina, focusing on national parks, biodiversity and rewilding.

How Much Land Has Kristine Tompkins Helped Protect?

Tompkins Conservation and its partners report approximately 14.8 million acres of parklands protected in Chile and Argentina.

What National Parks Did Kristine Tompkins Help Create?

Her conservation work contributed to national parks including Pumalín and Patagonia National Park in Chile, as well as major protected landscapes in Argentina.

What Is Rewilding?

Rewilding is the restoration of ecosystems, including the recovery or reintroduction of native species and ecological processes.

What Animals Are Being Rewilded Through Her Conservation Work?

Projects associated with Tompkins Conservation have included efforts involving jaguars, giant anteaters, giant river otters, red-and-green macaws, Darwin's rheas, huemul deer and Andean condors.

What Happened to Douglas Tompkins?

Douglas Tompkins died in 2015 in a kayaking accident on General Carrera Lake in Chile. Kristine continued their conservation work after his death.

What Is Kristine Tompkins' Connection to Patagonia?

She was the former CEO of the outdoor company Patagonia and later moved to South America, where she dedicated her life to protecting the Patagonia region and other ecosystems.

What Awards Has Kristine Tompkins Received?

Her honors include the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, Rachel Carson Award, Senckenberg Prize, Ken Burns American Heritage Prize, Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Explorers Club Medal.

What Is the Wild Life Documentary?

Wild Life is a National Geographic documentary about Kristine and Douglas Tompkins, their relationship and their decades-long effort to protect wilderness in Chile and Argentina.

Is Kristine Tompkins Still Active in Conservation?

Yes. As of 2026, she remains President and Co-Founder of Tompkins Conservation and President of the Board of Rewilding Chile.

Final Words

Kristine Tompkins' story is not simply the biography of a successful businesswoman who became an environmentalist.

It is the story of someone who changed the direction of her entire life.

She helped build Patagonia into an influential outdoor company.

Then she walked away from the corporate world.

She moved to the remote landscapes of South America and began doing something far more difficult: trying to protect wilderness on a massive scale.

With Douglas Tompkins, she purchased threatened landscapes, faced controversy, restored ecosystems and worked toward turning private conservation land into national parks.

After Doug's tragic death, she continued the mission.

Today, millions of acres across Chile and Argentina stand as part of the conservation legacy they helped create.

But perhaps the most important lesson from Kristine Tompkins is that conservation does not have to mean simply protecting what remains.

It can mean bringing ecosystems back to life.

It can mean restoring wildlife.

It can mean reconnecting fragmented landscapes.

It can mean creating national parks that future generations can experience.

And it can mean turning a successful career into something larger than personal achievement.

Kristine Tompkins did not simply retire from business. She changed what she believed success was for.

Her legacy is written not only in books or awards, but across forests, rivers, mountains, wetlands and wildlife landscapes that will remain protected for generations.

Thank you for reading this Kristine Tompkins Biography.

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