Kristen Monson

After working in institutional asset management for over 31 years, Kristen Monson now focuses her time on giving back and living a more impactful personal live.  In her philanthropy, her passions are with improving the lives of young people and animals through education and interaction.   

Kristen is a UCI Foundation Trustee, serving on the Investment Committee and the Nominations and Governance Committee.  Additionally, she is on the Dean’s Advisory Board at The Paul Merage School of Business, having served as it’s Chair from 2015 to 2019. In 2006, UC Irvine honored Kristen as a recipient of the UCI Distinguished Alumni Award presented at the annual Lauds & Laurels Ceremony, and in 2016 she was the Merage School’s Distinguished Executive Commencement Speaker.  

In addition to her service to the UCI community Kristen: 

• is a Board Member and serves on the Investment Committee for the Beckman Foundation which supports young researchers 
•  with funding for innovative and high-risk projects, 
• is a Board Member for the Orange County Animal Allies (formerly known as the OCSPCA), where in addition to her board responsibilities she volunteers with their PAWS program, taking her Corgi to provide therapy to mental health patients and children of domestic abuse; their PANDA program, providing animal therapy to sexual assault victims with the OC District Attorney’s office; and the Orange County Airport AirPAWS program which provides therapy to our flying public at SNA, 
• is on the board and chair of the investment committee for Lead Changes, a Texas and Wyoming based charity, which uses horsemanship to build our youth into successful, confident leaders,  
• and serves on the Investment Committee for the Orange County Community Foundation. 

In her prior life, Kristen was an Executive Vice President at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO), retiring in 2012 after helping to grow the firm from $11 billion to $2 trillion in assets under management. During her twenty-six-year tenure, Kristen was a client portfolio manager, responsible for some of firm’s largest global corporate accounts, in addition to Taft Hartley, foundations & public plans. She founded and developed the PIMCO Institute, a client investment educational program, offered to PIMCO clients globally. As the firm grew its international presence, she led efforts to develop the PIMCO culture and investment standards in its London, Munich, and Asian offices. She was also a member of the company’s investment strategy group, and responsible for reporting on U.S. productivity at the firm’s in-house economic forums.   

Kristen lives in Newport Beach with her husband Brad Horner.  An avid horse rider, she provides wrangler support for Brad as he competes in rodeo team roping events throughout the southwest.  Kristen received both her bachelor’s degree in economics in 1982 and her MBA in 1986 from the University of California, Irvine.