Paul R Christen

Mr. Christen is chairman of the Christen Group, a real-estate investment company in Huron, S.D. He is the former chief executive officer of First Western Bancorp, in Huron. The Christens, both 82, pledged $25-million to the South Dakota Community Foundation. Most of the pledge, $12.5-million, will match gifts to other nonprofit organizations that start endowments at the foundation. An additional $5-million will match gifts to the foundation’s unrestricted fund so it can expand the number of grants it makes to local causes. The rest will permanently endow the foundation’s Community Savings Account program, which matches money raised by smaller local community funds. Ms. Christen has been a foundation board member since 2006. Mr. Christen was its board chairman for 10 years. The Christens also gave $5-million to Dakota Wesleyan University for a new building for its College of Healthcare, Fitness, and Sciences.