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As the eldest child of two Salvation Army Commanding Officers, Mina Chang was immersed in inner-city social programs and world mission projects and got a first-hand look at how these efforts can save and change lives. Her childhood exposed her to the entire economic spectrum around the world. As a child, she did not see poverty-stricken children of disaster areas as any different from herself, but she instinctively knew they needed help. As a graduate of the University of the Nations, Mina studied development and aid practices with the goal of one day dedicating her life to becoming a full-time aid worker. Mina is a graduate of the Executive Nonprofit Leadership Program at Southern Methodist University and the Center for Nonprofit Management.

Through her experience working with large NGOs and development projects around the world, she witnessed communities taken from one cycle of poverty straight into another cycle of dependence on humanitarian aid. Mina was determined to continue her career with an organization that was in alignment with her belief that in order to break cycles of poverty, programs must scale capacity to foster resilience of local markets.