Anne Batzer – President

Retired from a career with roles as diverse as news reporter and autism consultant, Anne Batzer has pursued an interest in improving the lives of children. Believing it is a mother’s duty to prevent nuclear war, she spent many years volunteering and traveling internationally with the nonprofit organization Beyond War. Following her passion for nonviolence, she trained as a mediator and for many years served on the Board of Directors of Mediation Works, an alternative dispute resolution center, in Medford, Oregon. Anne was honored by her hometown with an Imagine Award for Community Peacemaking. A published fiction and nonfiction writer, she co-edits the Makena Musings newsletter with her sister-in-law Mary Jo Baich, whose love for Kenya first introduced her to this fascinating culture.

Sherri Middleton Mills – Founder and President Emeritus

After more than 20 years of fund-raising and public relations, Sherri Middleton Mills, served as Vice President for Children’s Advocacy and Community Development at the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. She resigned in 2000 to devote more time to the Makena Children’s Foundation. A long-time advocate for children, Sherri was involved in the passage of the first child passenger safety legislation in Alabama, served on the Governor’s Task Force for Birth to Five Development and developed Alabama’s first million-dollar telethon – a benefit for Children’s Hospital. A life-long Birmingham resident, Sherri enjoys reading, knitting and spending time with her five grandchildren, all born in the last five years. In 2000 she received the Children’s Hospital’s annual Friends of Children Award, in 2003 Sherri was selected Humanitarian of the Year by Lions Clubs of Alabama and in 2011 she was honored with the prestigious national Giraffe Award—for people who stick their necks out to help others. Visit the Giraffe Heroes Project  at www.giraffe.org

Mary Jo Baich – Vice President

Retired from careers at Pitney Bowes and International Expeditions, an international wildlife travel company, Mary Jo Baich has traveled the world and spent time in cultures as far-flung as Norway and Antarctica. She became captivated with Africa on her many excursions there to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya. She once designed food-and-wine tours of Europe and is well-known as an accomplished world-class cook and wine aficianado. With her husband Ed she moved from Atlanta, Georgia back to her hometown of Medford, Oregon in 2001. She fulfills the role of family matriarch for her large extended family, deftly maintaining relationships. For many years she served on the Board of Directors for the Rogue Gallery and Art Association. She serves on various committees for Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Mary Jo is co-editor with her sister-in-law, Anne Batzer, of the Makena Musings newsletter. She and her husband sponsored Makena student, Daniel Kimani.

Susan Reinecke – Secretary

With over twenty years in the field of education, Susan Reinecke has worked in and with private and public schools, colleges and universities and non-profit organizations across the US. She has taught at both the University and Community College level and has held multiple leadership roles within the educational system. Susan earned an Educational Masters (EdM) in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. An avid lifelong learner, Susan’s background also includes a Masters in Fine Arts (MFA) in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College and a Master in Education (MEd) in Theatre Education from University of North Carolina. As a Societal Advancement faculty member for the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, Susan designs and delivers leadership solutions for K-12, Higher Education, and non-profits that include both short term experiences and systemic initiatives.

Kristin Batzer – Treasurer

As a young child Kristin was moved around the country by an adventurous single mother, living everywhere from Florida to Alaska.  She ended up in southern Oregon where she’s lived since 1982.  Kristin worked for her family’s construction company from 1998 through 2016, starting out in the Purchasing Department, moving to on-site Project Assistant and, finally, to Project Manager.  After the younger of her two sons was diagnosed with Autism, she needed to lessen her stress load. She jumped at the chance to transfer to another business where she now manages the bookkeeping and assists with the operations of the commercial and residential investment properties.  Kristin’s early travel experiences embedded in her a lifelong fascination with different cultures. She looks forward to joining the Makena family and giving back.

Bert Brosowsky – Director

Bert Brosowsky, originally from New York City, has been a Birmingham resident since 1970. For almost 25 years, Bert worked for the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, serving as its Executive Director from 1995 to 1997. From 1999 through 2005 he was the Managing Director of the Birmingham Children’s Theatre – one of the largest professional theatres for children and family audiences in the United States. From 2006 through 2007 he was the Meeting Planner/Manager for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Bert has served on the Boards of Directors of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the Exchange Club of Birmingham and as a volunteer for the Children’s Miracle Network. Currently retired, he still serves on the Board of Directors of the City Equity Theatre – Birmingham’s only Actor’s Equity Theatre – and as a volunteer for Birmingham’s Hoover Senior Center.

Rob Holloway – Director

Rob spent the first part of his career at Levi Strauss in senior marketing and leadership roles based in Europe and San Francisco. In 2000 he founded a venture backed high tech company which was acquired 6 years later. As a serial entrepreneur he immediately started another and repeated the results.  In 2011, the obvious transition was to found and run Bay Area German Shepherd Rescue, a 501(c)3 that has rescued over 3,000 dogs in 15 years.  This lead to founding a dog walking business where the profits are donated to other rescues – it now has almost 30 employees.  Rob has volunteered with senior living facilities, Habitat for Humanity, including building a home outside Nanyuki in Kenya.  He is British and moved to Oregon in 2022.  Rob has several roles within Makena across marketing, fund raising, partner and alumni development.

Bryce Smedley – Director

Dr. Bryce Smedley leads the Master of Arts in Teaching program at Southern Oregon University. He oversees educator preparation, accreditation alignment and regional school partnerships.

He previously served nine years with the U.S. Agency for International Development as a Foreign Service Officer, holding senior education leadership roles in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Myanmar. Prior to federal service, Dr. Smedley held international faculty and advisory appointments across Africa and Asia, including early service in Kenya as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer.

Dr. Smedley holds a PhD and a Masters degree in Literacy, Culture and Language from Indiana University, a Master of Arts in International Development Studies from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Montana. He is committed to expanding sustainable educational opportunity and strengthening long term American and Kenyan partnerships.

Elizabeth Sesma-Olinyk – Director

Raised in a family of generational educators in California, her parents believed that education was not limited to four walls and books, education is experience. From a very young age she traveled with her parents and sisters around the world. This experience helped form her adult life as a general and special education teacher, then later an elementary principal. Elizabeth retired from education in 2021, then moved to Southern Oregon in 2022. She sought out adventures in volunteering from disaster relief and most recently Habitat for Humanity on the construction crew. This fits with her love of building and providing affordable homes in her community. Her first visit to Kenya in 2025, was building a home with Habitat for a very needy family. It was that experience that developed her love for Kenya and the Kenyans. It is a privilege to be able to combine her love of education with her love of Kenya.

James R. Muruthi – Director

Kenyan native James Muruthi is one of the first students whose education was supported through the Makena Children’s Foundation.  After the tragic death of his parents in an automobile accident, James lived as a young homeless boy wandering through Kenyan towns.  He was eventually adopted by one of MCF’s founders, Peter Muigai Muruthi and his wife Jane.  After completing secondary school in Kenya, James took the initiative to immigrate to the United States where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Gerontology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  He received his PhD in Human Development and Family Science from the University of Georgia and then was a Post-Doctoral Associate at the Center for Gerontology at Virginia Tech. Currently James is an Assistant Professor in the Counseling and Family Therapy Department at Drexel University in Philadelphia. James has published many academic papers focusing on his passionate interest in aging issues in minority and ethnic groups. He has received top academic awards at each of the schools he attended, repeatedly been elected to leadership posts by his fellow students and volunteered his time to refugee and gerontology organizations.