Our Team
Collectively working to bring Baby Steps to college communities across the nation.
Michelle Schultz
CO-FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle resides in Auburn with her husband, Matt, and three of their six children (Hanson, Joseph, Grissom, Jacob, Caroline, Justin). Matt and Michelle met while she was pursuing her degree in Apparel Merchandising at Auburn University. The couple married in 1989 and made Auburn their permanent home. While growing their family, they extended their love through the gift of hospitality, opening their home to high school and college students in many capacities. Baby Steps came years later and has been an extension of that same love ever since.
michelle.schultz@babysteps.org
Kaitlyn Willing
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL OPERATIONS
Kaitlyn graduated from Auburn University as a Student-Mom in 2013 with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies . Kaitlyn first joined Baby Steps as a Board member in 2016 and later became Baby Steps' first official employee in 2018. Kaitlyn and her husband lived in Auburn for 15 years but recently relocated their family to the deserts of Arizona. The couple has five children. Four boys: Hudson, Croix, and Ezra, and Tobias and a little girl, Haven Grace! Being a Student-Mom was one of the hardest chapters in Kaitlyn's life and her story continues to fuel her to see Baby Steps expand nationwide, so that no woman in college has to struggle alone with being both a student and a mother like she did.
kaitlyn.willing@babysteps.org
Sarah Schmidt
DIRECTOR OF EXPANSION
Several years after graduating from Auburn University, Sarah returned to the Plains to join Baby Steps as the first Live-in Support. Just over a year later, she met her husband, Todd, through their shared love of the Camino de Santiago. The couple is raising their son (Jonah) just outside Mobile, AL, where she is also pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Sarah’s passion for Baby Steps’ mission and experience in many roles within the organization leave her eager to empower others to bring Baby Steps to their own communities.
sarah.schmidt@babysteps.org
Olivia Stear
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Olivia made her way from California to Alabama in 2019 after her husband, Ezekiel, became a professor at Auburn University. She has been dedicated to empowering women across the country for over two decades. During this time it was impressed upon her heart that mothers experiencing unplanned pregnancies needed more support than they were often receiving. While Olivia and Ezekiel raise their four children (Lucas, Thomas, Aurora, Bernadette) in the loveliest village on the Plains, Olivia is focused on sharing Baby Steps with as many people as possible so they can impact lives and generations together.
olivia.stear@babysteps.org
Charlton Jones
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL MARKETING
Initially, Charlton connected with Baby Steps in 2017 during her time as an intern and Student-Mom. She graduated from Auburn University in 2018 with a degree in Communication before moving to Birmingham with her husband, Seth, and their son, Camdyn. During this time, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Communication Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The family then returned to Auburn where she began her career in marketing. Charlton is excited to promote the mission of Baby Steps by utilizing her industry insight and personal experience as a Student-Mom to help expand the organization’s reach.
charlton.jones@babysteps.org
Board of Directors
Dr. Kerri Hensarling
Cary Chandler
Kaitlyn Willing
Shelly Adams
Nicole Gillon
Michelle Schultz
In Memory of Bernie Brannan
It is with deep sorrow that one of our founding board members, Bernie Brannan, passed away in June of 2019. He graduated from Auburn University and later went on to receive a Juris Doctorate from the University of Alabama's Jones Law Institute. Bernie's passion for Baby Steps goes back to an experience he had as a student at Auburn University. Two of his close friends who were in a relationship became pregnant during their sophomore year. Their parents were unwilling to continue financially supporting their education, resulting in them having to drop out of school. Bernie used his legal expertise to help build Baby Steps in order for college students today to have opportunities his friends did not.
Upon Bernie’s passing, the generosity of his loved ones provided enough funding to begin what became The Tiny Tiger Legacy Fund, a fund that provides professional childcare for the children of Resident Student-Moms.