DR. CHRISTINE SCHUTZ

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER

Christine started supporting children for education and housing in 2002 while visiting friends and trekking in Nepal. She officially established Mitrata Nepal Foundation for Children, Inc as a nonprofit in 2005. Now she travels to Nepal to oversee program development, taking groups of sponsors/donors on cultural tours and serves as the volunteer executive director for Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children, Inc. in the USA. She is a psychologist in private practice.

ANNA WERTMAN

Communications/Development Coordinator

Anna joined Mitrata in 2022 as the first full-time staff member. She is passionate about building strong relationships between Mitrata-Nepal and their supporters and sponsors. Anna loves being able to share why Mitrata-Nepal’s mission is so important and the difference they make every single day. She graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with a double major in Communications and Public Relations along with a minor in Leadership Studies. Anna is excited to travel to Nepal to meet the children and the NGO partners at BSF. She is member of the Digital Media and Young Professional committees.

JAMES CRAIG, MBA

President

Jim, his wife Lynn, and twin daughters Danielle and Samantha live in Wildwood with two cats and a dog named Maggie. Jim is VP of Project Management for Health Payer Consortium, and his wife is a technology architect for the Sisters of Mercy. The Craig family have been long-time child sponsors of a girl in our boarding school program and a boy in the school program. Jim is the President of the Board of Directors and previously served as President Elect and Secretary. He is a member of the Fundraising, Board Development, and Finance Committees and is Chairperson for the Executive Committee.

RICK HENDIN

VICE PRESIDENT

Rick is the former Director of Human Resources for Boeing Military Aircraft, a business unit within Boeing's Defense, Space, and Security sector, based in St. Louis, Missouri. He retired from Boeing in July 2017.  He was introduced to Mitrata through Christine and was very fortunate to join nine other sponsors on the 2014 trip to Nepal. The highlight among many highlights was meeting and getting to know "our children" and meeting his long-time sponsored child, Bijaya. He is a member of the Finance, Board Development and Executive Committees, and has visited Nepal seven times.

AMBROSE BITTNER

Treasurer

Ambrose is the founder and CEO of Red Lantern Journeys (www.redlanternjourneys.com), a Seattle-based travel company that arranges cultural tours and adventure travel packages to Asian countries. He has trekked and climbed in Nepal, including an attempt on Mt. Everest in 2005. In many Asian countries, it is disadvantaged women and children that suffer the most from society's inequities and they are the ones that can benefit society the most when given support and education. Towards that end, Ambrose started the Climb for Himalaya Children, a benefit climb of Mt. Rainier to fund the work of the Mitrata Nepal Foundation for Children. He serves on the Executive Committee and is Treasurer and Chairperson of the Finance Committee.

JULIETTE SCHMIDT

Secretary

Juliette has more than 10 years of experience in marketing with a focus in website optimization, social media marketing, email marketing, and digital advertising. She discovered Mitrata through her husband who has participated in the fundraising climb, Climb for Himalaya Children, of Mt. Rainier twice. Juliette joined the board in 2017 and serves as the Secretary for the Board of Directors and serves on the Executive, Fundraising and Digital Marketing Committees.

DR. SANDRA HOFFMANN

Sandra is a rheumatologist (a physician specializing in arthritis and autoimmune disease) practicing in the South County area and lives in Kirkwood, Missouri. She is serves as a member of the Executive and Sponsorship Committees. She sponsors five children (two boarding school, two school, one university). In addition to one biological child, she has adopted three children (from Korea, Russia, and Ukraine). Her role is to facilitate communications with sponsors and the general public.

TRACY LARAMIE

Tracy is the Senior Interactive Developer and Photographer at the Loft, a design firm that specializes in the marketing/branding of small to medium sized businesses. Her talents lie in visual storytelling and working with brands to communicate through meaningful user experiences. She has been volunteering with Mitrata since 2011 by creating various promotional materials. She serves on the Fundraising Committee and is Chairperson of the Digital Marketing Committee.

URMILA PANTHI

Urmila worked in Nepal for the NBA Legal Aid Project for 9 years. She developed and implemented programs for free legal aid to vulnerable women and children in various parts of Nepal as an advocate and women’s activist. For 18 years, she has worked as a social worker in a domestic violence shelter and with the Missouri Department of Mental Health after receiving the Dalai Lama scholarship to study and obtain and Master of Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Urmila joined the board in 2017 to assist with board development, and she serves on the Sponsorship Committee. 

MATT PLANK

Matt has been an IT consultant in St. Louis since 2003, recently running Web Development at the local creative agency, Twist. He now runs an independent web development agency, Sophik – Catapult Websites, focused on bringing best practices and high-end user experiences to small businesses and not-for-profits. Matt is eager to use his experience in IT to improve the lives of those in need, in particular the children of Nepal. Matt serves on the Digital Marketing and Sponsorship Committees.

JENNIFER RASHET

Jennifer is excited to join Mitrata as a new child sponsor and board member. She has 18 years of experience with Bayer Crop Science and is currently Head of Parent Seed Production for their North America operations. Jennifer has a diverse background in Supply Chain operations, Import/Export and Customs Compliance, Quality, Stewardship, and Regulatory Policy. She has also enjoyed working in various leadership positions across the agriculture and seed industries. Jennifer and her daughter Hannah (a recent University of Dayton graduate) live in University City, Missouri with their cat, Liza. In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys pilates/yoga, gardening, and needlepointing. Jennifer serves as Chairperson of the Fundraising Committee.

CINDY WHITNEY

Cindy became involved with Mitrata through her association with Karma Thalo Foundation (KTF). Cindy travels to Nepal each year with KTF to help the poor and needy achieve a lasting difference in their lives through better health, ultimately enabling their own self-sufficiency.  Recently, she had the opportunity to meet some of the Mitrata students and their families during the KTF-Mitrata health clinic. Cindy has worked for more than a decade in Human Resources for the School District of Clayton. She is an avid hiker who loves to ski, bike, and swim. Cindy has two daughters and a son, all independent adults who live east of the Mississippi. Cindy serves on the Fundraising Committee.

DR. DANIEL WILLIGER

Danny is a Licensed Psychologist in private practice and has spent much of his career as a direct service provider for a not-for-profit agency.  He became a child sponsor several years ago and traveled with Mitrata to Nepal in 2018. Seeing firsthand the tremendous impact of Mitrata’s programs in the lives of the children and the magnitude of change that can occur with sufficient care and resources, Danny sought ways he could participate more fully in support of Mitrata and its mission in Nepal. He serves on the Fundraising Committee and is Chairperson for the Sponsorship Committee. In his spare time, he is an avid cyclist and loves to travel.

DR. NANCY WILLIGER

Nancy has been involved with Mitrata since its inception.  She is retired from a private practice of psychotherapy, divorce mediation and counseling, and child custody evaluations.  She has traveled to Nepal four times with Mitrata and actively sponsors two older girls who are in educational programs that will enable them to be financially independent.  She previously served as the Board President, and Chairperson of the Executive Committee. She now serves as Past President and is a member of the Board Development, Sponsorship and Executive Committees.

TERRA BARNES, PhD

Terra works at Washington University School of Medicine, studying how the brain learns and produces motor sequences. She first heard about Mitrata through Alexis Mead, our Director of Development and Operations. Terra was impressed with how much of the money donated really ends up going to help the children. She, her husband Andy Young, and their three children Brayden, Audrey, and Zoey sponsor 2 children and put together a few small fundraisers each year. Terra is also a member of the Fundraising Committee.

AMY BENSON

Amy owns Nonfiction Media, a production company based in Seattle, where she produces, shoots, and edits films telling the stories of organizations around the globe. Since 2008, Amy has been working on a documentary trilogy about one family from central Nepal, the Darnals. Drawing the Tiger, the first film, was a granted project of the Sundance Institute, Fork Films, and recipient of the UNICEF award at Film South Asia. It premiered at Hot Docs in April 2015 and screened in over 40 festivals worldwide. The sequel, The Eldest Son, premiered at the Kathmandu Mountain Film Festival in 2017. Amy is in production for the third film in the series, Literate, focusing on the first educated generation in the family and filmed by the subjects themselves. Amy and her husband, Scott, are proud Mitrata sponsors of four of the Darnal children.

BETH BOYD

Beth is a CPA and owns a tax, accounting, and QuickBooks consulting practice in South St. Louis county. She was previously a board member and has served on the Fundraising Committee. She has been volunteering her services since 2006.

STEPHANIE RECHT

Stephanie is the Visitor Experience Manager at the Saint Louis Art Museum. She sponsored a girl from 2003 until 2014, when her sponsored child graduated from 12th grade. This child, now an adult,  runs a successful event photography and video business with her husband, and Stephanie generously transferred her sponsorship to a young boy living and studying in our boarding school program. Stephanie served on the Mitrata Board from 2004 to 2014 and continues her work with the Fundraising Committee.

TONI SCHMIDT

Toni is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner with a private practice in Clayton and Webster Groves, MO. She was introduced to Mitrata when her friend asked if she would be interested in co-sponsoring a child with her back in 2002. In 2011, she went to Nepal to meet that child, Pawan, who is now a young 20-year-old man attending college. The experience of meeting all of the children changed her forever. Toni served on the Mitrata Board from 2011 to 2016. She is a member currently a member of the Sponsorship Committee.

DR. PRATISTHA STRONG

Pratistha was born in Kathmandu, Nepal. Today, she is a physician with a concierge medical practice in St. Louis, Missouri. Her medical education has allowed her to uphold my heritage and values as a dedicated osteopathic physician. Her worldview and medical philosophy encompasses Eastern and Western principles. She incorporates the philosophy that one’s mind, body, and ātman (Sanskrit: inner self or soul) need investigation when approaching one’s health.

DANI CRAIG

Dani heard about Mitrata for the first time when she was in middle school after her dad, James Craig, started sponsoring a girl in Nepal. For years, she and her twin sister volunteered at various Mitrata fundraising events until she went off to college at the University of Missouri where she studied graphic design and advertising. While at Mizzou, she continued to find ways to volunteer in her community through organizations like Marching Mizzou and Sigma Alpha Iota, a music service fraternity for women. In 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism with an emphasis in Strategic Communication and now works as a Learning Experience Designer. She is excited to be back volunteering with Mitrata and to be using her education and graphic design skills to help further their mission. Dani currently serves on the Digital Media committee.

ARIANNA DEMOS

Arianna is a Supply Chain Analyst at Bayer Crop Science based in Ventura, California. She graduated from Drury University in May 2018 with a degree in Business Management and emphasis in International Business. While at Drury, she studied abroad in Greece and traveled to Brazil for a mission trip where she discovered a love for different cultures and making a positive impact in our world. She became involved with Mitrata in 2019 when she co-founded the Young Professionals Board. Arianna is most looking forward to working together with the YPB to support operations of Mitrata events, as well as launching the first trademark Young Professional Board fundraising event in 2022. Arianna currently serves on the Fundraising committee.

MEGAN MANN

Megan serves as the Volunteer Coordinator at Rung for Women. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Louis University and a master’s degree in early childhood education from Arizona State University. After graduating from SLU, she lived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, teaching first grade English for over two years. During her time in Asia, Megan travelled to Nepal and was touched by the beauty of the country and the generosity of the Nepali people. After learning about Mitrata in late 2020, she immediately knew she wanted to get involved. Megan is most looking forward to using her experience and knowledge of early childhood education to further Mitrata’s incredible mission. Megan currently serves on the Fundraising committee and as the Young Professional Board lead.

JON MARTIN

Jon is a flight instructor for Saint Louis University where he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Aviation. After volunteering with various organizations throughout his college career, he was searching for an opportunity to get involved with an organization that has global impact. Jon first heard about Mitrata through a coworker’s involvement with the Mt. Rainier climbs, and he was excited to learn about the positive impact Mitrata has on Nepalese children. Jon is inspired by the incredible work that has been done for the children of Mitrata Nepal and is eager to contribute. Jon currently serves on the Sponsorship committee.

KYRSTIN PRITCHETT

Kyrstin is a Technology Consultant at RSM US LLP in St. Louis, Missouri. After spending most of her childhood in STL, Kyrstin attended the University of Missouri to pursue a degree in Marketing and Psychology. While at Mizzou, Kyrstin’s involvement with a campus ministry sparked her passion for people. She realized the importance of loving others in a sacrificial way. After moving back to St. Louis post-graduation, Kyrstin was eager to find a new opportunity to serve others. Once she learned about Mitrata-Nepal, Kyrstin felt called to help make a real global difference. She truly believes in the importance of empowering others through education. Kyrstin is excited to join the Digital Media Committee and help raise awareness for our Nepalese children.

ASHISH SHRESTHA

Ashish is from Nepal and is currently pursuing his Master’s in Public Health degree at Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice. Before coming to the U.S. in August 2018, he worked as a Teach For Nepal Fellow and served as a secondary level science teacher in a rural public school for two years. In the future, he wants to work in the field of public health research back in Nepal focusing on social determinants of health and health behaviors, sanitation, and personal hygiene.

Ashish learned about Mitrata through a classmate and is excited to contribute to Mitrata’s mission in many ways while pursuing his education here in the U.S. Ashish currently serves on the Sponsorship committee.