Meet Our Team

Staff

Michelle Schultz
Executive Director

Michelle resides in Auburn with her husband, Matt, and four of their six children. Matt and Michelle met while she was pursuing her degree in Apparel Merchandising at Auburn University. The couple married in 1989 and decided to make Auburn their permanent home. Matt and Michelle have embraced the gift of hospitality by opening their home weekly to invite members of the community to share in the joy of friendship and love.


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Kaitlyn Willing
Director of Operations

Kaitlyn graduated from Auburn University in 2013 with a degree in Human Development & Family Studies as a Student-Mom with a one year old on her hip. She met her husband (Will Willing) while serving at a local pregnancy resource center. Kaitlyn hopes that sharing her journey with current Student-Moms will help inspire them to succeed not only as mothers but as students as well. She is determined to see Baby Steps spread across the nation, helping thousands of Student-Moms that currently have no resources to have both their education and their baby. Kaitlyn and Will have four precious boys and a baby girl: Hudson, Croix, Ezra, Tobias, and Haven Grace! The Willing family recently relocated to Phoenix, Arizona where Kaitlyn is able to work for Baby Steps remotely. 

Sarah  Schmidt 
​​Expansion Coordinator

Several years after graduating from Auburn University, Sarah returned to The Plains to join Baby Steps as our first Live-in Support. She blazed many trails within the organization and is now blazing another. Her passion for the mission of Baby Steps and experience working with nonprofits around the country leave her eager and equipped to empower others to bring Baby Steps to their own campuses. Sarah currently resides in Fairhope, AL with her husband (Todd) and baby boy (Jonah). When not wearing her Baby Steps hat, she is pursuing her master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and walking alongside women to help them pursue their dreams and goals.​
Sommer Ingram

Director of Development

Sommer graduated from Auburn University in 2017 with a degree in Journalism. She was a cheerleader at Auburn, and met her husband Dylan who was also a baseball player for the university. They have lived in Auburn ever since, and are expecting their first child, a son, in April. Sommer is now our Director of Development and her biggest desire is to make a positive impact on the community. She felt that Baby Steps would be the perfect place to do so by bringing awareness to such a generation altering cause.

Madeline Rafferty
Full-time Live-in Support

​Since graduating from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Graphic Design, Madeline worked in central Illinois for 3 years with a non-profit, serving students at the University of Illinois.  After learning about the vision of Baby Steps at Auburn University, she decided it was time to cheer for a new Orange and Blue- this time with Student-Moms and Tiny Tigers!  Madeline has a passion for building warm and inviting spaces and communities where all feel encouraged to be their most authentic self. 

Giovanna de Almeida
Student Resident Assistant

Giovanna graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Psychology in 2021. Originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, she moved to Auburn in 2021 to start her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. Having worked at places like Keeping Family Connections and Family & Children’s Services, Giovanna is excited to continue to serve the Auburn community, but this time as a Resident Assistant at Baby Steps! 

Lydia Swanson 
Marketing and Branding Coordinator 

Lydia joined our team in July of 2021 as our Branding and Marketing Coordinator. She is currently a junior at Auburn University, where she is studying Public Relations. Lydia has always had a passion for creating media content and is excited to have the opportunity to use her skills to make an impact on Auburns campus. She looks forward to working with our staff and growing in community with everyone involved here at Baby Steps.

Board of Directors 

Kerri Hensarling

Kerri grew up in Auburn and went on to attend medical school at the University of South Alabama. She came back to work for the Auburn University Medical Clinic for a short period of time and then joined the Lee OB/GYN, along with raising her five boys and a dog here in Auburn! 
Dr. Hensarling's husband, Robert, works for Auburn University. She enjoys football, fishing, working out at Pure Barre and attending all of her kids' activities. While not taking care of her family, she serves as the trusted OB/GYN to most of our student-moms.

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Shelly Adams

 Shelly, a Montgomery native and Auburn grad, currently resides in Auburn with her husband and their two kids. After graduating from Auburn in 2011, they moved to Atlanta for a few years but in 2013 they were presented with the opportunity to move back to Auburn. Once back on the plains, she worked with Tailgate Guys for seven years, serving in various roles including Chief of Staff at the end of her tenure. Currently, Shelly is a realtor and loves the unique opportunity that it presents to serve the auburn community and the people in it!                   ​

Dr. Rob Pate

My name is Rob Pate and I am married to my junior high school sweetheart, Dana Pate. We have five kids and I am an optometrist at Basden Eye Care. I am active in the Auburn community as a coach in multiple youth sports, the color-commentator for Auburn High School football, and a writer for 247sports.com. Baby Steps surfaced on my radar when Kaitlyn Willing described the immense impact that this non-profit has had on the many that have participated. 

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. He practiced law, always seeking what is in the best interest of children in domestic litigation. 

Bernie's passion for Baby Steps goes back to events he witnessed as a student at Auburn. Two of his close friends who were in a relationship became pregnant during their sophomore year. The parents of the couple were unwilling to continue financially supporting their education, resulting in their dropping out of school in order to work. Bernie saw firsthand how tempting it was for them to end their pregnancy. He realized that although they chose to have their child, not everyone does. This is why he invested in Baby Steps, an organization that empowers women to have both their education and their baby. 

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As Baby Steps continues to grow, we are on the lookout for new Live-in Supports each year! If you're interested in applying for this position, click the link below. To learn more about what this position entails, contact thrive@baby-steps.org. 

                     CONTACT US
                                                                            we would love to hear from you.

Email

thrive@babysteps.org
  Phone

  (344) 521-2184
Mailing

​​PO Box 713
​Auburn, AL 36831
  ​If you or someone you know is a student and finds themselves in an unplanned pregnancy or is a student-           mom, please call or text 334.521.2184. We are here for you!
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