March

Meet the New Staff! Q&A

Big things have been happening at the Sauer Family Foundation office. We’d like to introduce our newest staff members, Sheri Hixon and Dan Johnson!

Sheri Hixon

Sheri joined our team as one of our Program Officers, who will be working in our funding area for Building Strong Family Relationships; Prevention and Intervention in Child Welfare. I got to ask her a few questions to learn a little bit about her:

Q: What brought you to the Sauer Family Foundation?

SH: Hope. I see the vision and values that the Sauer Family Foundation espouses forging lasting solutions to social problems, with children and their families at the center of community capacity building.

Q: What inspires you in your work?

SH: Change. Knowing the societal issues that team Sauer Family Foundation addresses impact historic systems that were not created/intended to serve all folks in an equitable manner feels focus-oriented, empowering, and joy triggering.

Q: If you were giving a spontaneous TED Talk, what would it be about?

Check your Bias. Improving our world starts within by acknowledging, educating, and conversing then wash/rinse/repeat towards maintaining accountability.

Q: Do you have any pets? (Photos are welcome, of course)

A 13-year-old Lhasa Apso, Nyco and his 1.5-year-old cat brother, Atticus. Though they spend the bulk of their lives interacting as friendenemies, this image represents their bond:

A gray striped cat cuddles a fluffy napping dog.
Nyco and Atticus: best “friendenemies”

Q: What’s something you’ve really been enjoying you want to recommend to everyone?

Book: I’m Still Here, Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness – Austin Channing Brown

Music: Nancy Wilson – all parts of her decades long catalogue, start here If I Could – YouTube


Dan Johnson

Our other newest staff member is Dan, our Office and Grants Manager. Here’s a quick snapshot about him:

Q: What brought you to the Sauer Family Foundation?

After graduating from college with a degree in Communication, I wasn’t entirely sure what my next steps were. I had just begun considering moving into the non-profit world when I discovered the Sauer Family Foundation – which is a perfect fit for this season of my life. It felt sort of like jumping onto a moving train, and I’m excited to see where it takes me.

Q: What inspires you in your work?

I’m a very story-oriented person – I like to see growth towards something better. As grants manager, I have the ability to listen to people’s stories and see how the projects that are being implemented have positive impacts on children and families across the state. It’s a very unique way to see progress in real time, and the work that people are doing is so incredible.

Q: If you were giving a spontaneous TED Talk, what would it be about?

I was initially planning on going into the field of journalism, which is still something I’m passionate about, so I do a lot of personal work in media literacy and advocacy. As many people are recognizing the effects of misinformation, I’m often using social media as a tool to educate and learn about media bias, power dynamics in reporting, and spotting fake news.

Q: Do you have any pets? (Photos are welcome, of course)

My housemates have a Mini Bernedoodle puppy named Valka, and she is the most adorable thing in the entire world, probably.

Q: What’s something you’ve really been enjoying you want to recommend to everyone?

I am a huge Star Trek fan. Over the last few months, I’ve introduced the shows to my housemates and got them hooked, especially with the newer show Star Trek: Discovery. Highly recommend.


That’s all from the newest members of the Foundation team for now, but we’d love to hear from you! We’re all excited to keep moving forward, learning, and doing what we can to support all children and families.