Sheila Bargaheiser, Grants & Operations Coordinator
Sheila Bargaheiser joined the Stranahan Foundation as an administrative assistant in May 2016. In her current role, she assists in the day-to-day operations of the Foundation and provides administrative support in the areas of event/meeting planning, meeting material development, accounts payable, family engagement, and external communications.
Prior to joining the foundation, Sheila was a program coordinator for Diabetes Youth Services, a non-profit organization based in Maumee, Ohio. She worked alongside the program director to provide educational and supportive services for young people with diabetes, their families, schools, and communities.
Hillary Beuschel, Program Director
Hillary Beuschel joined the foundation as a program officer in January 2021. In her current role, she is responsible for staffing the foundation's grantmaking committees, overseeing its grantmaking programs, and building intentional learning opportunities for family members and staff.
Prior to joining the Stranahan Foundation, Beuschel was a senior program officer at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where she designed and led the Entrepreneurship Team’s budgeting, annual planning, grantmaking, training, and reflective learning processes. Earlier in her career, Beuschel held grantmaking or other community-facing roles at The H&R Block Foundation, the Marion & Henry Bloch Family Foundation, and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.
Breta Cooper, CEO
Breta joined the Stranahan Foundation as Executive Director in August 2022. In this role, her core responsibilities include leading and aligning the day-to-day operations with the Foundation's mission and values; working with the Board to define and implement the Foundation’s vision and strategy; and engaging the more than 200 family members residing across the country in the family’s philanthropic efforts.
Breta began her career in philanthropy at the Manuel D. and Rhoda Mayerson Foundation, a family foundation based in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1996. During her 25-year tenure, she progressed through the organization and ultimately became Executive Vice President where she managed the operational, financial, and administrative activities of the Foundation including grantmaking programs, strategic planning, budgeting, and staff management. Just prior to joining the Stranahan Foundation, Breta was Executive Director of the VIA Institute on Character, a global non-profit social enterprise dedicated to advancing the science and practice of character.
To view a recent press release of her hire, please click here.
Rachel McDonald, Program Officer
Rachel McDonald joined the foundation as a program officer in June 2024. In her role, she engages with grantee organizations and family members to support the foundation’s grantmaking across all programs and geographic areas.
Prior to joining the Stranahan Foundation, Rachel was a Farmer Outreach Associate at American Farmland Trust; she delivered programming and funding opportunities to farmers and coordinated regenerative agriculture and farm vitality projects in the Mid-Atlantic region. Her experience in philanthropy began at the Posner Foundation in Pittsburgh, PA, where she assisted in grantmaking and grant management, with a particular focus on food system and environmental grants.
Heidi McPheeters, Program Officer
Heidi McPheeters joined the foundation as a program and grants associate in June 2023. In her role, she supports grantees and family members involved in the Foundation's Community Stewardship Grantmaking program.
Prior to joining the Stranahan Foundation, McPheeters worked as a program manager for the Institute for Foundation and Donor Learning at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University. Her main responsibilities were managing The Grantmaking School and developing LearnPhilanthropy Academy to support and train foundation professionals. She began her career in philanthropy in 2005 as a research associate with the United Way of Greater St. Louis.