Our People
Having Kids was formed by a group of individuals and families who care deeply about children, democracy, the natural world, and our future. Like many others, we realize that the short-sighted way we plan our families is deeply flawed, and the fundamental driver of most of our ecological and social crises. We are now working to find and implement solutions, through laws, policy, culturally, and a variety of institutions.
Having published some of the first and most comprehensive analyses of truly human rights-based family planning, Having Kids is dedicated to promoting the Fair Start family planning model as the solution to many of the world’s problems. Real change starts at the source, and begins with speaking truth to power at the most fundamental level.

Catharina Hughey
Director
Catharina has spent over ten years working with children, from educational settings to child welfare. After six years of clinical work with a non-profit, she pursued her MSW from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work to address the inequities of the foster care system from a macro perspective. Since then, she has utilized evidence-based practices to create and evaluate curriculums and interventions that positively affect children’s emotional, academic, and biophysical health. Kat is currently working as a research associate at the Burnes Center on Poverty and Homelessness. Creating equity and compassion for the human experience is the highlight of her research. Kat is passionate about social justice, diversity, and ensuring that innovative design is central to the narrative for positive change.

Courtney Dillard, PhD
Treasurer of the Board of Directors

Erika Mathews
Development Director
The Having Kids approach is important to Erika and her family because they want to dedicate their time and resources to raising a child who is a conscious steward of our planet and the animals and people who call it home. At age 11, their daughter Willow has already raised nearly $15,000 by running 5Ks, doing one-mile lake swims, and sewing and selling cat toys to help
homeless people and their pets, shelter dogs and cats, and wildlife. Erika says, “Being working parents, having one child allows us to foster an environment where we can encourage Willow in her endeavors to make the world a better place.” They believe that having one child will reduce their carbon footprint, leaving a better environment for generations to come.

Anne Green, PhD
Advisor

Sarah Bexell, PhD
Associate, Community Connections

Sarah Johnson
Advisor
Sarah Johnson, a family nurse practitioner with 15 years serving patients in critical care and 22 years in allopathic medicine, graduated with an M.S. in Nursing with high honors from Georgetown University and currently lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a founding board member of Having Kids, a U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness for The Fair Start Model, a human rights-based, child-focused approach to family planning..

Ashley Berke
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Ashley has spent over 15 years launching community oriented startups and grassroots organizations. Before making the move to the nonprofit sector, she worked in partnership with numerous causes in support of kids. Driven to affect change on a larger scale, she obtained her MBA from the University of Central Florida in order to better advise mission-driven organizations for success. She has previously worked with Ethical Choices Program and Animal Recovery Mission, and is currently advising communications and development for OneProtest as a board member. She spends her spare time managing her rabbit rescue, Space Coast Bunnies and serving as a mentor to teens. Her ultimate goal is to reduce inequity and suffering of all of our planet’s inhabitants by inspiring others to take action.

Matt Hamity
Director of Research

Maureen Cohen Harrington
Special Projects Manager
Maureen Cohen Harrington is Vice President of the Congressional Vegetarian Staff Association, a member of the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, and on the boards of Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts and Washington Area Roadskaters. As Special Projects Manager at Having Kids, she is organizing a forum at George Washington University, “Tackling the Population Taboo: Creating a Sustainable Future for Children” (April 9, 2019). In her day job, she is Senior Counsel at the Library of Congress Office of the General Counsel. She shares a home with two feline Louisiana flood refugees.

Kirsten Stade
Community Outreach Manager

Sunitha Bosecker
Social Media Manager
Sunitha is the owner of Sunitha Lea, LLC, where she helps small businesses and non-profit organizations elevate their marketing efforts. Sunitha received a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at Stephens College and has a bachelor’s degree in public relations and marketing from Missouri State University. When it’s time to unwind, you will find Sunitha traveling the globe, reading nonfiction books, watching documentaries, or searching for the best nachos.

Katie Doherty
Editor
Katie is a professional writer and editor who works in content marketing. Before that, she spent a decade as a journalist, working as a copy editor, wire editor, and online news editor at newspapers in Florida and Arkansas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in news-editorial journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, where she currently lives. When she’s not working, she’s testing out new recipes, baking cookies, reading nonfiction, watching documentaries, and pursuing happiness offline. You can find her on Twitter @kaytaybaylay.

Caitlin Zittkowski
General Counsel
Caitlin is an attorney who advocates for animals and the environment. She currently serves as counsel for the PETA Foundation. Prior to her current position, Caitlin served as a staff attorney for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, providing research and recommendations to judges on how to decide cases. Before working at the Court, Caitlin was a legal fellow at the Center for Food Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable food and agricultural practices. She also worked for Meyer, Glitzenstein & Crystal, a public interest law firm in Washington D.C. that represented various environmental and animal protection organizations. Caitlin currently lives in the Bay Area.

Matt Ball
Advisor

Seeta Begui
Secretary of the Board of Directors
Seeta Begui is a Licensed Practical Nurse, and author. living with her husband in Melbourne, Florida. She is the proud mother of four grown children. Active in politics, she promotes social justice, prevention of domestic abuse, and the empowerment of women. Seeta is an experienced CEO with a demonstrated history of working in the publishing industry, with nonprofit organizations, operations management, coaching, activism, and editing. She attended attended Pleasantville Senior comprehensive high school in Trinidad and Tobago.

Cassie King
Communications Lead and Social Media
Cassie King is the Communications Director for the international animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), based in Berkeley, California. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she became a full-time activist. She lives in Berkeley with two bunnies who were rescued from slaughter.

Dr. Betty Martin-Finneran
Research Associate
Dr. Betty Martin-Finneran completed her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies at The Union Institute & University Graduate College in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her area of concentration was Transformative Learning with a strong Jungian transpersonal psychology emphasis—sacred psychology. She completed her Master of Science Degree in Information Management Technology at Grantham University in Kansas City, Missouri. Currently, Dr. Martin-Finneran works as an Instructional Associate at Berryessa Union School District in San Jose, California. In addition, she is an online and face-to-face ESL instructor at Techworld Language Solutions of Troy, Michigan.

Karin Kuhlemann
Spokesperson and Advisor

Carter Dillard
Policy Advisor and Board of Directors