Who We Are
Based in Seattle, Washington, The Mize Family Foundation is committed to supporting organizations that operate with one or more of the following strategies: innovative media, leadership development and community empowerment. Supporting these areas of focus provide the Mize Family Foundation a distinctive opportunity to address the urgency of climate change and global environmental justice.
One of the most important steps our foundation can take in advocating for a resilient society is to divest from fossil fuels. We are proud and thrilled to take part in the Divest-Invest Philanthropy Campaign. We hope to set a precedent for other foundations and organizations to commit to a future without dependence on fossil fuels.
Our Leadership Team
Anne B. Mize
Anne is the President of the Mize Family Foundation. She has over thirty years of consulting experience in the nonprofit sector. As an organizational development consultant and philanthropist, she has worked with community groups in sub-Saharan Africa and the US. She holds a Doctorate in Psychology. Her dissertation research was on the relationship between children’s spirituality and their connection with the natural world. Currently, Anne previously served on the board of Wildlife Media and Earthjustice Council. Anne is also a Trustee Alum at Progressive Animal Welfare Society and African Wildlife Foundation.
Meskerem Mize
Meskerem Mize graduated from the University of Washington with a Masters in Social Work and a concentration on children, youth, and families. During her studies, she worked at the UW Global Health Resource Center, advising undergraduate students and facilitating career-centered events. Most recently, Meskerem worked in case management at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), serving mostly African refugees, asylees, and victims of domestic abuse under the Gender Equity and Family Wellness program. She has traveled extensively across Sub-Saharan Africa, visiting our partner organizations.
Katrin Wilde
As Executive Director of the Channel Foundation, Katrin Wilde guides its grantmaking, advocacy, and collaboration in order to support and promote leadership in women’s human rights, gender equality, and feminist philanthropy around the globe. In addition to serving on the Board of the Mize Family Foundation, she also serves on the Board of Front Line Defenders USA, the Philanthropy Council of the Global Fund for Women, and the Advisory Board of the Center for Human Rights at the University of Washington. Previously, she was a member of the Board of Directors for Engaged Donors for Global Equity (EDGE) Funders Alliance and a Co-founder of the Pacific Northwest Global Donors Exchange. She has done research for UNDP Nepal, the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, and the International Rescue Committee. Previously, she worked as a journalist in Thailand and a book editor at Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She received her master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University
Zenebech Mesfin
Zenebech Mesfin is passionate about gender equality, women's empowerment and social inclusion and has been working at the intersection of these issues in the agriculture, natural resource management (NRM), and environment sector contexts. Zenebech is currently Associate Director, Gender and Social Inclusion at ACDI/VOCA where she provides gender and social inclusion technical support to projects in Kenya, Ethiopia and Honduras. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA, she was the gender and social inclusion lead for a natural resource management (NRM) mechanism. Prior to that, she worked on an agriculture, land and NRM mechanism working across five countries on activities related to land documentation, forestry and wildlife governance, and engaging the private sector for women's economic empowerment. She holds a Masters in Global Development from Cornell University, and a BA in International Business from American University.
Nana Sakyiwa
Nana Sakyiwa is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Sustainability at Arizona State University. Her research seeks to illustrate the resilience of biocultural communities and landscapes amidst global climate crises. Prior to pursuing a Ph.D., she worked with organizations that engaged and worked alongside Indigenous Peoples and local communities in various regions to co-create robust solutions that improved their livelihoods and well-being, while protecting their environments. She has experience evaluating projects, designing risk assessments, and biocultural monitoring frameworks, among others. During her leisure, she likes to go for hikes or swim.