Nichelle Hilton

Executive Director

Nichelle felt the call to start the program after being moved by the documentary "A Place at the Table". She and several volunteers started by delivering eight bags to a local school and since then have grown the program into what it is now. She has always worked for the benefit of children and always at non-profit. She has five daughters, runs a farm, and loves books and animals.

Aga Scheurich

Board Member

Aga Scheurich was introduced to Nichelle and Backpack Brigade through her employer, Homestreet Bank, in 2014. Shortly after, inspired by the organization’s involvement in the local community, she and her colleagues started delivering bags of food to local schools. Aga was born in Poland and moved to Seattle in 2011. She received her MA in International Relations from Wroclaw University of Economics in Poland and has since worked in the marketing and banking fields. In her free time she enjoys taking long walks, traveling and reading.

Mike Humphreys

Board Member

Mike has been helping Backpack Brigade since its early days based out of the YWCA East Cherry location in Seattle. Mike enjoys supporting Nichelle and the BB team as it makes a difference in as many kids’ lives as possible.

Professionally, Mike was with Microsoft until January 2020, having spent almost 20 years in a variety of roles. Most recently, he built & ran the finance & business development teams in Turn 10 Studios, part of Xbox, through a period of substantial business & franchise growth. Among his previous Microsoft roles, Mike worked in Business Development in Microsoft Dynamics, and was a instrumental player in the founding team of Microsoft Capital in the early 2000s. Prior to Microsoft, Mike enjoyed a long career in banking, with his most recent positions including serving as President of UPS Capital Global Trade Finance and, before that, as Vice President of a BankAmerica portfolio company in New Delhi, India. Mike’s education is in Finance, with a BA in Finance from Florida Atlantic University, and he grew up in Vienna, Austria and Spring Valley, NY.

On the personal side, Mike lives in Seattle with his wife Barbara, and travels extensively. Personal pursuits include open water endurance swimming, bicycling, and writing.

Missy Zumwalt

Treasurer

Seattle native, Missy Zumwalt, is a long-time advocate for Seattle public school children. As co-chair of Tutu’s Pantry at Stevens Elementary she coordinates a weekend backpack program, fundraises to cover “Project Second Serving” and coordinates an annual comp program to ensure all children at the school can participate in community building events. Prior to her work at Stevens, she chaired the McGilvra Garden Committee for 4 years. Professionally, she focused her Marketing and product development expertise on luxury goods including Chanel Beauté, Frédèric Fekkai Beauté and Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath. Missy received her B.A. in English Literature from Bryn Mawr College and her M.B.A. from University of Washington. She is mother to three kids and a mini Australian Shepherd.

April Schmidt

Board Member

April moved to the Seattle Area from California in 2004 for her retail career. She has worked in various roles, for different Companies, for 30 years. She specialized in driving sales through special events, recruiting top talent and leading teams to deliver results. Recently retired from a District Manager position at Swarovski Crystal, she was looking for fulfilling opportunities to give back to the community when she found Backpack Brigade through the Volunteer Match site. She originally started out driving to schools one day a week, but quickly fell in love with the program, the team and its goal to feed the children. She then began to volunteer a second day a week as a packer. She enjoys skiing, fishing, hiking and the challenge of summiting the beautiful mountains here in the Pacific Northwest.