Rx Kids Leadership
Rx Kids is led by Mona Hanna, MD, MPH, a pediatrician and director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative. A nationally recognized child health researcher and advocate, Dr. Mona launched the community-partnered initiative in response to the Flint water crisis to improve outcomes for kids. She is also the Associate Dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and recognized as one of USA Today’s Women of the Century for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and leading recovery efforts. Dr. Mona is the author of the New York Times 100 most notable book, What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City. Grounded in community-based participation, Dr. Mona and the Pediatric Public Health Initiative work with many local and national partners to boldly improve child health equity and share best practices.
Luke Shaefer, Rx Kids Co-Founder
Luke Shaefer, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder of Rx Kids and the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. There he directs Poverty Solutions, a UM presidential initiative that partners with communities to find new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty. Poverty Solutions has a proven track record of collaborating on novel evidence-based policy changes in the City of Detroit, with the State of Michigan, and nationally. The New York Times named Luke’s coauthored book, $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, one of 100 Notable Books of 2015, and he has received an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. The New York Times and Time magazine, among other outlets, have credited Shaefer’s collaborative research as one of the driving forces behind the expanded Child Tax Credit of 2021 that led to a historic decline in child poverty. Luke’s new coauthored book, The Injustice of Place, highlights poor communities, threading their common histories together and offering solutions to community resilience.
Laura Keen, U.S. Program Director, GiveDirectly
Laura Keen is the U.S. Program Director at GiveDirectly, where she leads program delivery and operations across the organization’s domestic portfolio. Her work spans flagship initiatives such as Rx Kids, alongside guaranteed income programs and disaster response. With more than a decade of experience in fundraising, program management, and team leadership, Laura has worked across nonprofits focused on health, international development, and human rights. She is motivated to design thoughtful, tailored cash programs that tackle the toughest challenges in poverty alleviation and inequality.
Ash Taylor-Beierl, US Program Manager, GiveDirectly
Ash Taylor-Beierl is a US Program Manager at GiveDirectly overseeing the operations of Rx Kids. With a background in safeguarding, education policy, public health, and business management, Ash uses her multidisciplinary expertise to drive excellence in program delivery. As a working mama, Ash finds sisterhood with all of the moms in Rx Kids and is driven to ensure every Rx Kids mom and baby feel supported and cared for.
Rex, Rx Kids Spokesbear
Rex is a brown bear and the first bear to join Rx Kids! He is honored to be an official spokesbear for the program. He’s dedicated to sharing love and cuddles with all the little ones, as well as adults. He loves being the star of the Rx Kids “Welcome to the World Baby Bundle” and meeting all the Rx Kids babies! His image sits alongside official documents from the Governor of the State of Michigan. He often makes official appearances at signature Rx Kids events that celebrate love, motherhood, and kiddos. Some of his favorite things include strawberry sweetheart ice cream from the MSU Dairy Store, college basketball, and playing at local parks. If you were to ask him why he likes parks so much, he says they are a great place to have fun and get some exercise. Every time Rex goes to a park to play, he makes new friends! His best friend is a panda named Luna, who shares in his mission to help all babies thrive.
Luna, Rx Kids Spokesbear
Luna is a panda bear and joined the Rx Kids team on Valentine’s Day in 2024. As an official Rx Kids spokesbear, she is dedicated to sharing love and joy with Rx Kids families. Some of her favorite things include making food with fresh fruits and veggies, dancing with friends, making art to hang on the fridge, and reading. She loves visiting local libraries and snuggling up with little ones to hear a bedtime story. When making official appearances at signature Rx Kids events, her favorite part is meeting families, and she can’t wait to meet more great kiddos as Rx Kids expands across the state of Michigan. Luna is full of energy and is known for her positive outlook. If you were to ask her if she could make one wish, what would it be? She says she hopes that Rx Kids reaches all families someday because she has seen the positive impact and smiling faces it helps to create.
Hope, Rx Kids Spokesbear
Hope is a polar bear who joined the Rx Kids team in the summer of 2025. She is excited to meet, play, grow, and learn with families as an Rx Kids spokesbear! Hope is very curious and enthusiastic. She loves having new adventures and learning about the world around her. Her favorite things to do are exploring the outdoors, visiting children’s museums, and building with colorful toy blocks. There is so much for her and her little friends to discover every day! She’s excited to travel throughout the state of Michigan and beyond as Rx Kids expands, and to go home with Rx Kids families. She can’t wait for you to show her around your favorite places! Her dream? For Rx Kids to not only be a statewide program, but a countrywide program for all moms and babies. Hope wishes for every mom and baby to feel encouraged and cared for. With Hope as their guide, babies will embark on sweet adventures of discovery together!
GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, GiveDirectly has delivered $900M+ to over 1.6 million people across fifteen countries. They currently have operations in Bangladesh, DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and the U.S.
Since 2017, GiveDirectly in the U.S. has delivered more than $270M in unconditional cash transfers to over 220,000 low-income Americans and has proven that cash can have positive impacts for people in need. By running some of the country’s largest cash programs, GiveDirectly aims to demonstrate the power of cash to help families build wealth and eliminate poverty in the wealthiest country in the world.