Meet Our Team
Kristina Russell - Founder/President
Kristina enjoys staying active. Her and her husband Nathan currently reside in West Chicago, Illinois with their dog Rally.
They enjoy going on trips and exploring new places. Over the last few years they have been fortunate enough to explore other countries including Italy, Greece, Montenegro, Croatia, Egypt, Mexico, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic, Peru and Ecuador.
They enjoy kayaking, hiking, biking, attending local car shows, taking Rally on walks and sitting outside in the summer while enjoying a nice fire. Most of all, they cherish the time they spend with family and friends and have been greatly humbled by this cancer experience.
During and after her treatment and surgery, Kristina is committed to making a difference by helping others in their time of need.
Sherri McKinney - Vice President
Sherri’s breast cancer journey has given her a profound sense of what matters most in life. In the past, she rarely took the time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak, but now realizes that it’s the simplest things in life that mean the most.
“Life is short, and we all need to be doing the things that we love to do with those that we love.”
Sherri currently resides in Elburn, Illinois with her husband, James and their pitbull, Jax. When she’s not working, she enjoys anything to do with animals, vacationing, photography, taking long walks, watching the sunset, laying by the pool, reading a good book, listening to her music, taking bubble baths, baking, attending local car shows, and most of all, spending time with her family and friends.
Sherri believes that she made it through her journey, not only because her husband and her family were by her side the entire way, but also through positivity. She believes that our mindset is our greatest weapon. She is committed to helping others by providing them the support that they need to endure their journey, and what lies after. She is an advocate for a ‘Positive Mental Attitude’ (PMA), and knows in her heart that with a positive attitude, anything is possible.
“A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”
Nate Russell - Treasurer
Nate is originally a Wisconsin native, but moved to Illinois years ago to pursue his career in the automotive industry. He is passionate for anything with four wheels and a motor and brings a great deal to the table with not only his ability to help with every aspect at an event, but also with his skills in mathematics, financials and problem solving.
Nate has been supportive of his wife’s vision from the beginning and enjoys assisting the charity in any way possible.
Brian Schmidt - Director of Sponsorships
Brian lives in Roselle with his wife and two boys and is fully vested into bringing as much attention to Kittie’s Warriors as he can. Brian has always been a Corvette guy, and he honored the Foundation when he wrapped his blue Z06 Corvette to show support and also raise awareness for KWF on his own dime. The beautiful pink Z06 pictured on our site is what he’s been driving around town. People love his car and love what it stands for and we’re grateful for his thoughtfulness and dedication.
Brian has many connections within the community and we are grateful for the opportunities and partnerships he brings to the Foundation.
Richard Schmidt aka “Our Biggest Fan”
Rich is KWF’s biggest fan and extremely proud of the organization that his family has built in honor of his late wife, Kittie. He enjoys introducing people to the Foundation and we are extremely fortunate to have such a loyal man behind us every step of the way.
There are many people behind the scenes that dedicate their time and effort into bettering the Foundation and we wouldn’t be there without them. Thank you to everyone who has made a difference, we appreciate you!