As Women’s History Month is celebrated nationwide and International Women’s Day highlights female achievement and leadership, the focus turns to women whose work creates measurable, lasting change. For over two decades, Autumn Strier has demonstrated what that kind of leadership looks like in action. As Co-Founder and CEO of Miracles for Kids, Strier has built more than a non-profit, she has built a solid infrastructure: a $65 million lifeline that stabilizes families navigating pediatric medical crises at the very moment they are most vulnerable and trying to keep their household intact.
When a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, the disruption is immediate and profound… extending far beyond the hospital room. Employment is jeopardized, bills accumulate, and emotional strain compounds. Miracles for Kids was co-founded by Strier to intervene at that intersection, ensuring families can focus on their child’s health without the fear of losing their home or financial security.
“At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: families should be able to concentrate on their child’s healing, not on whether the lights will stay on,” said Strier. “When we stabilize a family, we restore dignity, strengthen resilience, and create the space they need to endure one of the most difficult seasons of their lives.”
Families in crisis need stability and that requires more than emergency funding. It requires foresight, infrastructure, and financial discipline – principles that have defined Strier’s leadership for more than two decades. Launched in 2004 as a modest employee-giving initiative within a mortgage company, Miracles for Kids has evolved into a nationally respected organization serving families whose children are battling more than 120 life-threatening illnesses and conditions. Under Strier’s direction, the nonprofit has raised more than $65 million, acquired long-term housing properties called Miracle Manor that can serve up to 22 families at a time, and implemented comprehensive support programs. These programs range from monthly bill pay assistance and basic needs deliveries, to wellness therapy addressing grief, trauma, anxiety, and depression, to programs focused on helping families achieve long-term stability through jobs, education and financial literacy.
In 2025 alone, the organization stabilized 429 families and delivered 28,567 nights of sleep in a safe, comfortable environment, and provided 367 individuals ongoing wellness therapy at no cost. These are tangible outcomes rooted in a leadership philosophy centered on sustainability rather than short-term relief.
“Compassion is essential, but structure is what makes it sustainable,” Strier said. “We are intentional about building systems that outlast any one moment or individual. Families in crisis need stability they can rely on.”
Strier’s background in public administration and municipal finance shaped that systems-driven approach. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara and NYU’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, she began her career working in government and financial institutions, gaining experience in policy, oversight, and large-scale project management. Those lessons translated directly into how she built Miracles for Kids – with strong fiscal stewardship, measurable outcomes, and long-term strategic growth. In 2024, 84.2 cents of every dollar raised directly supported programs.
Strier’s leadership extends beyond operational growth. As the Founding and current Board President of Epic California Academy, Southern California\’s premier personalized learning public school, for nearly a decade, and a long-standing member of regional business and civic leadership circles, Strier continues to champion models that strengthen communities at their core. Now entering her 22nd year at the helm at Miracles for Kids, Strier remains focused on increasing access to mental health services, strengthening housing and financial stability, and building partnerships that ensure families navigating pediatric medical crises never fight alone.
As Women’s History Month recognizes women shaping the future through action and accountability, Strier’s work stands as a powerful example of leadership rooted in both compassion and structure. Her work is a reminder that lasting impact is built deliberately, sustained responsibly, and measured by the stability it creates for others. To learn more about Miracles for Kids or how to support families with critically-ill children, visit https://miraclesforkids.org/.
