Above: Mike Batza, Jr. (left), with his friend Earl Linehan, who recently honored Batza’s memory with a gift to the Institute
By Laura Thornton
In 1986, Kennedy Krieger Institute was facing financial difficulties, making its future uncertain. But Michael J. Batza, Jr., chair of Kennedy Krieger’s board of directors at the time, believed the Institute was an organization worth fighting for. He reached out to financial consultant Jim Anders, then at Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young), for advice.
“Mike came over to ask if we could bring a team to Kennedy Krieger to help out,” recalls Anders, who, at Batza’s suggestion, joined the Institute as administrator and chief operating officer, the position he holds to this day. “It was a challenging time, but Mike was very hands-on. He was at the Institute 20-plus hours a week for months, putting the work in, on top of his day job.”
Batza didn’t just see Kennedy Krieger safely through a difficult year—he set it up for decades of successful, life-changing service to patients, students and families. He continued to serve on the board until his passing in the summer of 2025. A little over two decades before that, he and his family endowed the Batza Family Foundation Research Chair at Kennedy Krieger, now held by Dr. Stewart Mostofsky, director of the Institute’s Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research.
“For one person to give that much time to one institution is extraordinary,” says Ron Peterson, chair of Kennedy Krieger’s board of directors and former president of the Johns Hopkins Health System. “He was very generous with his time and personal resources.”
“Mike understood how unique the Institute is and how special it is to have here in Baltimore,” adds Institute President and CEO Dr. Bradley L. Schlaggar. “His foundational work and his continued leadership, volunteering and philanthropy truly put the Institute in a position to succeed in its mission.”
Mike was a very humble man who did all of these incredible things but never expected anything in return.”– Dr. Nancy Grasmick
Batza spoke often to friends and colleagues about Kennedy Krieger. Recently, his longtime friend and business partner Earl Linehan and Earl’s wife, Darielle, made a leadership gift to the Institute to honor Batza’s decades of dedication to Kennedy Krieger.
“Mike was a great guy who was a leader in everything he did, and he lived life to the fullest,” says Linehan, who first met the Batzas when both couples were newly married and living in Evanston, Illinois. “He was dedicated to a lot of causes, but Kennedy Krieger always occupied a special place in Mike’s heart.”
Batza and his wife, Pattie, raised their three daughters in the Baltimore area, where Batza developed Heritage Properties, a real estate firm and longtime sponsor of the Institute’s annual Festival of Trees. Despite his busy work schedule and his devotion to his family, he always made time to support community organizations.
“He was pivotal to providing Kennedy Krieger with the stability and growth it needed to become what it is today,” says Dr. Nancy Grasmick, former board chair and director of the Institute’s Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education. In fact, it was Dr. Grasmick who initially introduced Batza to the Institute, when the Batzas sought her advice on educational testing for a young family member.
“But more than that,” Dr. Grasmick says, “Mike was a very humble man who did all these incredible things but never expected anything in return.”