Hershey Barnett Bridges has dedicated her life to address African American breastfeeding disparities through dissemination of information, research and support so that every African American family will make well-informed decisions regarding the choice to breastfeed. She has over 30 years experience in public health; and in teaching women, colleagues, students, and peers in breastfeeding expertise. Hershey continues to update information through, seminars, conferences, online courses, and hands-on experiences.

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Micaela Berry-Smith is a Doula at Harambee Village Doulas. She is certified as an Infant Specialist and Protective Factors Trainer. With a degree in Early Childhood Development and Art Therapy, Berry has had a multifaceted career and is dedicated to helping individuals, families, and community in every season of parenting, and advocating for those whose voices aren’t heard.

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Jill has developed and participated in many initiatives to combat disparities among pregnant women and infants, including Centering Pregnancy, Centering Parenting, and a Big Sister intervention (Community Health Worker Model). Jill has also participated in Fetal and Infant Mortality Reviews (FIMR) and Maternal Mortality Reviews. Jill is an active member of Black Mama Matters Alliance’s, CityMatCH and March of Dimes. Jill Denson holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work specializing in child welfare. Jill is currently a PhD candidate at the Zilber School of Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, concentrating in community and behavioral health promotion.

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Gloria Manadier-Farr is the Community Health Liaison for the Allied Wellness Center which focuses on health promotion and direct assistance and support for people facing addiction and a myriad of concerns. Gloria is Community Chaplain for Nehemiah Development Corp. She has 20 years of experience in the fields of substance abuse, trauma, and mental health. She is a licensed substance abuse counselor and minister of Fountain of Life Covenant Church.

Carola Gaines, Community Liaison Manager, has worked for Quartz and UW Health for 26 years, serving Medicaid families in advocating and creating programs that support their health and assist in removing barriers to receive quality health care. Since 1994 the Quartz BadgerCare Plus(BC+) membership has grown from 1,200 in Dane County to approximately 45,000 members in 16 Counties and still growing. She is challenged daily as she works to meet the needs of the members in the many areas of their lives. Her goals are to coordinate and provide a heightened level of support to Quartz BC+ providers and BC+ membership, by implementing innovative programs to improve access to care and striving to decrease health inequities. Carola serves on several community Boards and committees. She has received numerous awards and is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

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Sharon is a Home Visiting Nurse consultant within the Department of Health (DHS) services. Sharon's primary function has been involvement on the Core Home Visiting State Team within Department of Children and Families (DCF). Sharon connects and supports shared crosswalks of measures and objectives between DHS and DCF departments. The DCF State team provides ongoing support to Local Implementing Agencies (LIA) programing as relating to Maternal Infant Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Federal performance measures and outcomes.**

Adrian Jones is the Program Manager for Community Health Improvement in UW Health's Office of Population Health. As a program manager, Adrian is responsible for managing multiple initiatives that bridge the gap between clinical care and community-based efforts. More specifically, she works closely with organizations that are led by African American women whose collective goal is to eliminate inequities for African American families. Through collaboration, data, and community voice, Adrian helps to develop the Community Health Needs Assessment and Implementation Strategy process. She strongly believes community members are the experts in providing the blueprint needed to ensure that individuals and families thrive in Dane County.**

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In her current role, Corinda is responsible for the Community Health Needs Assessment, Community Benefits and Community building activities. Her passion is healthcare, racial justice and equity, advocacy, networking and bridging relationships. Corinda worked the past 5 years at Kids Forward as the Community Engagement Manager. In addition, Corinda worked for 27 years in mental health with 21 of those years being at Journey Mental Health Center as a Clinical Team Manager of three programs serving adults with severe and persistent mental illness.

Ariel Robbins is the Project Manager for the Dane County Health Council Care Coordination project working to eliminate black-white racial disparities in low birthweight and infant mortality through a county-wide technology-based care coordination system. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for the past 8 years on projects with varying focus areas including access to healthcare, health equity and health education. She received her Bachelors of Science in Community Health from the University of Texas at San Antonio and her Masters of Public Health from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. In her downtime she enjoys volunteer work and is especially proud to mentor black youth who are experiencing adverse homelife situations.

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Tamara N. Thompson is a Black femme activist, Lactation Counselor, Doula, Childbirth Educator, and Student Midwife. Tamara is a founding member of the Wisconsin Doulas of Color Collective, co-founder of Harambee Village, a community based-doula organization, and Maroon Calabash, a Black Womyn led Reproductive Justice organization. Tamara’s activism work includes the intersections of pregnancy and racism, incarceration, trauma, gender identity, infant loss, trauma, economic status, and access to human milk.

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Felica Turner-Walton has always vowed to work in the medical field. From age 12 as a candy striper to now returning to her first love as a Certified Grief Support Specialist as well as a Doula. Felica will be enrolled with UW of Wisconsin-Madison for Psychology starting Fall 2020. Felica is a mother to 5 beautiful Children, she is also the CEO and Founder of Healing Our Hearts Foundation where she works to assist African American mothers after the loss of a child as well as working to assist with COVID Relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the loss of her son Zaire (2016) Felica works to advocate for mothers to have an opportunity to have a safe space for moms to discuss and share their loss and ways to grieve healthily.

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Sheray Wallace is a long time Meadowood resident, community organizer and activist in the Dane County Area. She brings a wealth of knowledge ranging from youth capacity building, violence intervention, domestic violence support, elderly care, and community and medical services. She has been instrumental in securing resources for residents in need and establishing wrap-around programing for families which include a clothing closet, youth learning space, work and focus space, and private space for medical and healthcare related needs.

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Tara Wilhelmi leads a local grassroots community recovery and wellness organization, EOTO Culturally Rooted. She is a Certified Peer Specialist  and state trainer of Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) providing support to individuals navigating mental health, substance use and trauma recovery. Driven by her passion for positive social change and thriving, healthy communities of color she enjoys acting as a connector and seed planter working on several impactful collaborations throughout Wisconsin. As a Certified Peer Specialist and studying doula Tara subscribes to a "each one teach one" knowledge and skill sharing ideology that she believes is key to challenging systemic injustice."

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Dr. Zapata is an award-winning author, public health strategist, researcher, and physician. Her focus is on utilizing innovative, community-centered, and system shifting strategies to impact health outcomes for children and families in a radical way. She is double-board certified in the fields of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine and works as a UW Newborn Nursery Hospitalist practicing at Meriter Hospital. She is also an assistant professor at the University of WI School of Medicine and Public Health where she is a Centennial scholar and serves in a variety of clinical, research, teaching and leadership roles aimed at increasing diversity in medicine and achieving maternal child health equity locally and nationally. Outside of the hospital, she is passionate about youth empowerment, social entrepreneurship, book writing, singing, playing volleyball and spending time with family. Her ultimate mission in life is to use her infectious energy, gifts, and passions to "heal, uplift and inspire".

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Zakiyyah Sorensen, BSN, is the Outreach Manager and Engagement Hub Director for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE). She directs the strategic planning and vision for CORE outreach and engagement and builds community stakeholder networks with organizations and individuals supportive of CORE’s mission. Zakiyyah facilitates the identification of community research priorities and the development, translation, and dissemination of research findings in support of community needs in Wisconsin. Her approach emphasizes reproductive and knowledge justice principles as guiding frameworks for collective liberation.

Zakiyyah is a Registered Nurse (RN) and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Nursing. She specializes in sexual and reproductive healthcare and public health. Zakiyyah’s nursing experience includes public health nursing with the Madison and Dane County Public Health Department, medical-surgical nursing with the William S. Middleton Veterans Affairs Hospital in Madison, and as a long-term care nurse at the Central Wisconsin Center. She has presented on reproductive health and reproductive justice at the National Sexual Health Conference, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s Safe Healthy Strong Conference, HCET, and Providers and Teens Communicating for Health. Zakiyyah lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband.

Dr. Diamond D. Williams (she/her) stands as an exceptional beacon of change, serving as the inaugural Associate Dean for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Nursing. With a resolute dedication to addressing health disparities and fostering inclusivity, she oversees the Office of Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion while setting strategic priorities for the school that build health equity.  

Known for her multifaceted and engaged leadership, Dr. Williams is a driving force behind organizational growth, guided by her visionary thought leadership and innovative approaches. Her public health career is marked by a profound commitment to community outreach, grant management, and program oversight.  Recognized as a former, trusted advisor to the White House, she provides invaluable insights on community engagement and outreach strategies – taking ‘meeting people where they are to new heights’. In addition, Dr. Williams' public health journey extends to having co-managed a multi-million-dollar infant mortality program spanning across Milwaukee, Racine, and Kenosha counties. This initiative addressed the urgent need to reduce Wisconsin's high infant mortality rate, which remains one of the highest in the United States and focused on chronic stress due to racism and social discrimination as key drivers of poor birth outcomes among African American mothers and babies.  

At the core of her advocacy lies a profound commitment to the health and well-being of people.  Dr. Williams tirelessly champions the development of culturally relevant programs, capacity building, facilitating systems change using innovative, and community-driven asset and evidence-based strategies, ensuring equitable opportunities especially for those often forgotten about. Her unwavering dedication to driving positive change earned her the esteemed title of "Doctor of the Year" in 2023, a testament to her impactful contributions to health equity and being of service. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Williams played a pivotal role in administering one of Wisconsin's largest statewide grants, focusing on vaccination health equity. With a budget of $30.8 million, she facilitated the  allocation of funding resources to over 185 grantees across all 72 counties, particularly targeting  communities with high vaccine hesitancy and historical mistrust of government. Beyond crisis management, Dr. Williams has adeptly managed organizational grants and budgets exceeding a quarter of a billion dollars,  and currently supports nonprofits in expanding their work in communities. As a result of experiences that have drawn close to her and her loved ones, her research interests span a wide spectrum, encompassing Black maternal and child health, substance use, Alzheimer's, women's health, and sexual health. 

Dr. Williams has shared her expertise on various platforms, addressing critical topics such as health equity engagement, COVID-19 response strategies, HPV vaccination, and cervical cancer prevention. Her  presentations resonate with a depth of knowledge and a fervent commitment to advancing public health. Rooted in her experiences as a proud native and fabric of Milwaukee, WI, Dr. Williams is a graduate of Howard University where she studied maternal and child health education and biology, Morehouse School of Medicine where she studied public health and cancer epidemiology, and Walden University, where she became the youngest Doctor of Public Health and only black woman in her graduating class. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®, Kappa Psi Omega Chapter in Madison, WI and the Wisconsin Public Health Association, among other organizations.  

Dr. Williams embodies an infectious enthusiasm that fosters collaboration and teamwork, driven by her unwavering dedication to creating a healthier, more equitable world for all. Her journey is characterized by a steadfast commitment to equity, service, and the relentless pursuit of transformative change.

With a heart full of compassion and a spirit dedicated to nurturing others. Tamisha is a Full Spectrum Doula, Herbalist, Florist, Laboratory Tech, and the Founder of A Peace of Lovelace Apothecary. Tamisha's mission is rooted in empowering her community through knowledge on essential topics such as lactation support, prenatal care, postpartum care, holistic remedies, spiritual guidance, and more.

Through her expertise and commitment, Tamisha's greatest passion is supporting individuals to find serenity and reminding them how powerful we are.

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Cheryl was born in Brooklyn, New York and later moved to Wisconsin with her family.  She is married to Jermaine Grant for 27 years. They have raised eight children together, and they are proud grandparents of 16 grandchildren ranging from the ages of eight months to 16 years old.

Cheryl has graduated from Madison College with an associate degree in Human Services, she graduated from Almeda University with a bachelor’s degree in human services with a major in Social Work and a master’s degree in social work.

Cheryl Casey Grant has worked in the field of human services in Madison, WI for 30 years.  She has worked with families who have experienced social economic difficulties.  She worked with those individuals and families to help improve their lives and their social economical needs. She is currently working at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in the OBGYN Department as an Outreach Specialist.  In her current role she is working with OBGYN doctor’s and community agencies to help bring information to the community on women’s health issues.

Cheryl’s main goal is to help with health disparities for black moms and other women of color experiencing hardship in Wisconsin and across the United States. Cheryl is involved with many community organizations and leadership programs such as African American Opioid Coalition, Homeless Consortium, Fetal Infant Mortality Review, Risked Based Care Work Group and Maternal and Infant Mortality Review Team. Cheryl works to help end the health disparities and to improve healthier outcomes for children of color.

Annette launched EQT By Design to focus on developing diverse, inclusive, sustainable strategies in public engagement, equitable community development projects, and organizational cultural change management. As CEO and founder of EQT By Design, Miller’s passion is ensuring that inclusion and engagement are front and center in her work. Annette is committed to the deconstruction of processes and practices that create inequity within organizations and systems. She seeks to listen, learn, and engage diverse voices within and outside of organizations to co-create inclusive processes and people-centered decision-making.

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