Embedded Files
Patricia Arias- Reynolds is a Collage and Mosaic Artist who creates contemporary creations from paper and glass for galleries and decoration. She has recently joined Partnership for Maternal & Child Health of Northern New Jersey as a peer mentor. Reynolds did her postgraduate work in Fine Arts at Rutgers University-Newark.
Lisa Asare was appointed the President and Chief Executive Officer of the NJ Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority in March 2024, the first and only such state authority in the nation. In addition to leading the authority, she will also serve as a newly appointed member of Governor Phil Murphy’s cabinet.
Prior to this appointment, Ms. Asare served as Deputy Commissioner of Health Services within the New Jersey Department of Human Services. In this role, she oversaw the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services that administers NJ FamilyCare and the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services. She also served as the Department lead on First Lady Murphy’s Nurture NJ maternal health initiative.
JOEL AUSTIN is the Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer for Daddy University Inc. the longest running male parenting education company in America. He is also the Executive Director of The School of Parent Education a 501©3. He is also a Certified Postpartum Doula. In this role he serves as a strong, undeniable force in propelling males and positive parenting to the forefront of the family and community agenda.
Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW has been Commissioner of the NJ Department of Children and Families since 2018. She is redefining the agency as a prevention-focused, child and family serving department, with a vision to help keep all New Jerseyans safe, healthy and connected. Some of her initiatives include: preventing maltreatment and promoting strong families; increasing kinship and familiar placements; supporting evidence-based, data-driven contracting; reducing staff safety incidents; evolving the integrated, inclusive system of care for children with behavioral and developmental diagnoses; promoting ACEs prevention, and transforming child welfare.
Dr. Renée Boynton-Jarrett is a practicing primary care pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, a social epidemiologist and the founding director of the Vital Village Networks. Vital Village uses a trauma-informed lens to improve community capacity to promote child wellbeing and advance equity through dedicated collaborative partnerships, research, data-sharing, and community leadership development in Boston and nationally through the NOW Forum and CRADLE Lab. She has a specific interest in the intersection of community violence, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect and neighborhood characteristics that influence these patterns.
Rahil D. Briggs, PsyD, is the National Director of HealthySteps, a program of ZERO TO THREE. Since 2018, she has overseen the dramatic growth of HealthySteps to over 260 sites across the country, reaching approximately 405,000 children and families as of 2023. She is responsible for all aspects of the program’s operations, financial sustainability, evaluation and research, policy, model enhancements, and site professional development and training.
Peter Bullock is a husband, father, certified doula, and the visionary founder of Hey Black Dad. With unwavering dedication, Peter has made it his mission to transform the journey into fatherhood by equipping men with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to step boldly into their roles as supportive partners and engaged fathers.
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris is an award-winning physician, researcher and public health leader who has spent her career on the front lines of some of our world’s most pressing public health challenges. As California’s first-ever Surgeon General, Dr. Burke Harris successfully launched a first-in-the-nation statewide effort to train over 40,000 primary care providers on how to screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and respond with trauma-informed care. She currently leads the ACE Action Network, helping states across the nation roll out effective public health strategies to reduce ACEs and toxic stress.
James Cairns is Senior Director for Strategic Engagements and Organizational Learning at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. He joined the Center in 2008 to lead the development of its international work. In his current role, James leads Center-wide efforts focused on understanding the early childhood ecosystem and the Center’s role in it, including developing strategic collaborations and partnerships and leading efforts to understand and measure the impact of the Center’s work. He also continues to provide strategic guidance to the Center’s international portfolio and partnerships. He is constantly inspired by how many people in places all over the world find the Center’s materials useful in their efforts to improve the lives of children and families.
Jay Chaudhary has the unique experience of simultaneously creating policy for and executing a successful state behavioral health strategy. During his five year tenure as Director of the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction and Chair of the Indiana Behavioral Health Commission, Jay led a significant overhaul of Indiana’s behavioral health system, resulting in a significant jump in the state’s overall mental health rankings.
Mary became President and CEO of ACNJ at the start of 2023 after becoming the vice president in 2003. She joined the organization in 1993 to head what is now known as ACNJ’s KidLaw Resource Center, which provides information on laws and legal processes affecting New Jersey children.
Qiana Cressman is a nationally recognized healthcare and philanthropy executive, celebrated for her transformational leadership, innovative strategy, and unwavering commitment to health equity. With over two decades of experience spanning nonprofit, public health, and maternal health sectors, Qiana began her distinguished career as a clinical laboratory scientist and has spent more than a decade partnering with major healthcare systems and medical practices. She has successfully raised more than $75 million through strategic fundraising initiatives, spearheaded groundbreaking campaigns, and significantly improved lives and communities nationwide.
Mary Dozier, Ph.D. is the Amy E. du Pont Chair of Child Development at the University of Delaware. Mary and her lab study the development of young children who have experienced adversity. Together they have developed an evidence-based intervention, Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), that is intended to enhance children’s ability to regulate behavior, emotions, and physiology. Each of the three components of the ABC intervention targets a specific issue that was identified as critical through more basic studies of attachment and stress neurobiology.
Marilyn Duverge
Marilyn Duverge
I am a 2020 Rutgers graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health. I currenty am a Program Support Specialist Central Jersey Family Health Consortium. I am passionate about reducing health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities as well as advocating for women’s rights and gender equality. In addition to being innovative in the United States, I picture myself being a liaison globally and advocating for developing undeserved populations. I see every day as a miracle and strive to install positivity in my community.
Natasha Dravid joined the Coalition in 2013 and currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer, working to drive forward the organization’s mission of strengthening ecosystems of care in Camden, the state of NJ, and across the country. In this role she leverages over a decade of experience in complex care, clinical redesign, and data-driven practice spanning a wide range of clinical and social focus areas. She brings deep expertise in operationalizing innovation projects that bring together CBOs, providers, payers, policymakers, and community members to reimagine healthcare delivery. She holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in English from Haverford College.
Dr. Erkoboni leads efforts to promote early literacy and learning through parent-child interaction in an increasingly digital age. She is the Principal Investigator of the Literacy Lab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and since 2020, Associate Medical Director of Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia. Through this work and other diverse research initiatives, Dr. Erkoboni has partnered with multiple community-based organizations and stakeholders, including Temple University’s Child and Infant Lab, the Free Library of Philadelphia, Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia, and Read by 4th (Philadelphia’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading). Dr. Erkoboni is additionally collaborating with many of these organizations to bring playful learning environments to clinics and other community spaces throughout the city of Philadelphia.
Shelle Friend, MA, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, CBC
Shelle Friend, MA, BSN, RN, RNC-MNN, CBC
Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative
Althea D. Ford recently joined the New Jersey Business & Industry Association as Vice President of Government Affairs. Ford, who previously served as director of government relations for the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association (NJSFDA), brings valuable experience as a skilled researcher, legislative policy analyst and public speaker to her new role at NJBIA.
Craig Garfield is a professor at Northwestern University and a practicing pediatrician at the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. In 2020, he became the founder and director of the Family and Child Health Innovations Program, which focuses on the notion that “Children thrive when families thrive” and how to support families in all their diversity.
State Senator Vin Gopal was elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2023 with more than 60% of the vote in a landslide election in what is considered one of New Jersey’s most politically competitive districts. Senator Gopal has championed legislation to provide aid for education and local businesses; provided property tax rebates for taxpayers, seniors and veterans; made life more affordable for seniors; make mental health services more accessible, improved public safety and teared down barriers to employment and services for members of the disabilities community - with dozens of his bills signed into law.
Emily Haines, MBA, BSN, RN has a diverse work experience in the healthcare industry. Emily began their career as a Public Health Nurse Home Visitor at Nurse Family Partnership in 2009, where they provided healthcare services to families in their homes. In 2012, Emily joined Public Health Management Corporation as a Nurse-Family Partnership Nurse Supervisor, overseeing a team of nurses and ensuring high-quality care. Emily then transitioned to the Center for Effective School Practices in 2015 as a Health Specialist, contributing their expertise to improve health outcomes in schools. Later in the same year, Emily became the Director of Public Health Initiatives at the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health of Northern New Jersey, where they develop and implements programs to enhance the health of mothers and children. Their work experience highlights their commitment to improving public health and their ability to take on leadership roles.
Helen Harrington, MGA
Helen Harrington, MGA
Helen Hannigan oversees the daily operations of The Cooperative and Family Health Initiatives. Ms. Hannigan received a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a Masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
As a Senior Implementation Specialist at the Centering Healthcare Institute, Denise brings extensive experience from both the public and private healthcare sectors. She supports states and healthcare systems in transforming how care is delivered, with a strong focus on the group care model. Driven by compassion and a deep commitment to birth equity and equality, Denise is dedicated to enhancing the quality of care for patients nationwide.
Grysmeldy González, BSN, RN
Grysmeldy González, BSN, RN
Grysmeldy Gonzalez, BSN, RN, is a professional registered nurse with 7 years of experience in maternal child health nursing, dedicated to the monitoring and improvement of maternal-child health outcomes in the central New Jersey area. Currently, Grysmeldy is the Nurse Manager of Family Connects NJ of Middlesex County, an evidence-based, data-driven population health model, which provides universal postpartum home visits and helps communities identify and address gaps in community needs.
Manuel “Manny” Jimenez, MD, MS is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Family Medicine and Community Health at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Director of Research at The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development, and an Attending Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician at Children’s Specialized Hospital. He also serves as Research Director for the Children’s Specialized Hospital/Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship.
Leslie M. Kantor, PhD, MPH, is a widely recognized public health leader, researcher, educator, and advocate. Dr. Kantor is the inaugural chair of the Department of Urban-Global Public Health at the Rutgers School of Public Health. She is a mixed-methods researcher with extensive background conducting evaluations in real world settings. Dr. Kantor is currently the Principal Investigator of two statewide evaluations in New Jersey. The first is an overarching examination of the scope, implementation and outcomes to date for Nurture New Jersey, the state initiative to improve maternal and infant health with a focus on equity. She has also led a recent evaluation of the statewide expansion of CenteringPregnancy.
Debby Katz has been practicing Full Scope Midwifery care since 1995, she has worked in a variety of settings including Hospital, Birth Center, Private Offices and Public Prenatal Centers. She has been the Director of the Midwifery Service at St Joseph's Health in Paterson New Jersey for the last 11 years. During this time she has implemented Centering Pregnancy for English and Spanish clients and has started a Pilot Program for In-House Doula Services.
Andy Kim is a life-long public servant who is proud to represent the state where he grew up, and that gave his family a chance at the American Dream, in the United States Senate. Senator Kim represented his home community in the U.S. House of Representatives for three terms, representing parts of Burlington, Ocean, Mercer, and Monmouth Counties. During that time, Kim focused on strengthening America’s national security and standing up for our servicemembers, veterans, and their families as a member of the House Armed Services and House Foreign Affairs Committees.
Kelly Kimbo is a public health champion with a strong focus on health equity, systems change, and maternal health. She currently serves as a Centering Implementation Advisor at the Centering Healthcare Institute, where she supports healthcare practices nationwide in adopting and sustaining the Centering model of group care. With a background in implementation, facilitation, and quality improvement, Kelly brings experience from roles in nonprofit, clinical, and public health settings. She holds a Master of Public Health from Rutgers University and is passionate about improving outcomes for underserved communities.
Dr. Kirk joined THT as Chief Program Officer in 2022 after spending more than two decades working to advance health equity via roles in governmental public health, healthcare, and non-profit organizations. Most recently, he was the Chief Program Officer at the regional community action agency, Norwescap, after serving as the system-wide Director of Community Engagement and Health Improvement at Atlantic Health System.
Debra Lancaster is the Executive Director of the Center for Women and Work. Debra most recently served as the Chief Program Officer for the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, where she led efforts to modernize DCF’s service array. At DCF she focused on integrating evidence-supported programming to support women, children, and families challenged by trauma, poverty, intimate partner violence, and mental health and substance use disorders. Debra’s efforts to improve the well-being of children in foster care received national attention. She has a strong interest in research-practice partnerships and the direct care workforce.
Kareem Lovelace serves as the Fatherhood Engagement Advisor for the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Office of Family Voice (OFV). With over two decades of experience, Kareem has been a pivotal force in advancing fatherhood engagement initiative and strengthening collaboration between fathers and state agencies. As Project Lead for DCF’s Fatherhood Engagement effort, he has championed authentic engagement and shared decision-making, earning him the title "Fatherhood Expert."
Tara Lozy
Tara Lozy
Data Scientist, Biostatistician at Hackensack Meridian Health.
Dr. Mendelsohn is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYC H+H/Bellevue. He is the Founding Director and Primary Investigator of PlayReadVIP, as well as the Division Chief for the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Director of Research for the Divisions of General and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Co-Director of Biostatistical Analysis Coursework for the NYU Clinical and Translational Science Institute - Masters of Science Program in Clinical Investigation, and member of: the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Early Childhood, the Academic Pediatric Association Child Poverty Task Force, the NIH/NICHD Biobehavioral and Behavioral Sciences Subcommittee, the Society for Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics Board of Director, and former Chair of the NIH/NICHD Subcommittee.
As First Lady, Tammy’s policy initiatives focus on infant and maternal health, climate change education, and fostering women-owned businesses throughout New Jersey. She has worked to create Family Festivals across the state to increase access to resources for mothers, children, and families; worked with the New Jersey Department of Education to incorporate climate change throughout the K-12 state education guidelines to better prepare our students for the future economy; and partnered with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to increase angel investing in women-led businesses. She continues to be a partner to Phil as he works with Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way to tackle the formidable challenges facing New Jersey and its incredible residents.
Mehnaz Mustafa is the Executive Director for Data and Analytics at the New Jersey Department of Health. She oversees the Office of Vital Statistics, Center for Health Statistics, Healthcare Quality Assessment, Health Services Research and the Centralized Data and Analytics Hub for the Department. Mehnaz has served on NJ’s COVID 19 Vaccine Governance Steering Committee along with the Commissioner of Health, Governor’s Chief of Staff and Chief Counsel, and Superintendent of Police.
I know how daunting it can be to begin the therapy journey, so I want to reassure you that the journey will be challenging but very rewarding. If you are searching for a judgment free space to process past or current issues, ways to decrease your anxious thoughts, healthier methods to learn how to decrease your feelings of sadness or depression, or a relationship therapist then I am the therapist for you!
I specialize in working with children, adolescents and young adults!
Tiffany Ortiz currently serves as the Director of Early Childhood Programs at Carnegie Hall, a position held since July 2019, following a progressive career at the same institution from August 2011 to 2019 that included roles such as Assistant Director of Early Childhood Programs, Manager of the Lullaby Project, Associate of Family Programs, Coordinator of Community Programs, and Admin Assistant for Community Programs. Prior to this, Tiffany Ortiz worked at WXPN from 2007 to 2011 as an Online Content Writer and served as a member of the Policy Board. Tiffany Ortiz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a minor in Music from the University of Pennsylvania.
Maritza Raimundi–Petroski was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and raised in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. She and her family returned to New Jersey so that she could complete her final two years of high school at Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey. After graduating in the top 10% of her class, Ms. Raimundi–Petroski attended Rutgers College where, in addition to completing a double major in Spanish and Puerto Rican & Hispanic Caribbean Studies, she was deeply involved in student organizations whose focus was on the needs of the Hispanic members of the student body. She is also the recipient of an Executive Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University.
Dr. Usha Ramachandran is a Professor of Pediatrics at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and provides pediatric primary care at a federally qualified health center. Her areas of interest include promoting early childhood development, early literacy, and early relational health for all children. She serves on the national executive committee of the AAP Council on Early Childhood, co-chairs the AAP Early Literacy Committee, and is an Early Childhood Champion with the New Jersey Chapter. She is engaged in research related to early literacy, early relational health, and resident education.
Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson is a product of the Trenton public school system and has obtained advance degrees from Trenton State College/The College of New Jersey and earned a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University. Her career as a Social Worker coupled with a commitment to public service led her to the elected position of East Ward Councilwoman, where she became the 1st African American female to serve in that position and Council Vice-President where she legislated laws for the City of Trenton.
The South Ward Wellness Center is dedicated to supporting individuals and families in creating a life of well-being and balance. As a one-stop space for community members, the center helps to create, cultivate, and sustain the life they want to live.
Nancy Scotto Rosato, PhD oversees the maternal and child health programs at the NJ Department of Health leading the mission to enhance the health, safety and well-being of families and communities in New Jersey. Dr. Scotto Rosato has served in governmental public health since 2008, first with working with children with special health care needs through the Autism Registry and Birth Defects Registry, and later in maternal and child health services and WIC.
Krystle Shakespeare is a passionate advocate and leader for accessibility and well-being, with over 13 years of experience designing and managing programs that create meaningful social impact. Her work spans the nonprofit, startup, and corporate sectors, where she collaborates with diverse stakeholders in the arts, health, education, technology, and community development fields to enrich lives through meaningful connection and creative engagement. In her current role as Arts and Well-Being Program Manager at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), Krystle leads initiatives across three core pillars: Arts in Healthcare, ArtsRx (arts and culture-based social prescribing), and Health Promotion.
Kate Shamszad serves as the Director of Policy and is committed to improving health care equity, access, and affordability for all New Jerseyans. Kate’s work revolves around identifying evidence-based solutions to enhance health care policy and systems, and addressing emerging challenges in payment, service delivery, and program administration. She serves as a leader throughout the state, serving on the New Jersey Centering Alliance Advisory Committee and the New Jersey Advisory Board for the Evaluating Lifelines for Moms (ELM) PCORI research project. She has previously served on the executive committee of the Association of Child Life Professionals Board of Directors.
Khaatim is the founding Executive Director of Clinton Hill Community Action, a nonprofit community development corporation working to revitalize Newark’s Clinton Hill neighborhood. Khaatim has grown the organization to 32 staff members with an annual budget of $4.3M -- 95% of the organization's staff lives in the neighborhood being served, representing nearly $2M in economic development being reinvested in the community.
Katherine is the First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families. Her career has spanned nearly two decades of work on child welfare reform across multiple U.S. jurisdictions. Katherine began her career in support of children and families at the Association to Benefit Children in East Harlem. Since then she has served in diverse leadership roles at various child and family serving agencies, including Sr. Vice President of Performance, Strategy and Advocacy at Graham Windham, and Assistant Commissioner for Program Policy and Development at the New York City Administration for Children Services.
Pamela Taylor is a Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Senior Advisor at New Jersey Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Authority (NJMIHIA). Previously, Pamela was a Maternal & Infant Health Innovation Senior Advisor at Commercialization Center for Innovative Technologies and also held positions at NJ Department of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Ebony Underwood is the founder/CEO of WE GOT US NOW. A visionary leader, social entrepreneur, content creator, and daughter who experienced firsthand the devastation of decades of separation from her incarcerated father, Ebony was determined to center the lived expertise of children impacted by parental incarceration. In 2018, she launched, WE GOT US NOW, a digital platform that has evolved into the nation’s leading nonprofit organization advocating for the well-being of children and young adults impacted by parental incarceration.
Anicia Weekly-Roman
Community Alignment Specialist, Central Jersey, Family Health Consortium
Yarrow Willman-Cole
Yarrow Willman-Cole is the Workplace Justice Program director at New Jersey Citizen Action and convenes the NJ Time to Care Coalition. Through this work, she helped to pass the state’s first Earned Sick Leave law and expand the state’s paid family leave program and is an expert in those policies.
Pamela Winkler Tew, a licensed social worker, leads the HealthySteps National Office’s policy and sustainability work in New Jersey. She works with strategic partners across the state to secure sustainable funding streams to support the implementation and growth of the model.Ms. Winkler Tew joined ZERO TO THREE in March 2020, coinciding with the launch of the first four New Jersey HealthySteps sites.
Brandie Wooding is a passionate maternal child health nurse with over 19 years of diverse experience in clinical nursing, leadership, academia, and public health. As the Program Director for Family Connects NJ, the state’s newest evidence-based postpartum home visitation initiative, she’s committed to improving maternal health in New Jersey.
Dan Wuori is the Founder and President of Early Childhood Policy Solutions (a public policy consultancy focused on the needs of America's young children and their families) and Strategic Advisor on Early Childhood at the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation.
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