Board of Directors

  • Love Anderson Community health worker and national advocate whose leadership in breastfeeding equity and disaster response has guided formation of the SAFE Team, emphasizing grassroots, culturally responsive implementation of IYCF-E.
  • Corey Graywood Doula and parent advocate whose trauma-informed, LGBTQ+ inclusive work centers reproductive justice, crisis care, and affirming infant feeding support for marginalized communities.
  • Jayne Carpenter IBCLC in WNC who provides trauma-informed, clinically sound feeding support in emergencies, focusing on perinatal mental health, oral function, and equitable care systems.
  • Melinda Delisle Clinical nutritionist and childbirth educator who combines expertise in maternal-infant health and team leadership to strengthen emergency infant feeding protocols and volunteer training.
  • Norma Escobar Bilingual IBCLC and advocate who supports infant feeding in emergencies through culturally grounded lactation support and Spanish-language capacity-building.
  • Rachel Fann SAFE Team coordinator and CLC/SLP supporting backend team logistics, streamlining communication and response efforts to prioritize safe feeding in shelters and rural communities.
  • Brandi Harrison IBCLC, doula, and emergency response lead who leads field deployment and volunteer training strategies.
  • Paris Heidt Laliberte SAFE Team coordinator, CLC, Doula and perinatal mental health advocate supporting statewide coordination and logistics to ensure infants in shelters receive safe, appropriate nutrition.
  • Ashley Mickelson SAFE Team coordinator and IBCLC/SLP focused on connecting families in crisis with evidence-based infant feeding support in emergency shelters and through direct service.
  • Tashery Risner Trauma-informed doula and lactation supporter whose community-rooted work emphasizes compassionate care and emergency preparedness in infant feeding.

Additional Support: 

  • Natasha Bowden Brings community ties and early childhood experience through the Buncombe Partnership for Children and facilitation of the Buncombe County Breastfeeding Coalition, integrating infant feeding considerations into family resilience and emergency preparedness efforts.
  • Mikayla Dowell Doula and advocate based in WNC focusing on reproductive justice, perinatal support, and emergency preparedness. Mikayla provides culturally responsive infant feeding support helping bridge gaps in care for rural and historically marginalized communities during disasters.
  • Marcelle Crago Doula and community advocate dedicated to birth justice and equitable maternal care who supports families through trauma-informed, culturally sensitive infant feeding strategies in under-resourced and crisis-affected communities across NC. 
  • Melanie Ham Lactation professional and emergency responder with a background in perinatal education and family wellness who contributes to volunteer training, field response, and infant feeding support in disaster contexts.
  • Lisa Ince An emerging public health professional interning with the SAFE Team gaining hands-on experience in IYCF-E.

Research Partners:

  • Dr. Stephanie Martin (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) Dr. Martin is a leading researcher in infant and young child feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E) and brings a critical lens to adapting global guidance for use in U.S. contexts. Her work helps translate complex international frameworks—such as those developed by WHO, UNICEF, and the IFE Core Group—into actionable, culturally appropriate protocols for U.S. emergency response settings. For the SAFE Team, she supports both strategic design and evaluation planning, ensuring our interventions are evidence-based, measurable, and scalable across diverse communities.
  • Dr. Cecilia Tomori (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) An internationally recognized scholar in public health and medical anthropology, Dr. Tomori specializes in the structural determinants of maternal and infant health. Her research bridges sociocultural dynamics and health systems, helping the SAFE Team ground our emergency feeding strategies in culturally responsive and equity-centered practices. She ensures that the voices of marginalized communities—particularly BIPOC and low-income families—inform the design and implementation of our protocols.
  • Dr. Heather Wasser (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) Dr. Wasser brings a strong background in maternal and child nutrition, qualitative methods, and implementation science. Her work emphasizes systems-level approaches to promoting nutritional equity, particularly in under-resourced settings. With the SAFE Team, she supports the development and evaluation of crisis-responsive infant feeding strategies that prioritize nutrition security, caregiver support, and program sustainability—especially for communities historically underserved by traditional relief systems.
  • Dr. Aunchalee Palmquist (Duke University) Dr. Palmquist is a global expert in the sociocultural and ethical dimensions of infant feeding, human milk sharing, and lactation support. She plays a pivotal role in designing SAFE Team training modules and policies related to informal milk sharing and ethical emergency feeding. Her research ensures that our work adheres to global ethical standards while remaining adaptable to the specific needs and legal contexts of families navigating disaster scenarios in the U.S.
  • Catherine Sullivan, MPH, RD, LDN, IBCLC (UNC Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute) As Director of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute and a national leader in lactation policy and WIC integration, Catherine Sullivan bridges emergency response with public health infrastructure. She ensures the SAFE Team’s protocols align with current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and WIC guidance, as well as national lactation education and credentialing standards. Her contributions help institutionalize emergency infant feeding readiness into long-term public health systems.
  • Julia Bourg, MPH (UNC Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute) Julia Bourg brings deep experience in program management, qualitative research, and systems-level breastfeeding promotion. Her work at the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute includes supporting maternal-infant health initiatives, coalition-building, and data coordination. With the SAFE Team, Julia contributes to community engagement, needs assessments, and integration of IYCF-E guidance into local public health systems. She plays a key role in translating research into practical tools and policies for use by front-line responders.