Meet the Speakers

Featured Speakers

Charles Johnson

Founder, 4Kira4Moms

A nationally recognized advocate and founder dedicated to advancing maternal health equity and reshaping federal policy after the loss of his wife, Kira, to preventable childbirth complications.
Theresa Fortune

Executive Producer, Communion with the Community

A public speaker, actress, director, and founder using art, storytelling, and creative expression to spark dialogue around mental health and social justice in the Black community.
Sandra Igwe, MBE

Founder, The Motherhood Group

A highly influential Black maternal health advocate and TEDx speaker driving change and promoting better maternal health outcomes for Black women through events, training, and her best-selling book, "My Black Motherhood."
Dr. Angela Gordon-Nichols

President, Riverside Section NCNW
A community-driven leader and medical professional, Dr. Angela Gordon-Nichols leads the Riverside Section of the National Council of Negro Women with a fierce commitment to health equity, civic engagement, and empowering women of African descent to create lasting change in their communities.

Summit Hosts

Dr. Teri Davis

The Amani Project

A licensed clinical psychologist with over 20 years of offering talk therapy for a wide range of mental health concerns. Founder of The Amani Project.
Dr. Jaih Craddock

BGMH Foundation

A public health social worker, therapist, and researcher with a mission to amplify the voices and experiences of marginalized communities.
Dr. Chyna Hill

BGMH Foundation

A Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in perinatal mental health, trauma-informed care, and culturally affirming therapeutic practices
Breea Wainwright

BGMH Foundation

A Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over a decade of experience providing trauma-informed mental health care to Black women, children, and families.

Coordinated Care and Systems Design Speakers

Dr. Anna King

Diversity Uplifts, Inc.

A licensed clinical social worker and perinatal mental health specialist advancing coordinated care and culturally responsive support for Black birthing families across California.
Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson

Diversity Uplifts, Inc.

A perinatal mental health specialist focused on improving systems of care and equitable access for Black birthing people.
Kimberly Gray

Maternal Mental Health NOW

Leading community building, strategic partnerships, and advocacy to advance the well-being of Black birthing people and perinatal providers in Los Angeles County.
Anita Burdette, LCSW

Maternal Mental Health NOW
A licensed clinical social worker supporting collective care and workforce sustainability for Black birthworkers and the families they serve.
Candice Charles

California Coalition for Black Birth Justice

Research and Evaluation Manager tracking the state of Black birth equity through data, landscape analysis, and community-rooted research.
Cassie Gardener Manjikian, MPH

California Perinatal Wellness Alliance

Founding Director and survivor leader using storytelling and policy advocacy to transform perinatal mental health systems.
Dr. Phindile Erika Chowa

EMCare2U

A board-certified emergency medicine physician bringing personalized, dignity-centered concierge care to postpartum mothers and author of "What to Expect Next!"
Dr. Josephine Appiah

Black Women Organized for Political Action

A health policy researcher advancing equitable healthcare workforce development and coordinated care pathways for Black women and families in California.

Family, Culture, and Community Support Systems Speakers

Alyssa Bedard, MPH

Breathing Through Life

A Black maternal health advocate, community-based doula, and public health professional dedicated to advancing equity for Black birthing people through family-systems and trauma-informed approaches.
Dr. Rashanda Booker

Premier Inspirations LLC

A certified life coach, speaker, and advocate using lived experience with infertility and hormonal health to break the silence around reproductive challenges facing Black women.
Ebony Staten, APCC

Black Girls Mental Health Collective

A perinatal mental health clinician specializing in couples support, centering the couple relationship as foundational to maternal wellness.
Dená McReynolds

BGMH Foundation

An early childhood educator, family support professional, and certified Bringing Baby Home instructor dedicated to strengthening couple relationships during the transition to parenthood.
Curley R. Palmer

Black Infant Health of Riverside County

Program coordinator working to reduce Black infant mortality and improve perinatal mental health outcomes through community-driven programs and partnerships.
Dr. Challotine Cius

Janou Postpartum Center

A naturopathic doctor and certified doula supporting mothers through holistic healing, hormone balance, and culturally rooted wellness practices.
Dr. Amanda Pitchford

California Baptist University

A maternal-child health scholar and nurse educator whose research centers belonging and relational trust as essential protective factors in Black maternal mental health.
LaTeara Burks

Option House Inc.

A domestic violence prevention leader with over 15 years of experience strengthening protective factors and trauma-informed support networks for Black mothers experiencing intimate partner violence.
Jade Threatt

Jorja’s Bliss

A holistic nutritionist and wellness practitioner supporting Black mothers through movement, nourishment, and community-centered care beyond the early postpartum period.
Benaias Esayeas

Black Mental Health Village

Executive director centering Black men and fathers as essential partners in protecting Black mothers' mental and maternal health.
Dr. Celeste Poe, PMH-C

Stanford University School of Medicine

A licensed clinical psychologist, specializing in Black perinatal mental health, grief, and trauma for high-risk families.

Clinical and Community Innovation in Maternal Mental Health

Dr. Aretha Hampton, LCSW

Roots Therapy & Consultation Services

A licensed clinical social worker and founder, advancing father-inclusive perinatal care and trauma-informed support for Black families.
Dr. Katherine Sylvester

Operation M.I.S.T.

A physical therapist and founder using remote health monitoring and data-driven tools to empower Black women toward safer pregnancies and better maternal outcomes.
Cherae Roberson, LPCC

The Serenity Brand Professional

Founder of The Serenity Brand, creating low-barrier, culturally responsive mental health programs that meet Black mothers at the moment of discharge and beyond.
Crystal Lawrence, MSW

April Parker Foundation

A social justice advocate and Associate Director passionate about empowering communities through access to health and education.
Anisha Johnson, MPH

Kaiser Permanente East Bay

A certified full-spectrum doula, perinatal health educator, and founder of The Miles Foundation, expanding resources for Black midwifery and BIPOC-led perinatal organizations.
Jessica Schaffer

Kaiser Permanente East Bay

A health education supervisor co-creating culturally grounded perinatal wellness programs that center Black birthing people within a major health system.
Dr. Sydney Curls

Dr. Curls for the Girls

A pelvic floor physical therapist providing culturally affirming, trauma-informed care for Black mothers across the full perinatal continuum.
Ciara Lyons-Ragains, MSN, RN, PHN

Her Black Wellness By Ciara

A registered nurse working the maternal health crisis from both sides through provider training and community healing spaces for Black women.
Brittany Lewis

Bella Birthing

A labor and delivery nurse of 11 years and founder elevating the standard of maternal care through holistic, dignity-centered postpartum support.
Dr. Eynav Accortt

Cedars-Sinai OBGYN Department'

A clinical psychologist and reproductive psychology director researching the impact of medical discrimination and trauma on Black maternal mental health.
Dr. Sinmi Bamgbose

Ìtùnú Psychiatry

A reproductive psychiatrist and behavioral health medical director specializing in perinatal psychiatric care and hormonal mental health for Black birthing people.
Dr. Bita Amani

The Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence
A social epidemiologist examining how structural racism and state-sanctioned violence shape Black maternal mental health outcomes and perinatal care.
Dr. Brandi Desjolais

The Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence
A co-presenter supporting reproductive justice and community-based approaches to Black perinatal mental health care.
Dairian Roberts

Humbled by Motherhood Inc.
An occupational therapist and IBCLC supporting Black mothers through whole-person, trauma-informed lactation and perinatal mental health care.
Stevie Merino

Birthworkers of Color Collective
Executive director and birthworker reframing birthwork as collective activism rooted in ancestral care, reproductive justice, and community resilience.
Shondriane Mesa-Wise, CSM

Birthworkers of Color Collective
A birthworker and co-presenter supporting collective advocacy and community-centered care for Black and Indigenous birthing families.
Carly Tolbert, LCSW

Kaftan Collective
A licensed clinical social worker integrating somatic awareness, mindfulness, and relational practices to support Black mothers' mental health during pregnancy and postpartum.
Jennifer Williams, LCPC, PMH-C

Pass Go Regulation Method™
A licensed psychotherapist and perinatal mental health specialist, creator of the Pass Go Regulation Method, supporting Black mothers through the emotional demands of the postpartum period with the belief that regulation is a right, not a privilege.