Staff & Consultants
Executive Director: Mayra Jacqueline Ferreira (Jacquie)
Our new Executive Director began on July 12, 2021. Click below to learn more about her, or send her an email at jferreira@nwhn.org!
Adele Costa
Consulting Communications Director
Adele Costa
Interim Communications Manager
acostaconsultant@nwhn.org
Adele Costa is a copywriter and management consultant based in Albany, NY. She graduated from the State University of New York in 2011 with degrees in English and History, and when she realized that wasn't going to feed her in the middle of a recession, she joined the U.S. Peace Corps. There she spent 2 years as a youth development coordinator in a small mountain village in Morocco, where she worked with teens on life skills and self-expression. She came back to the US in 2015, got her Masters in Public Administration, and spent five years working in NYS government in various policy and program positions in the human services sector. In 2020, she decided to stop dating writing and to marry it, which she did by starting her own business. She now consults with wonderful organizations like the National Women's Health Network, doing business under the name "The Copy Canary."
Chloe Mondesir
State Advocacy Manager
Kandis Moran-Jimenez
Development Associate
kmoran-jimenez@nwhn.org
Kandis Moran-Jimenez is a young humanitarian working towards providing hope to others through her work with the National Women’s Health Network as the Development Associate and her role as Director of College Outreach with a local Filipino non-profit- The PUSO Foundation. Within The Network she is responsible for maintaining the database and coordinate and assist the Development team. Kandis graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2021 where she received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Biology. #GoRams
Kandis Moran-Jimenez
Development Associate
Chloe Mondesir
State Advocacy Manager
cmondesir@nwhn.org
Chloe A. Mondesir, MSOL, is a Spelman College, B.A., and Mercer University, M.S. recipient. Chloe leads senior-level program development and management, consulting, education and training, strategic partnership, and capacity building innovation across philanthropic spaces through non-profits and entrepreneurship (Make It Mondesir, LLC). With strengths in research, relationships, communications, multi-platform writing and speaking- Mondesir successfully creates and sustains progress for diverse populations, (race/health) equitable missions, and systemic advancement, with subject matter expertise. Chloe holds certifications in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Psychological First Aid, and De-escalation. Relevant recognition includes being a keynote speaker of Redscout and the Georgia Public Health Association, completion of the Rockwood Leadership Institute's Kresge Fuel 2.0 Art of Leadership, earning a Forbes fellowship, and features from ShoutoutAtlanta.com and VoyageATL.com. Mondesir is author to the Listening Tree's best-selling children’s book, Take Opportunity, and board member of Black Birth Justice Inc.
Erin Evans
Office Manager
Erin Evans
Office Manager
eevans@nwhn.org
Erin is the Office Manager, responsible for managing the office’s daily functions and ensuring that everything runs smoothly. She is the main point of contact for vendors and also reaches out to them if anything goes wrong. She joins the NWHN after spending the last 10 years working in residential property management and commercial real estate, where she managed research teams and coordinated large projects. Erin attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she focused on History and Art History.
Carli De La Cruz
Communications Intern
Carli De La Cruz
Communications Intern
commsintern@nwhn.org
Stay tuned for Carli's bio!
Michelle M. Lockwood
Development Director
Michelle M. Lockwood
Development Director
mlockwood@nwhn.org
As the Development Director, Michelle is responsible for taking care of and expanding our membership, while exploring new avenues for our supporters to further the NWHN’s mission. A graduate of Shepherd University with a BA in Communications, her college experience led her to become vocal on many issues women face. Beginning her career as an event planner and alumni communications coordinator at Shenandoah University, Michelle got her official start in fundraising as the Direct Marketing Coordinator at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). She joined the NWHN after spending three years as the Development Manager for the Society of Interventional Radiology Foundation. After supporting the advancement of an educational institution, a women’s organization, and a health care foundation, she’s excited to contribute to the cause of empowering women to take control of their health care choices.
Board of Directors
Sequoia Ayala
Chair
Sequoia Ayala, JD, MA (She/Her/Hers/Ella/Ela) is the Director of Operations for the Move to End Violence. A mover and a shaker, Sequoia brings 8+years of diverse experiences in organizational management, movement lawyering and facilitating change for and with women and communities of color. Her commitment to gender and racial justice is rooted in her deep respect and appreciation for all people. Sequoia has a juris doctorate from the American University Washington College of Law and a master’s degree in International Development from the AU School of International Service. Sequoia is a passionate defender of human rights and has led justice-centered projects for and with people living with HIV, survivors of gender-based violence, and immigrant and refugee communities in the Deep South and Global South. In her free time, she enjoys singing and dancing són and admiring her plant babies in her home garden. She lives in Georgia with her husband, three children, and dog Nina.
Kentina Washington-Leapheart
Administrative Vice Chair, Acting Executive Co-Director
Kentina Washington-Leapheart
Administrative Vice Chair
Kentina Washington-Leapheart is an independent educator, consultant, advocate, and spiritual leader/companion who has dedicated the last 12 years of her life to causes related to reproductive justice, comprehensive sexuality education, end-of-life care, and interreligious dialogue and understanding. She currently serves as the Health Equity Project Manager at the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). Kentina earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration from Miami University and a master of divinity degree from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She finds great joy in her identities as a Black, queer, womanist whose lived experiences inform every aspect of her work.
Yamini Oseguera-Bhatnagar
Action Vice Chair
Yamini Oseguera-Bhatnagar
Action Vice Chair
Yamini is a convener, strategist, and facilitator who has been working in HIV for over a decade. Yamini’s background ranges from youth development to women’s health, reproductive justice advocacy, health equity, racial & gender justice. She is passionate about supporting the resiliency of communities locally and worldwide. She is a UC Berkeley alum with an undergraduate degree in Ethnic Studies and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health at San Francisco State University with an emphasis in Health Education. She’s a first-generation immigrant and is raising her children in San Francisco, California
Tiffany Reed
Treasurer
Tiffany Reed
Treasurer
Tiffany Reed is a Vice President at the direct marketing agency Mal Warwick Donordigital (MWD), where she leads the direct response fundraising programs for several progressive non-profit and Democratic organizations. She previously held a marketing position at EMILY’s List, fundraising for pro-choice Democratic women leaders. After President Obama’s election, she led the Democratic National Committee’s direct mail program. Her first job after college was serving as a social worker at the Emma Goldman Clinic for Women, where the experience of advocating for low-income women’s access to health care changed her life. She was the president of the DC Abortion Fund from 2005 to 2011.
Joy Eckert
Secretary
Joy Eckert
Secretary
Joy Eckert, MPH is a Senior Research Associate at the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA. She researches the regulation of biomedical products and clinical trial policy. She focuses on policy that supports the efficient development of safe and effective drugs. She is passionate about protecting women’s health with rigorous, science-based regulation. Joy earned her Masters in Public Health in Epidemiology from George Washington University.
Abigail Arons
Abigail Arons
Abigail Arons, MPH, is a senior clinical research coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Since 2001, she has led program evaluation and policy analysis projects at UCSF focusing on reproductive and sexual health, including long-acting contraception, sexual health education, and adolescent pregnancy prevention. Currently, she leads a national clinical trial to prevent HPV-related anal cancer among adults living with HIV.
In addition to her professional expertise in reproductive health, Abigail took a crash course in breast cancer when she was diagnosed at age 31. After completing active treatment, she joined the Board of Breast Cancer Action, a national watchdog organization for the breast cancer movement, to advocate for more effective, less toxic treatments, and for a greater focus on the root causes of cancer, including environmental factors. Abigail is thrilled to join the Board of the National Women’s Health Network.
Lacey Alexander
Lacey Alexander
Lacey Alexander, PhD, RN, GERO-BC, is a clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research is focused on how bias and discrimination impact the clinician-patient relationship. Most recently, she is exploring how negative interactions between patients and clinicians about weight can create barriers to quality and timely care delivery. She also completed an Advanced Fellowship in Women’s Health at the VA Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. Lacey continues to moonlight at the VA in hospice, serves as her hospital’s LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator, and intermittently teaches a large undergraduate course about gender and health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is excited to serve on the Board of Directors because she is passionate about creating resources to guide consumers in making safe decision about their health.
Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha
Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha
Ndidiamaka N. Amutah-Onukagha received her PhD in Public Health with a focus on Maternal and Child Health at the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health in 2010. She received her Master’s in Public Health from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services in Maternal and Child Health in 2005. Dr. Amutah Onukagha also received a BS in Public Health and BA in Africana Studies from Rutgers, The State University of NJ. Ndidiamaka has a longstanding commitment to public health that spans over 15 years of experience. Her current research interests include maternal mortality and morbidity, health disparities, reproductive health, infant mortality and HIV/AIDS in women of color. Ndidiamaka is a member of the American Public Health Association and is currently the co-chair of the Perinatal and Womens Health committee in the Maternal and Child Health section. Additionally, Dr. Amutah-Onukagha completed the Kellogg Health Scholars Program (KHSP) Postdoctoral fellowship in Baltimore, MD. During her postdoctoral fellowship her research focused on family planning and reproductive health in women receiving home visitation services.
Dr. Amutah-Onukagha is a former President of The Society of African American Public Health Issues (SAAPHI) and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Womens Health Network. Additionally, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Since 2018, Dr. Amutah-Onukagha has planned and led a national conference on Black Maternal Health Inequities. The audience of almost 700 attendees has spanned healthcare professionals, community health workers, doulas, students, and community activists. Now in its third year, the 2020 conference has grown from a ½ day symposium to a full day conference with speakers coming to the Boston area from across the country. Ndidiamaka provides strategic vision and leadership for the conference and related community focused activities to ensure that voices of women of color are centered and amplified to address the urgent crisis of maternal mortality and morbidity in the Boston area and around the country.
Dr. Amutah-Onukagha is also the Principal Investigator of an R01 funded by NIH aimed at examining maternal safety bundles and the role of doulas maternal health outcomes in Black women. She also serves as the Principal Investigator of an RWJF funded community based participatory study on Black maternal health and the role of partners, providers, and families.
Mae-Gilene Begay
Mae-Gilene Begay
For over 18 years, Mae-Gilene Begay has been directing the Navajo Nation Community Health Representative (CHR)/Outreach program. The Outreach program includes STD Prevention, TB Control and the Navajo Birth Cohort Study (NBCS) project with the NBCS being the newest program (2012). About 90 percent of the CHR program clienteles are elderlies over 55 years old.
She earned a Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver in 2007 and received the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work Service Award in March 2015. Mae-Gilene is very active with the American Public Health Association (APHA) and serves as the APHA CHW Section past chair and now serves as APHA CHW Nomination Committee. She also serves on the New Mexico Department of Health CHW certification board, the first installed board.
Most recently, Mae-Gilene has been leading her team of CHWs in their work on the frontlines of the Navajo Nation's response to COVID-19.
Leslie Diaz
Leslie Diaz
Leslie is in the process of completing an undergraduate Political Science degree at the University of California Berkeley. Leslie is an organizer and activist whose work surrounds community building in the Central Valley. For the past six years her work has been centered around reproductive justice and youth leadership. She discovered her passion for reproductive justice in high school, when she experienced the difficulties individuals in the Central Valley experience when trying to access reproductive resources. Her most recent research includes working with Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare with Associate Professor Anu Gomez for birth control access for women in rural communities. In this position Leslie worked with fellow community researchers and developed and conducted an inclusive survey. Leslie also worked as an undergraduate research apprentice with Berkeley (Emerita) Professor, Kristin Luker regarding the history of birth control and contraception.
Meredith Field
Meredith Field
Meredith P. Field, MSEd, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Alfred University. Meredith’s research interests focus on bodies, reproduction, health, medicine, and development as they intersect with social movements, science, technology, and society. Her recent research projects explored topics related to reusable menstrual products and access to maternal health care in rural areas of Pennsylvania. She previously worked with the Ohio Policy Evaluation Network and studied how policy changes regarding access to contraceptives and abortion in rural parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia affect people’s lives. Meredith has been an activist since she was a child, beginning with local environmental issues and expanding to issues of women’s health, prisoners’ civil rights, and other human rights and social justice topics. She has worked in higher education for more than fourteen years. She earned her dual title PhD in Rural Sociology and Women’s Studies from The Pennsylvania State University.
Nadiah Mohajir
Nadiah Mohajir
Nadiah Mohajir is the Executive Director of HEART, an organization that works to ensure that all Muslims have the resources, language, and choice to nurture sexual health and confront sexual violence. She describes herself as a woman with many identities and being a public health and social justice nerd is one of them. She discovered her interest in health disparities as a young girl, when she would visit her grandparents in Pakistan. As she grew older and pursued her academic and professional career, she was dismayed to see that disparities weren’t that far from her home in Chicago. She began exploring ways to work to help reduce disparities in vulnerable populations – particularly in maternal and child health.
Kimberly Robinson
Kimberly Robinson
Kimberly Robinson is an independent consultant on reproductive justice issues, including the health of Black women. Kimberly has worked in direct services at a variety of settings, including for many years as the Director of Health Services at Women’s Health Specialists, an independent feminist health center. While at Women’s Health Specialists, she oversaw the operations for multiple clinics and satellite services and was responsible for the training and recruitment of all clinical staff including residents and medical students, helping to train the next generation of abortion providers. As a women’s health activist, Kimberly works with colleagues, communities and allies to build constituencies that demand reproductive justice for all women. She is the northern California liaison for Black Women for Wellness.