Kimarie Bugg, DNP, MPH, IBCLC, FAAN, is a nurse, public health leader, and nationally recognized advocate for maternal and infant health equity. She is a founder and Development Director of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) and a founding leader of Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE), organizations committed to advancing breastfeeding equity, birth justice, safe sleep and community-based support for Black families. Dr. Bugg has led national, state, and community initiatives focused on breastfeeding, fatherhood engagement, perinatal health, and systems change, with work spanning hospitals, public health programs, academic partnerships, and grassroots community networks. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, Mama Bugg is widely known for building culturally centered, evidence-based strategies that strengthen families and improve outcomes across the perinatal continuum.

Dr Sophia K. Johnson is a medical doctor (specialized in integrative female medicine), scientist, author of the book „Placenta Power“ and international speaker. She studied human medicine at the University of Witten/Herdecke (Germany). She holds a diploma in Chinese medicine (Acupuncture), Homeopathy and Anthroposophic medicine and is an instructor for auricular acupuncture following the NADA protocol. Since 2014, she has been working as a researcher and completed her doctorate at the Placenta Laboratory at Jena University Hospital. She works in a practice specializing in integrative women's medicine.

More information here: www.sophia-johnson.de

Dr. Michelle H. El Khoury is a perinatal educator and mindfulness advocate with over 20 years in corporate healthcare offering a unique blend of clinical and executive leadership experience. She's the founder of Yogamazia®, a maternal and parenting wellness education hub providing strategic preparation and holistic support for women, families and organizations. In this capacity, she has supported 700+ families integrating her background as a DONA-certified birth & postpartum doula, HypnoBirthing childbirth educator, lactation counselor, and yoga instructor. Dr. El Khoury also serves as an independent doula provider on global telehealth platforms, delivering virtual and in-person perinatal support to diverse populations.  

A published author and speaker, Dr. El Khoury developed The S.M.A.R.T. Journey to Parenting™, bridging her research background with holistic wellness practices and leadership, drawing from her PhD in Public Health (Epidemiology), Master's in Health Sciences, and BSc in Pharmacy. Her work has been recognized through community awards and featured in local, regional, and national media, including 6ABC Philadelphia and the New York Post. She currently serves as an Ambassador on DONA International's Membership Committee and contributes to maternal health equity through healthcare advisory boards, maternal health advocacy roles, and doula integration initiatives.

Lesliebeth Sánchez Sierra, BSW, Doula, Perinatal Educator, is a multidisciplinary perinatal professional whose work bridges neurodivergent sensory science, somatic birth work, and culturally rooted Caribbean frameworks. She is the founder of Oasis Birth Coach, a maternal support project in Puerto Rico dedicated to equitable, sensory-informed, and culturally grounded perinatal care.

Lesliebeth holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (Magna Cum Laude) with minors in School Social Work and Strategic Languages. Her professional background spans special education, early childhood development, social services, and family systems. She has worked as a Special Education Teacher, Life Skills Instructor, and Infant/Toddler Care Specialist, supporting autistic, ADHD, trauma-impacted, and chronically ill individuals across the lifespan.

She is trained and certified as a Doula and Birth Coach, with additional training in lactation support (ACUDEN/ASI), Waldorf pedagogical approaches, behavioral support, sensory-processing differences, nonviolent crisis intervention (CPI), and early childhood education. Her grounding in both social sciences and developmental systems informs her unique approach to perinatal support.

Lesliebeth is the creator of The Proprioceptive Birth Framework, an emerging model that integrates embodied neuroscience, sensory integration theory, and Pedagogía de la Matriz Caribeña, a somatic Caribbean perspective she developed to expand cultural relevance and equity in doula care. As a neurodivergent educator herself, she specializes in supporting individuals whose proprioceptive and interoceptive patterns fall outside neurotypical assumptions embedded in traditional maternity care.

She is currently completing a second bachelor's degree in Speech-Language Therapy, further strengthening her expertise in communication, sensory processing, and developmental support. In parallel, she is pursuing a Master’s degree in Naturopathic Sciences, expanding her integrative and holistic approach to wellness.

Lesliebeth’s teaching blends evidence-based practice, trauma-aware care, neurodivergent advocacy, and culturally grounded somatic wisdom—offering doulas and perinatal professionals a pathway toward truly individualized, sensory-affirming, and culturally resonant birth support.

Val Addams (she/her) is a Health Educator, Public Health Researcher, Washingtonian, leader, survivor, daughter, and global citizen working to foster intersectionality across multi-sector stakeholders, whether pushing collaborations with patients & various providers at Primary Care Clinics/Community Health Centers or partnering with community leaders, she welcomes all. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) licensed by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC, Inc.) and is currently pursuing a certification to be a Birth Doula with DONA International. Her passions are improving reproductive and sexual health outcomes for womxn, girls, and boys through research and initiatives, leading advocacy activities for Women’s Issues, and innovating collaborations and synergy to improve Washingtonians’ quality of life. 

She is a current Peer Organizer with API/DVRP. Before, she was a Research Trainee at the Children’s National Health System, an Executive Committee Member of DC Chapter of Women in Global Health, Advisory Board Member of DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence,  and a former Vice President of DC Public Health Association.

She obtained her AA in Business Administration and Management from Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland; graduated from The Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University with an MPH degree concentrating in Maternal & Child Health; and has a Bachelor of Medical Science from overseas. She realized the connection between Gender Equity and Maternal Health, as well as the importance of minorities like her to bring her expertise to various tables and open opportunities for others.

Amy Chen is a Senior Attorney in the National Health Law Program’s California office, where she works on sexual and reproductive health law and policy. Her California work includes improving access to pregnancy coverage and services, and supporting implementation of California’s doula Medi-Cal benefit. Her national work includes leading NHeLP’s efforts to reduce maternal health disparities and address systemic barriers to comprehensive pregnancy care. She also leads NHeLP’s Doula Medicaid Project, which works to expand access to full spectrum doula care for all pregnant, postpartum, and post-pregnancy people.

Before joining NHeLP, Amy worked at Bay Area Legal Aid in Oakland, California for eight years, where she provided direct legal services to individuals and families across the San Francisco Bay Area, and advocated on a wide range of issues including health care reform, Medi-Cal, Covered California, and private health insurance.

Amy received her B.A. from Stanford University, where she majored in International Relations and wrote an honors thesis on U.S. policy towards Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and immediate aftermath. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal.

TIKA is an Academy Award–winning composer, cultural educator, and founder of Iverna Island, where her work bridges sound, emotional literacy, and healing-centered arts practice. As a multidisciplinary artist and facilitator, she specializes in the intersections of creativity, nervous system regulation, and culturally grounded care. Her workshops, intensives, and somatic creative experiences have supported educators, community workers, health practitioners, and arts organizations across North America and the Caribbean.

With a background in vocal composition, narrative scoring, and trauma-informed community programming, TIKA explores how voice, rhythm, and vibration can function as tools for emotional stability and human connection. Her approach honors ancestral knowledge, embodied creativity, and the practical needs of frontline caregivers, especially those working in high-pressure or emotionally charged environments.

TIKA’s work has been featured at international conferences, healing arts festivals, academic residencies, and wellness initiatives. She is the co-composer for the forthcoming documentary Ninety-Two: The Silent Revolt No One Saw Coming and a recipient of major artistic and literary awards, including the Helen Henderson Award for her essay “When Surrender Becomes a Teacher.”

Through Iverna Island, TIKA continues to champion liberatory storytelling, care-centered creative practice, and accessible emotional technology for communities navigating transition, grief, birth, and transformation. Her teachings are rooted in cultural humility, deep listening, and the belief that sound—and the body’s relationship to it—can be a profound source of safety, grounding, and healing.

ShLanda Burton, B.S., NDTR, CHW, AdvCD(DONA), is a nationally recognized public health leader, birth worker, and community advocate with more than two decades of experience advancing maternal and family health equity. She serves as the Executive Director and Founder of the National Birth Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating birth and health disparities through food justice, reproductive healing, and community-rooted care. Under her leadership, the organization integrates birth and postpartum doulas, nutrition professionals, and community health workers into sustainable, culturally responsive models that uplift families across urban, rural, and historically marginalized communities.

Ms. Burton is also the Executive Director of the BLOOM Documentary Film, an impactful project that centers lived experiences, systemic challenges, and community-driven solutions related to maternal health, birth justice, and healing. Through storytelling and education, BLOOM amplifies the voices of families and practitioners working at the intersection of birth, nutrition, and social justice.

In addition, ShLanda Burton is an ACTT Facilitator and a Birth Doula Trainer, committed to developing the next generation of birth workers and paraprofessionals. She provides training, mentorship, and continuing education pathways for individuals pursuing careers in birth support, nutrition, and community health, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, ethical practice, and collective care. A registered Nutrition and Dietetic Technician with her advanced doula certification, Ms. Burton bridges clinical research knowledge with grassroots advocacy to ensure families receive holistic, trauma-informed, and dignified support. Her work reflects a deep commitment to systems change, workforce development, and the belief that thriving families are foundational to healthy communities.

Carrie Benson, PCD(DONA) is a reiki practitioner and a social worker turned postpartum doula who specializes in postpartum planning. She started her doula career with a DONA postpartum doula training in 2020 and became certified in 2022. Carrie loves using her knowledge of systems from her social work background to help families holistically plan for postpartum.