Our Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors includes individuals with lived experience; clinicians working in the field of maternal-child health and/or mental health; and thought leaders from the private, non-profit, and government sectors.

 
 

  • Jessica Brooks-Woods is the CEO of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals, and she previous served as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health from 2013-2023. Jessica focuses on advancing healthcare value, access, equity, and quality.

    Jessica founded EARN Staffing Solutions as a crucial full-service DEI-centered consulting and talent placement firm for the business community. She serves her community generously and serves on the boards of directors for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

    Jessica is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business, and Carnegie Mellon University, where she received her master’s in public management.

 
 

  • Jim Byrne is Vice President of Ethics & Business Conduct at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Previously, Jim was the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the designated chief operating officer of the second largest U.S. cabinet agency.

    Jim has over 25 years of experience in the public sector, including service as a forward deployed Marine Corps Infantry Officer and a U.S. Department of Justice international narcotics prosecutor. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he held the top leadership position of brigade commander, and holds a law degree from Stetson University College of Law, where he was awarded a public service fellowship.

 
 

  • Aimee is the founder and director of the Women’s Mental Health Program at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital where she is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in women’s perinatal mental health. Her clinical practice focuses on treating mood and anxiety disorders in pregnancy and postpartum, as well as supporting women through the transition to motherhood.

    Aimee is also a founder of the DC Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative, focusing on professional development and networking for mental health providers who work in the field of maternal mental health.

    Aimee earned her doctorate in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of Miami.

 
 

  • Ariel Gonzalez is a Principal and Head of Health Practice at the Vogel Group, and was formerly at Chamber Hill Strategies and the March of Dimes. Recognized as one of “The Hill’s Top Lobbyists,” Ariel is an accomplished government affairs and lobbying professional with past head of office experience.

    Ariel specializes in healthcare, government relations, political and public affairs, and has also run successful coalitions to accomplish major legislative wins for charitable organizations and membership associations.

    Ariel graduated from James Madison University, and he received his Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University, as well as his law degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.

 
 

  • Lee Johnson III, Ph.D., is Senior Fellow for Early Childhood Education at the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) and directs the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network. He leads the Network’s regional coalition of caregivers, early care and education professionals, advocates, and researchers dedicated to expanding early learning opportunities across the South.

    Previously, Dr. Johnson served as Vice President of Policy at the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), directing its advocacy, research, and public policy initiatives. Before joining NBCDI, Dr. Johnson served as Senior Policy Analyst for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) at ZERO TO THREE, championing federal investments in mental health programs for babies and their families. He later held director appointments at Alabama’s Department of Early Childhood Education, where he directed the state’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and the state’s IECMH Association, expanding mental health services and home visiting access.

    He earned a B.S. in early childhood education and an M.A. and Ph.D. in public health from the University of Alabama.

 
 

  • Meredith is the Director of Accounting for a non-profit group located in Northern Virginia.

    Meredith first became an advocate for maternal mental health after one of her closest friends experienced postpartum psychosis and lost her life in 2015.

    Since 2016, Meredith has helped to organize Shelane’s Run, which honors its namesake and raises awareness for postpartum depression, and has participated in several maternal mental health advocacy days at the United States Congress.

 
 

  • Ellen is a Vice President at McAllister & Quinn, managing nonprofit, higher education, and governmental organizations by providing strategic government affairs analysis, advocacy services, and assistance with fund development through federal grants and foundations.

    Ellen worked for Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) for over a decade, including as Chief of Staff; she worked on the Appropriations, Budget, and Financial Services Committees, handling health, labor, justice, education, and women’s and children’s issues.

    Ellen graduated from California Polytechnic State University and earned an M.A. in political science from Stanford University.

 
 

  • Dr. Lamia Soghier is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington DC.

    She is a board-certified neonatologist and the Associate Division Chief of Operations for the Department of Neonatology, and the NICU Quality and Safety Officer at Children’s National since 2013.

    Dr. Soghier has a profound interest in improving caregiver mental health in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) through the application of improvement science. After completing a randomized controlled, the team at Children’s National understood that the NICU caregiver population remains understudied despite being at higher risk. These findings and others led Dr. Soghier to investigate factors contributing to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) in NICU caregivers, the role of resilience and neighborhood disadvantage, and the use of quality improvement approaches to advance universal screening and referral for postpartum caregivers.

    Through several funding opportunities, Children’s National has established a multidisciplinary team of physicians, social workers, screeners, psychologists, and quality improvement specialists to advance this work.