Board of Directors

Milan has worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health for 13 years and is currently a Senior Health Educator specifically working as Los Angeles County’s Health Education Consultant for the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP). She has extensive passion and expertise in breastfeeding as a Certified Lactation Educator Counselor (CLEC) and Certified Birth Doula and having sustained a personal breastfeeding journey of over two years.

Nakeisha Robinson is a community health and social justice advocate who partners with local organizations focused on improving the lives of mothers, families and babies. She has worked passionately and extensively in Los Angeles and surrounding communities around health disparities negatively impacting women, babies, and families through community resident and direct service provider curriculum development, educational presentations, program implementation and coalition work.

Summer Bridges is a Los Angeles-based attorney specializing in business transactions, business litigation, contract drafting, real estate, employment, and general liability. Her love for breastfeeding comes from her experience as a mother bonding with her one year old daughter.   She is extremely passionate about spreading the news on the numerous breastfeeding benefits for both baby and mother.

Joan is the founder of Limerick and President of Limerick ’s Workplace Lactation Program. She is responsible for a comprehensive breastfeeding support model that has been proven effective in Limerick ’s Research Study published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing in 2004. Joan's research titled “Airports in the United States: Are They Really Breastfeeding Friendly” published in Breastfeeding Medicine in 2014 is being sited to support legislation at both the federal and state level requiring airports to provide a private lactation room other than a bathroom for the breast pumping traveling mother.

Jenniffer Duran-West did her undergrad at UCLA and received her masters at NYU. She works as the interim BF Coordinator and Motivational Interviewing skills trainer at WIC, and brings her person centered approach in everything she does.

Wendy De León BS, IBCLC is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She is currently the Lead Lactation Consultant for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She has been supporting families’ lactation needs in Los Angeles for over thirteen years. Wendy is a proud Latina with Guatemalan and Puerto Rican roots. Her passion lies in serving her own communities and in mentoring others who strive to do the same. In her work, she has come to understand the barriers that not only new parents face in receiving quality lactation support, but also the barriers that organizations and individual healthcare and community workers face in offering it. Her current focus is breaking these barriers.

Lia Berquist is a certified doula and affiliated teacher of The Bradley Method® of Natural Childbirth as well as Evidence Based Birth®. Lia has a Bachelors of Science in Human Environmental Sciences and worked in Healthcare design starting in 2001. Ever since watching her own mother give birth to her sisters at home in the early 1980's, Lia has been passionate about birth. She's channeled this passion into positive, evidence-based childbirth education for families, encouraging them to more effectively advocate for themselves during pregnancy, labor, and breast/chestfeeding. Lia is a mother of two and has been teaching childbirth education in Southern California - and via Zoom, all over the world - since 2011 and has been a doula since 2012.

Ashley Skiffer-Thompson is the Program Coordinator for the AAIMM Doula program and is committed to giving back to her community. She has spent majority of her career in the non-profit sector within the home visitation field, gaining experiences in breastfeeding, bonding/attachment, and other maternal and child health topics. She believes there is empowerment through advocacy and education. By providing empathetic support and encouraging medical advocacy, her hope is that families feel empowered, grounded and valued throughout their birth journey. Driven by one of her favorite quotes, “Let the beauty we love, be what we do”, Ashley Skiffer-Thompson aims to be the change she hopes to see.

Angel is a Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula as well as Certified Lactation Education Specialist (CLES). Her love for breastfeeding came from her own experience with breastfeeding her 2 children and the support that she received.  She also spends time working with Irth as Irth Doula Ambassador. Her desire is for more moms to feel educated, empowered and supported in their birth, postpartum and lactation journeys.

Lynnette Bello currently serves as the Welcome Baby Program Supervisor at Memorial Care Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, bringing with her 18 years of experience in supporting maternal child health and lactation across Orange County to LA County. Her journey began as a home visitor for the Bridges program in Orange County, sparking her dedication to family support and advocacy for breastfeeding, ultimately leading to her certification as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Prior to her current role, Lynnette led the Baby Friendly initiative at St. Mary Medical Center. Presently, she balances her supervisory responsibilities with her practice as an IBCLC at both St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach and Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Additionally, Lynnette Bello co-leads Breastfeed LA’s Filipino Baby Café – Dede Diner, emphasizing her commitment to providing culturally sensitive breastfeeding support.

Raquel Campos is the Director of the Home Visiting Program at the Multi- Ethnic Collaborative of Community Agencies (MECCA), where she oversees four home visiting partner agencies in Orange County. Early in her career, she worked in the education field with 1st – 8th grade students in underserved communities. After becoming a mother, she changed career paths and has been in the home visiting field since 2014. Raquel provided education related to parenting, parent-infant attachment, and child development to families. During her time in home visit, she also provided one-on-one breastfeeding support as a Certified Lactation Educator. In 2021, she became a doula to empower expecting mothers throughout their prenatal and postpartum journeys. Raquel holds a passion for breast/chest feeding education and advocacy, especially for BIPOC communities.

Danielle Garson is a real estate finance professional and a recent new mom. Danielle's personal experiences and challenges with postpartum care and breastfeeding sparked a passion and desire to help others on this journey. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Danielle attended the University of Pennsylvania and currently lives in LA with her husband, 1-year old son, and dog.

Angelina Spicer epitomizes versatility, excelling as a stand-up comedian, writer, producer, actress, mother, and—most recently—an accidental activist. Her journey began after graduating cum laude from Howard University, which situated her to hone a unique brand of comedy that blends intelligence, audaciousness, and authenticity. Garnering an impressive following of over 700,000 people across diverse social-media platforms, Angelina's original content has accumulated a staggering 100 million views in over 45 countries. She’s appeared on shows that are household staples, such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, the Ellen Show, and the Conan O'Brien Show, solidifying her status as a comedic powerhouse. Angelina's impact extends far beyond the realm of comedy. After suffering from severe postpartum depression (PPD), a new mission—to help other moms who too often suffer PPD in silence or shame get the help they need—inspired her work and comedy. Recognized by Vice President Kamala Harris and the Clinton Global Initiative, Angelina has become a champion of maternal mental health and reproductive rights, serving on the reproductive justice action network alongside Chelsea Clinton. Collaborating with organizations like the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and U.S. Embassies across three continents, Angelina has forged partnerships with an aim of centering the needs of moms, particularly moms who are otherwise marginalized and lack the resources to advocate for themselves.

Natasha Weinstein-Dawes (she/her) is a mother, full-spectrum doula, birth justice advocate and product equity leader. She is a proud Colombian, Jewish-American and first-generation college graduate that has held key roles at companies like Snapchat and Meta, focusing on tech innovation, community building and equitable product development. Her passion for birth justice and women's health is fueled by personal experiences and a deep concern over mortality rates for Black birthing people. She believes all individuals should be empowered, safe and supported to birth and feed their children as they choose.