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Nikia Sankofa

Executive Director

Amelia Psmythe Seger

Deputy Director
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Denae Schmidt

Senior Engagement & Training Manager

Cheryl Lebedevitch

Senior Policy & Communications Manager

Camille
​Abbe

Senior Campaign & Convening Manager

Sarah
​Walz

Senior Communications & Program Coordinator

Miriam Rodriguez

Senior Coalitions Relations Coordinator

Michelle Hilliard

Senior Operations Coordinator​

Erin
Fortuna

Campaign & Convening Coordinator

Suzan Ajlouni

Public Health Writing Specialist

Mia
​Blanco

Member Engagement Coordinator

ABOUT THE TEAM

Nikia Sankofa

Executive Director

Nikia Sankofa is the Executive Director of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. She joined the team in October of 2019 after having served as Project Director for breastfeeding at the National Association of County and City Health Officials. Nikia's public health work encompasses a broad range of functions, including, multi-site project management and team leadership; program design, monitoring and evaluation; data management and analysis; advocacy; and delivery of training and technical assistance. Nikia's home base is in Baltimore, MD, surrounded by a plethora of lovingly-tended plants. An avid traveler, Nikia looks forward to again enjoying adventures on the road now that her daughter is in college.

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Amelia Psmythe Seger

Deputy Director
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Amelia Psmythe Seger has served as the Deputy Director of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee since 2012, after prior leadership roles in local and state coalitions. A skilled facilitator and experienced advocate, Amelia centers growth of trust in relationships and shared learning to support the USBC’s collaborative Constellations to achieve large-scale policy, systems, and environmental change. She is a certified equity-informed mediator, coach, and Systemic Constellation facilitator. Amelia lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and multi-generational household, surrounded by their garden of fruits, veggies, flowers, and herbs.

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Denae Schmidt

Senior Engagement & Training Manager

Denae Schmidt serves as Senior Engagement & Training Manager at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. Denae joined the USBC in 2014 as Coalition Relations Coordinator and now oversees administration, implementation, and strategic planning of the USBC's membership and capacity-building programs. She earned a Master of Public Health from Mercer University and a bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Florida. Denae has a background in community health and lives in California with her husband and two sons, who the team affectionately titled "the official spokesbabies of the USBC." Contact her if you're looking for ways to have your organization or coalition engage with the USBC.

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Cheryl Lebedevitch

​Senior Policy & Communications Manager

Cheryl Lebedevitch serves as Senior Policy and Communications Manager at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. Cheryl leads the USBC policy and communications teams and serves as co-steward of the Workplace Support Constellation. She serves as Editor-In-Chief of the weekly e-Newsletter, Staying Abreast: Weekly Wire, and is a contributing author to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion report, "The Role of Law and Policy in Assisting Families to Reach Healthy People's Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Breastfeeding Goals in the United States." Cheryl joined the USBC in 2009 and has held many titles and responsibilities during her time with the organization. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, completed an undergraduate fellowship at the Newberry Library, and is currently attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth as a Master of Public Policy student. Cheryl lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts with her husband and children, who can frequently be spotted at USBC events.
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Camille Abbe

Senior Campaign & Convening Manager

Camille Abbe serves as Senior Campaign and Convening Manager at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. With a background in public relations and event planning, Camille coordinates the design and implementation of USBC fundraising and advocacy campaigns and the meeting design and external relations for online and in-person convenings, including USBC Constellation workgroups. Her projects include the design, coordination, and rollout of the National Breastfeeding Conference & Convening, National Breastfeeding Month, and the USBC Annual Report. Camille joined the USBC in 2013, having previously served as a birth doula, advocate, and as coordinator for the annual conference for the Midwives Alliance of North America for almost a decade. She lives in Massachusetts, is an enthusiastic ceramics hobbyist, and is also a 500-hour certified yoga instructor.

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Sarah Walz

Senior Communications & Program Coordinator

Sarah Walz is the Senior Communications and Program Coordinator at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. Sarah curates and develops visual and written content for USBC communications channels, including newsletters, social media, advocacy materials, and webpages. She also develops promotional materials, including biannual state breastfeeding reports, the annual report, and national conference promotion. Sarah received a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Carleton College, where she completed a collection of poetry that explored generational story-telling and personal narrative. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area, Sarah lives on the North Side of Chicago with her boyfriend and their cat, Babka.

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Miriam Rodriguez

Senior Coalition Relations Coordinator

Miriam Rodriguez serves as Senior Coalitions Relations Coordinator at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. With the organization since 2018, Miriam supports capacity building programs and services for State, Territorial, Tribal, local and cultural breastfeeding coalitions. In addition, she assists in the planning and execution of the National Breastfeeding Conference and Convening, and supports volunteer committees including the Conference Program Committee and the CRASH Committee. Miriam holds a master’s in International Public Service from DePaul University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Born and raised in Chicago’s South Side, Miriam continues to live in Chicago and enjoys photography, painting, and yoga, and especially traveling to visit her family in Mexico.

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Michelle Hilliard

Senior Operations Coordinator

Michelle Hilliard serves as the Senior Operations Coordinator for the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee.  Michelle oversees organizational operations and coordinates administrative functions of the executive team; liaises with the Board of Directors, USBC members, partners, volunteers, and other stakeholders. She supports and leads aspects of optimization of organizational workflow, project management, and research.  Michelle earned a Master of Public Health and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Purdue and has a background in community health, health education, and chronic disease prevention.  She lives in Illinois and is the proud owner of a certified therapy dog.

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Erin Fortuna

Campaign & Convening Coordinator

Erin Fortuna serves as the Campaign & Convening Coordinator at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. The Campaign & Convening team supports gatherings including the annual conference and membership meetings; campaigns including communications and fundraising; and stakeholder relations with donors and the field. An IBCLC who is passionate about equity in the first food field, Erin is a committed advocate for human milk feeding, and comes to the USBC with a background in business management and community health services. You can usually find Erin baking bread, seeking out the next best sushi restaurant, and enjoying the great outdoors with their family in the Pacific Northwest.

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Suzan Ajlouni

Public Health Writing Specialist

Suzan Ajlouni serves as the Public Health Writing Specialist at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. In her role, Suzan develops strategic communication and promotion materials for stakeholders, including member organizations and policymakers, and supports the communication of academic and research findings to the public. She also works with constellation work groups to support the communication and dissemination of expert opinion and recommendations for the field. Suzan received a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health from Boston University School of Public Health. 

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Mia Blanco

Member Engagement Coordinator

Mia Blanco serves as the Member Engagement Coordinator at the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. In this role, Mia is responsible for engaging with member inquiries and requests, articulating membership benefits, and working with the team to create solutions that provide value to our members. With a background in customer service, Mia is a relationship builder who joined the USBC team in August 2022. Mia is also a licensed and certified nail technician who lives in Maryland with her husband and children.

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