Annual Conference Speakers

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  Stephanie Bess, MS, RD, LDN
  Associate Director of the Office of Family Wellness, Illinois Department of Human Services. Ms. Bess oversees the Bureaus of Family Nutrition and Maternal and Child Health, which provide essential health and nutrition services to low-income Illinois families, including pregnant and postpartum individuals, children, and seniors. With over 30 years of experience in the Illinois WIC Program, Stephanie has served in local, regional, and statewide roles and contributed to initiatives such as the WIC to 5 Child Retention Project and Illinois Diaper Distribution Pilot Program. She is passionate about improving access to nutritious foods, supporting healthy parent-child feeding relationships, and delivering high-quality, family-centered services.

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  Nancy Byatt, DO, MS, MBA, DFAPA, FACLP
  Tenured Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, perinatal psychiatrist, and physician-scientist focused on improving systems of care to promote the mental health of parents and children. She developed MCPAP for Moms, now a national model for perinatal mental health care. She is the Founding Executive Director of the Lifeline for Families Center and Lifeline for Moms Program at UMass Chan Medical School. Her research uses implementation science methods to design, implement, and evaluate scalable approaches for improving parental and child mental health services and outcomes.
  
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  Angela Lober, PhD, MPH, RN, IBCLC
  Director of Research and Grants, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). In this role, Dr. Lober leads initiatives to advance nursing science and improve outcomes for women and families. A registered nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, she has provided compassionate, evidence-based care since 2001. Her PhD dissertation focused on the complexities of late preterm infants, and she remains an active researcher and passionate educator. Through professional and community engagement, mentorship, scholarship, and advocacy, she is dedicated to maternal-child health, uplifting the nursing profession, and building a more equitable, supportive world for all families.
  
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  Jennifer Condel, SCT(ASCP)MT
  Senior Program Manager of Perinatal Health at the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and its supporting organizations. In this role, she leads the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA PQC), supporting hospitals and healthcare teams in advancing quality improvement initiatives, fostering peer-to-peer engagement, and partnering with healthcare providers, community organizations, state agencies, and maternal and neonatal stakeholders to drive collaboration and coordinated improvements in maternal and infant health outcomes across the Commonwealth.
  
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  Connie R Graves, MD, FACOG, FACC
  State Maternal Medical Director for TIPQC and the Medical Director for Perinatal Services at St Thomas Health Systems. In this role, she helps to develop systems initiative and programs to improve maternal and fetal health throughout the state of Tennessee. Recognized as an international expert in maternal disease states, Dr. Graves recently became a fellow in the American College of Cardiology in addition to being a fellow in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Graves is an advocate for equity and for improving outcomes and advancing science in the care of all birthing people.
  
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  Susan Gutierrez, BS, BSN, RN, CPHQ, LSSYB Initiative Manager for the Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina (PQCNC). Susan Gutierrez has worked in Women’s health and quality improvement for over 25 years and has spent the last 11 years at PQCNC improving targeted perinatal outcomes in North Carolina. Susan is currently pursuing her PhD in Health Systems Leadership and plans to focus on improving care for pregnant women with substance use disorder and their infants.

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  Jennifer Mikenas
  Maternal health advocate based in Indialantic, FL, and the Program Manager of Training at MoMMAs Voices, a program of Preeclampsia Foundation. In this role, she leads efforts to equip both healthcare providers and patient partners with the tools to collaborate in driving meaningful change in maternal health. A former educator, Jennifer became a passionate advocate after the preventable stillbirth of her son in 2021. She now shares her story to support families navigating loss and to empower expectant parents with life-saving knowledge about stillbirth prevention. In addition to her work with MoMMAs Voices, Jennifer serves as a volunteer Count the Kicks Ambassador, PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy changemaker, a Board Member of Measure the Placenta, and an active member of the Brevard County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Committee. 

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  Diana Marrero, MHPS
  Certified Mental Health Peer Specialist and Virtual Family Support Specialist, Hand to Hold. In this role, Ms. Marrero facilitates peer support groups and supports NICU families. She is a mother of three daughters, all born late preterm and requiring NICU care. She is passionate about elevating parent voices and using lived experience to improve maternal and infant care.

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  Katrina Moline
  Executive Director, Hand to Hold. Hand to Hold is a national nonprofit providing mental health and emotional support to NICU and bereaved families. As a NICU parent herself, Ms. Moline brings both lived experience and nonprofit leadership expertise to her advocacy for family-centered care, maternal mental health, and accessible support throughout and beyond the NICU journey. Her work focuses on ensuring families receive compassionate, timely support during some of the most vulnerable moments of parenthood.

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  Maddie Moss
  Founder, Maternal Sunshine. A mom to a newly minted 4-year-old, Certified Postpartum Doula, and maternal mental health advocate, Ms. Moss brings both professional experience and lived experience with perinatal mental health challenges to her work. She’s passionate about connecting families with trusted resources and building community.