Board of Directors

President

Jess is the proud mother of three young boys (turning 11, 9, and 7 this year) and a passionate advocate for families in the Merrimack Valley. She works as a lactation consultant at Lawrence General Hospital and through her private practice, Equally Expressed, LLC, where she provides personalized care to a diverse range of communities. Bilingual in Spanish and English and an immigrant herself, Jessica offers culturally sensitive lactation support, ensuring that families from various backgrounds receive the care they need in their preferred language. Her focus extends to perinatal mental health, recognizing the importance of comprehensive support during the postpartum period. Previously a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Nutrition Assistant, and Northeast Regional Lactation Consultant Specialist for the DPH WIC program, Jessica is dedicated to equity in the lactation field, breastfeeding in the workplace, and support for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ families. Her commitment to inclusivity and representation drives her work, making her a valued member of the community. Jess was the previous Treasurer and currently co-chairs the DRIVE committee. She is also the Massachusetts State Administrator for ZipMilk. Jess always finds a way to read for at least 10 minutes a day as part of her self-care.

Clerk

Ellen is the WIC State Breastfeeding Coordinator at The Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She has been with the Massachusetts WIC program since 1994 and is a Registered Dietitian as well as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Ellen lives on the North Shore with her husband and two sons (both fully breastfed over a year, while working full time for WIC).

Treasurer

Moryn Mendoza is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in the Western Massachusetts region. She is currently working as a Regional IBCLC Specialist with the Massachusetts WIC Program. Moryn’s journey began with the birth of her first son in 2013 and her positive breastfeeding experience led her to want to support local mothers to reach their breastfeeding goals. Over the last 7 years she has given birth to 2 more boys while increasing her knowledge and qualifications to become both a Certified Lactation Counselor in 2017 and an IBCLC in 2019. Moryn holds a BA in Latino and Latin American Politics from Mount Holyoke College and an MA in Human Resource Development from American International College. She is a bicultural first-generation Venezuelan American and is fluent in Spanish.

Board Member

Naomi Bar-Yam, ACSW, PhD, has been working in maternal and child health for over 35 years as an educator, researcher, advocate, and writer. She is past president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) and the director emerita of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. Her early experience as a social worker and perinatal educator in diverse populations, both in the US and overseas, inspired her special interest in the ethics of access to perinatal health care. That work, and her experience as the mother of two NICU babies, motivated her support for breastfeeding and milk banking. She is now a recognized expert on social and institutional policies that support breastfeeding.

Board Member

Tasha leads the Lactation and Education Department at Anna Jaques Hospital, where she provides direct lactation care in both the inpatient and the outpatient settings. Tasha‘s experiences of childbirth and nurturing young children while living abroad in her spouse Oli’s native land of Iceland fueled her interests in birth and lactation, including the deep cultural influences surrounding these events. She is a proud parent to their fun, smart, and blossoming adult children, Emiliana and Gabriel. Tasha’s career has taken her from elementary school teacher, to labor & delivery nurse, to her current career as an RN IBCLC. She serves as the Co-Chair for the AJH Breastfeeding Task Force, is a certified childbirth educator, is a member of the AJH DEI Committee, and is a Co-Chair of MBC’s DRIVE Committee.

Board Member

Brittany joined the board of MBC after years of general membership, conference attendance, and service as the National Director of ZipMilk, a project of MBC. 

Her extensive background in education and support ranges from car seat safety as a previously certified CPST; labor/birth and postpartum doula support; lactation support; previously certified HypnoBirthing educator; breast pump educator; and former K-5 Special Educator.

Brittany currently works full time at a local DME, working to enhance the positive impact durable medical equipment can make on an individual’s lactation journey; she focuses on education and support surrounding these products while ensuring the parent’s lactation goals overall take precedence. 

As the National Director of ZipMilk, Brittany works to coordinate state administrators and manage the website overall. 

She has lived in Massachusetts her entire life and now resides in Groveland with her husband and their five children. They love to swim, take walks in the woods, and have movie nights! 

Shenell Ford, BS, IBCLC, CPE

Board Member

Shenell Ford is founder of the community-based lactation practice Heart2Heartbeat Lactation & Wellness in Springfield, with a vision to create an environment that equitably serves prenatal and lactating families, encouraging autonomy in infant feeding and providing comprehensive and community-centered perinatal advocacy, education, and support. Her greatest joy are her sons, Jeyceir and Jezari. Shenell humbly serves as Mayoral Aide to Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Parent Educator at Baystate Health, and Co-Chair of the Springfield DHHS Maternal Child Health Commission. A former WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, she obtained her Certified Lactation Counselor credential in August 2015, became an IBCLC in January 2019, became a Certified Perinatal Educator in 2022, and is in the midst of certification to become a Childbirth Educator. In addition to the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition Board, she serves on the US Breastfeeding Committee CRASH and Awards Committee, the Birth Equity & Justice Massachusetts Coalition (BEJMA) Steering Committee, and the Boston Black Breastfeeding Week Committee. She most recently was selected as a National Birth Justice fellow with Vital Village Network. Shenell continues to lead birth and breastfeeding advocacy efforts in Springfield, including the annual Black Maternal Health Week, National Breastfeeding Month, and Black Breastfeeding Week celebrations, in collaboration with many commUNITY partners. She was recognized by MassLive in June 2023 as one of the state’s Emerging Black Leaders and received the 2024 SDHHS Commissioners Award. Shenell is committed to increasing the diversity of and equitable access to childbirth and lactation education and support in her community and beyond.