In March 2024, Lisa Asare was appointed as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the NJ Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority, the first and only such state authority in the nation, established to address maternal and infant health with a specific focus on addressing disparities.  In this role, she serves as a member of Phil Murphy’s cabinet.

With over 25 years of service within state government, she has served in senior leadership roles within the Departments of Health and Human Services, where she provided oversight of the state Medicaid program, mental health and addiction services and family health services.  She also served as the Department lead on First Lady Murphy’s Nurture NJ maternal health initiative, where she contributed to the NurtureNJ strategic plan, addressed the social determinants of health through multi-sector collaboration, and leveraged additional state, federal, and philanthropic funding to address emerging issues.

She serves as the Immediate Past President of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Board and received the 2023 HRSA Maternal and Child Bureau (MCHB) Director’s award.

Christine Norbut Beyer, MSW has been Commissioner of the NJ Department of Children and Families since 2018. She is redefining the agency as a prevention-focused, child and family serving department, with a vision to help all New Jerseyans be safe, healthy, and connected. Christinebrings years of public/private experience and a visionary’s perspective to the topic of child welfare transformation. Under her leadership, NJ DCF has reduced removals, improved kinship placement, and created Offices of Family Voice; Resilience; Diversity, Equity and Belonging; and Staff Health and Wellness.

With a progressive lens, she pioneered including family voice and healing-centered practice to inform departmental policies, and initiated a Race Equity Steering Committee to study and correct disparities in reporting, investigating, and removing children of color from their families. Through her collaboration and determination, New Jersey successfully navigated an exit from 20 years of federal oversight resulting from the settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the state’s child protective services agency in 2023, elevating the state as a national leader in child welfare transformation.  

Joia A. Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG, is a physician, policy expert, thought leader, and advocate for transformational justice. As the founder and president of the National Birth Equity Collaborative, she identifies and challenges racism as a root cause of health inequities. She is a highly sought-after trainer and speaker who has been featured in national and international publications, including Essence and Ms. magazine. In 2020, Dr. Crear-Perry was honored by USA Today in its “Women of the Century” series and featured on ABC Nightline’s “Hear Her Voice.” Dr. Crear-Perry has twice addressed the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to elevate the cause of gender diversity and urge a human rights framework toward addressing maternal mortality. Previously, she served as the executive director of the Birthing Project, director of women’s and children’s services at Jefferson Community Healthcare Center, and as the director of clinical services for the City of New Orleans Health Department. Dr. Crear-Perry currently serves as a principal at Health Equity Cypher and on the Board of Trustees for Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Community Catalyst, National Clinical Training Center for Family Planning, and the University of California, San Francisco Preterm Birth Initiative. She is an adjunct professor at Tulane School of Public Health. After completing undergraduate studies at Princeton University and Xavier University, Dr. Crear-Perry received her MD from Louisiana State University and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Tulane University’s School of Medicine. She is married to Dr. Andre Perry and has three children: Jade, Carlos, and Robeson. Her love is her family; health equity is her passion; maternal and child health are her callings.

Janet A. Dickerson is a seasoned communications expert and cultural strategist with nearly two decades of experience delivering high-impact public relations and integrated marketing services for social impact campaigns and causes. Dickerson, a New Jersey native, began her career in municipal government as Press Officer for U.S. Senator Cory Booker while he was Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. In 2010 she launched Human Impact Solutions, a boutique communications consultancy that advises numerous companies, nonprofits, foundations and thought-leaders, and artists, including the NJ Family Planning League, Kaiser Family Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, 7x NBA Champions the Golden State Warriors, and acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay.

Since 2018 Dickerson has worked as a PR and communications consultant with the Black MamasMatter Alliance (BMMA), the leading organization working to advance Black Maternal Health in the United States. In this role she supports the execution of “Black Maternal Health Week,” BMMA’s annual campaign that has been recognized by the White House, as well as cities and states nationwide. Most recently Dickerson executed PR and live production for BMMA’s bi-annual BlackMaternal Health Conference and Training Institute (BMHC) held in Atlanta in September 2024.

An alum of the American Express Social Justice Leadership Academy, Dickerson serves on the board and as VP of Media Engagement at the Black Public Relations Society – New York and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and ForbesBLK. She earned a Bachelor’s in Journalism from Temple University and currently resides with her family in Somerset New Jersey.

Websites:

HumanImpactSolutions.comLinkTree

Social Media Handles:

Twitter & Instagram: @TheRealPRLady | @HumanImpactPR

LinkedIn:                          linkedin.com/in/janetadickerson

linkedin.com/company/humanimpactpr

Barbara George Johnson is the Vice President of External Affairs and Urban Policy and Executive Director of the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research at Kean University. She is also co-host of Kean’s Urban Impact podcast.

VP Johnson has over 30 years of experience as a public policy professional in New Jersey, with an extensive background in health care, public health and public policy. Early in her career, she spearheaded the development of the Newark Kids Initiative for the Newark Health Department, which focused on health care and social services for children impacted by domestic violence. She also served on the CDC-funded Newark Prevention Marketing Initiative and other task forces on HIV/AIDS. Her health care experience includes serving as a public health advisor for the Maternal Child Health Division of the New York City Department of Health, and later as the director for the Family Life Institute of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey. She was also the legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey and a Senior Lobbyist on health care issues for MBI-GluckShaw. VP Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts in biology and technology from Cornell University, a Master of Public Health from Columbia University, and a law degree from Rutgers-Newark Law School.

Carole Johnson is the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the federal agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focused on health equity, supporting health care services for historically underserved communities, and working to build a robust and diverse health care workforce. Johnson joined HRSA from the White House COVID-19 Response Team where she led mitigation and surge response efforts. She previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, leading the state’s largest agency and providing health care and social services to one-in-five New Jerseyans. During her tenure, she expanded Medicaid coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services, created new Medicaid benefits to improve maternal health outcomes, substantially increased child care rates for the first time in a decade, and expanded food assistance benefits. She also served for

more than five years in the Obama White House, working on implementation of the Affordable Care Act, combatting the opioid epidemic, responding to public health challenges like Ebola and Zika, and advancing public health priorities. Johnson spent several years on Capitol Hill as health staff. She previously was a program officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Jennie Joseph is a British-trained midwife who fights to ensure every person has their healthiest possible pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience with dignity and support.

Jennie created The JJ Way® which is an evidence-based, maternity care model delivering readily-accessible, patient-centered, culturally-congruent care to women in areas that she terms 'materno-toxic zones'. Her focus and drive is to ensure that Black women and other marginalized people remain safe and empowered inside broken and inequitable maternity health systems that are dangerous and all too often, lethal.

She is the Founder and President of her own non-profit corporation Commonsense Childbirth Inc. whose mission is the elimination of racial disparities in maternal child health in the USA. Commonsense Childbirth operates a national training institute, health clinics and a birthing center in Orlando, Florida, and the National Perinatal Task Force, the grassroots organizing and movement-building arm of her non-profit.  She is also the owner of the first and only Black-owned, nationally- accredited, private midwifery school in the United States.

Jennie is the founder and a proud member of The Council of Midwifery Elders, is a Fellow of The Aspen Institute, a Salzburg Global Fellow, and serves on the Advisory Council for the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus Momnibus. Jennie was commended by the Georgia Assembly in 2023 with an honorary House Resolution HR561 after being recognized as  a TIME Woman of The Year in 2022 for her work in promoting perinatal equity.

A proud honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., Jennie has most recently re-released her book - Beautiful! Images of Health, Joy and Vitality in Pregnancy and Birth. She has launched a new podcast, The Perinatal Pause, because she is determined that more Americans understand the word ‘perinatal’ and why it impacts all of us so deeply - and as Jennie  often says,  “...it literally is a matter of life and death!

Stephanie serves as Chief of Staff to First Lady Tammy Murphy and Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor. Previously, she was a Senior Policy Advisory to the Murphy for Governor campaign. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Assemblyman Schaer.

Stephanie holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science from Christopher Newport University. She served for over two years in the United States Peace Corps working on environmental sustainability and diplomacy.

Born in 1965, Tammy Snyder Murphy is a native of Virginia and a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A., English and Communications, 1987). She and her family reside in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Tammy and New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy have been married for 30 years and together have four children: Josh, Emma, Charlie, and Sam. A transformative experience for the Murphy family was proudly representing the United States in the Federal Republic of Germany from 2009 to 2013. Tammy, individually and together with her husband, spoke and led on behalf of the United States of America. She chaired meetings, gave speeches, and hosted meals and receptions, strengthening our nation’s relationship with a critical ally while impacting the lives of thousands of Germans and Americans.

Upon returning to New Jersey, Tammy and Phil realized that the incredible state they call home needed bold new leadership. Together, they founded a think tank to explore ways to help grow the middle class and jumpstart New Jersey’s economy. During the campaign, transition, and now as First Lady, Tammy has been energized and inspired traveling the state and meeting New Jerseyans to hear their concerns, utilizing her experience in the private and nonprofit sectors to work through policy ideas and solutions.

Over the years, Tammy has worked with non-profits, a think-tank, and other organizations focused on the environment, education, health care, youth and family services, as well as the arts and trans-Atlantic relations. She currently serves on the Board of Directors and charter member of The Climate Reality Action Fund, an organization founded by former Vice-President Al Gore.

Tammy previously worked in finance in the United States and Europe and has traveled extensively throughout the world living overseas in each of London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Berlin. She speaks German and some Italian.

As First Lady, Tammy’s policy initiatives focus on infant and maternal health, climate change education, and fostering women-owned businesses throughout New Jersey. She has worked to create Family Festivals across the state to increase access to resources for mothers, children, and families; worked with the New Jersey Department of Education to incorporate climate change throughout the K-12 state education guidelines to better prepare our students for the future economy; and partnered with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to increase angel investing in women-led businesses. She continues to be a partner to Phil as he works with Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way to tackle the formidable challenges facing New Jersey and its incredible residents.

Amy Murtha, MD, an accomplished researcher and maternal-fetal medicine specialist, joined Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as dean in August 2022. Her research and clinical work focus on caring for complicated pregnancies and on identifying the best ways to diagnose and care for patients at risk for preterm birth, particularly for pregnancies complicated by the premature rupture of fetal membranes. 

Dr. Murtha served as professor and chair of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Chief Medical Officer of Women’s Health at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), before becoming dean. As chair, she increased support for faculty researchers, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, led the rapid establishment of two national registries focused on COVID in pregnancy.

After earning her medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Dr. Murtha completed residency in obstetrics and gynecology and fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at Duke University. She joined the faculty at Duke where her career as a translational scientist focused on fetal membrane biology and its role in preterm premature rupture of membranes.  During her tenure at Duke, Dr. Murtha assumed increasing leadership roles including founder and course director Duke Molecular Techniques Workshop (CRP 265), serving as interim chair of OB-GYN and vice chair for research; director of the Duke CTSI Research Career Development Harmonization Program; and program director for the NIH-funded K12 training grant Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH), among other leadership positions.

As dean, Dr. Murtha leads the school’s commitment to excellence in patient care and community health, ensures comprehensive medical training for our learners, promotes innovation in research across the school, and advances the equity and inclusion missions of the medical school.

Dr. Owens is responsible for the global medical strategy and support of marketed and pipeline products, including outcomes research. Additionally, she develops and fosters relationships with external organizations and experts to ensure that our products continue to meet market needs and yield desired patient outcomes.

Dr. Owens brings over a decade of experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, more than 20 years as a practicing, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and a global lens to sustainably improving health equity and delivering patient care. Before joining Organon, she was Vice President and Head of the Center for Health Equity & Patient Affairs at Takeda. She has also served as a leader in clinical development and medical affairs at AbbVie, Kimberly-Clark and Johnson & Johnson. In those roles, she oversaw the direction, planning, execution, and interpretation of clinical trial data. Since 2014, she has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical Gynecology and Obstetrics at Morehouse School of Medicine.

After receiving her B.S. in physiology from the University of California Davis and an M.D. from the University of Michigan, she completed her internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Henry Ford Health System. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Maritza I. Raimundi-Petroskihas been working at The Children's Home Society of NJ since 2004 and currently holds the position of Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Community Engagement, and Prevention. She oversees a portfolio of maternal, child health, and family services across several counties, including Mercer, Ocean, Monmouth, and Middlesex Counties.  These programs include Connecting NJ, Healthy Women Healthy Families, Family Connects, Early Childhood Intervention Services, Family Success Centers, AMAR and Multicultural Community Based Doula Programs, CUNA and Body and Soul Prenatal Health Education and Support Group Programs, Mercer County WIC Program, Postpartum Community Doulas, Postpartum Education Services, among other programs.  

She has a Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from the Rutgers Graduate School of Administration and Public Affairs. Maritza has also completed the Thomas Edison State University Leadership Trenton Fellowship Program at the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy and the NJ Governors Hispanic Fellowship Program from the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research, and Development. Her training includes being a Community Health Worker from the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. She recently received her HealthConnect One Community-Based Doula Replication Training of Trainers Certificate.

Governor Phil Murphy appointed Maritza as one of six public members on the Board of the New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority. The Burke Foundation has also recognized her as one of five Community Champions of 2023. This year, she received the Dr. Antonia Pantoja Award for her work with women, infants, and children for the past 25 years in the City of Trenton.  Additionally, she serves as an Advisory Board Member for the New Jersey Doula Learning Collaborative, is a Trustee at the Trenton Health Team, where she Chairs the Community Advisory Committee, and is part of the Executive and Governance Committee. She's a Board of Trustees for the Puerto Rican Friends and Community Organization.  Maritza is also a Role Model for the Hispanic Inspiring Student's Performance and Achievement (HISPA) organization and is seated on the Womanspace's Advisory Committee. She also volunteers in different committees and groups across the state.

Maritza co-founded MAPA Collaborative, a woman and minority-owned consulting firm specializing in organizational development, professional development, education and training, and community engagement. She is married to her high school sweetheart and lives in Lawrenceville, NJ.  Her greatest accomplishment is giving birth to her daughter, Gabriela.

Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist, five-time author, international speaker, strategist, and advocate for maternal & infant health. A former senior editor at ESSENCE and writer at FORTUNE magazine, Kimberly is a leading voice on the racial and socio-cultural complexities of birth, breastfeeding, and motherhood. She is the founder of Irth, a new "Yelp-like" app for Black and brown parents to address bias and racism in maternity and infant care. Kimberly also created Birthright, a podcast about joy and healing in Black birth that centers on positive Black birth stories as a tool in the fight for birth justice and reverses the narrative of negative statistics common in mainstream media coverage of Black maternal health. Learn more at KimberlySealsAllers.com. Follow her  @iamKSealsAllers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Dr. Neel Shah, MD, MPP, FACOG, is Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, and visiting scientist at Harvard Medical School. He is a globally recognized expert in designing solutions that improve health care, and is listed among the "40 smartest people in health care" by the Becker's Hospital Review. His work to build equitable, trustworthy systems of care has been profiled by the New York Times, Good Morning America, and other outlets, and is featured in the documentaries “Color of Care,” produced by Oprah Winfrey, and “Aftershock,” which is currently streaming on Hulu.

Dr. Shah has written more than 50 peer-reviewed academic papers and contributed to four books, including as senior author of Understanding Value-Based Healthcare (McGraw-Hill), which Don Berwick has called "an instant classic" and Atul Gawande called "a masterful primer for all clinicians." Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Dr. Shah founded Costs of Care, an NGO that curates insights from clinicians and patients to help delivery systems provide better care. In 2017, he co-founded the March for Moms Association, a coalition of more than 20 leading organizations, to increase public and private investment in the wellbeing of mothers. Dr. Shah serves on the advisory board of the National Institutes of Health, Office of Women's Health Research.

Bonnie Watson Coleman is serving her fifth term in the United States House of Representatives, the continuation of a career in public service advocating for the needs of New Jersey families and the equitable treatment of all people. The first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress, Watson Coleman is a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Watson Coleman’s work in the House centers on her belief that, in the United States of America, there’s a floor below which we should never allow any child, any family, any person to fall. Knowing that millions struggle every day just to make ends meet from the first to the last of the month, her legislative work seeks to bridge the gap for these Americans, making sure that the richest nation in the world doesn’t allow millions to live below the poverty line; doesn’t allow vulnerable groups to suffer the fallout of environmental violations; doesn’t allow profit margins to define the standards or the motivations for incarceration; and doesn’t allow bias to push everyday needs like car insurance out of reach for working families.

In 2016, Watson Coleman founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls alongside two of her colleagues, the first caucus aimed at bringing both the tremendous challenges and incredible successes of Black women to the fore in Congress’s policy debates.

Watson Coleman is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College, and has received honorary doctorate degrees from the College of New Jersey, Rider University, and Stockton University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc She resides with her husband, William, in Ewing Township. The two are blessed to have three sons: William, Troy and Jared; and three grandchildren: William, Ashanee, and Kamryn.