Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors includes individuals with lived experience; clinicians working in the field of maternal-child health and/or mental health; and thought leaders from the private, non-profit, and government sectors.
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Priya Bathija is the founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, which delivers strategic insight and practical solutions to help organizations move from intention to action and drive meaningful progress in women’s health.
She is also a Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and serves as an Expert on Call for the University of Michigan School of Public Health Griffith Leadership Institute. In addition, she is a board member of Planned Parenthood of Metro Washington and an advisory board member for Women's Health Horizons.
Previously, she was at the American Hospital Association where she led policy efforts and strategic initiatives on value, health equity and maternal health. She started her career as a healthcare attorney and served as in-house counsel and a member of the executive leadership teams at ProMedica and MedStar Health.
She earned her BSBA from The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, her JD from The Ohio State Moritz College of Law, and her MHSA from University of Michigan, School of Public Health.What’s Your Why?
We don't support moms in the ways they need after having children. Maternal mental health is one of the biggest gaps. It's also one of the biggest opportunities to change how we deliver much-needed resources, support, and care to women. I'm excited to join the MMHLA board to advance federal policy that will improve outcomes for not only mothers, but entire families.
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Jim Byrne is Vice President of Ethics & Business Conduct at Lockheed Martin Corporation. Previously, Jim was the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs, having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the designated chief operating officer of the second largest U.S. cabinet agency.
Jim has over 25 years of experience in the public sector, including service as a forward deployed Marine Corps Infantry Officer and a U.S. Department of Justice international narcotics prosecutor. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he held the top leadership position of brigade commander, and holds a law degree from Stetson University College of Law, where he was awarded a public service fellowship.
What’s Your Why?
Maternal mental health is not just a healthcare issue; it is a critical pillar of family readiness, community well-being, and public policy. I am honored to serve on the MMHLA board to help bridge the gaps in our support systems, champion robust federal policy solutions, and ensure that mothers and families receive the comprehensive mental health care, resources, and dignity they deserve.
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Jennifer Byrnes is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the owner of Solution-Focused Therapy Services. She has a background in maternal mental health and trauma, as well as forensic psychology, which has allowed her to serve a wide variety of communities. Jennifer is a certified EMDR therapist and specializes in perinatal mental health and trauma recovery. She has a particular passion for helping parents through birth trauma.
Jennifer is a graduate of Mount St. Mary’s University with degrees in Psychology and Criminal Justice and received her M.A. in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology.
What’s Your Why?
I was drawn to maternal mental health after the birth of my first child, which resulted in a traumatic delivery. I struggled with PTSD, Postpartum Depression, and Postpartum Anxiety following his birth, and I became passionate about helping other parents both avoid and heal from the struggles and trauma I experienced. This prompted me to become certified in both perinatal mental health and EMDR to better serve parents who have similar experiences.
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Sheehan Fisher, PhD is an Associate Professor and perinatal clinical psychologist at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine and the Associate Dean for Academic Environment and Success at The Graduate School.
His research career focuses on the perinatal experiences that affect parent mental health, along with the impact of perinatal and subsequent parental mental health on infant/child health outcomes. His aim is to reconceptualize parental mental health research to integrally involve both birthing and non-birthing parents to better understand the global impact of perinatal mental illness on family health and help families to thrive.
Dr. Fisher was recognized as one of Crain’s Chicago Business 2022 Notable Black Leaders and Executives for his dedication to perinatal mental health. Dr. Fisher received his BA from Rutgers University and PhD from the University of Iowa.
What’s Your Why?
Society puts undue, unfair pressures on mothers that cause severe stress and vulnerability for mental illness, and I have witnessed the deleterious effects throughout my life and career. It is within our power to choose to shape our society and policies to be conducive to women's mental health and well-being.
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Ariel Gonzalez is a Principal and Head of Health Practice at the Vogel Group, and was formerly at Chamber Hill Strategies and the March of Dimes. Recognized as one of “The Hill’s Top Lobbyists,” Ariel is an accomplished government affairs and lobbying professional with past head of office experience.
Ariel specializes in healthcare, government relations, political and public affairs, and has also run successful coalitions to accomplish major legislative wins for charitable organizations and membership associations.
Ariel graduated from James Madison University, and he received his Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University, as well as his law degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
What’s Your Why?
My wife and I were very lucky to have the best maternal care available at Walter Reed Hospital for the birth of both of our children. When my first child was born, many people came by the room asking to see "the true knot baby." Evidently, the internet contains many accounts from parents who lost their child at birth due to a true knot in the umbilical cord during pregnancy.
We were fortunate to receive the care needed to bring our son into the world 100% healthy, mentally and physically. The same occurred with our daughter — the OB called my wife an "obstetrics unicorn" as she gave birth to two "true knot" babies with no physical or mental issues. This happened only because we had access to incredible care via TriCare insurance. I know not everyone is this fortunate and many have complicated pregnancies and also deal with extreme postpartum depression.
I serve on the MMHLA board to utilize my legal and lobbying skills to advance policies which benefit the birthing persons we aim to represent, especially those lacking the care we received and those whose voices we can no longer hear.
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Dr. Arthur R. James is a retired Obstetrician, Gynecologist, and Pediatrician who has been involved in the care of underserved populations for the entirety of his medical career. He has been the Medical Director of two different Neighborhood Health Centers (FQHC-sites), Medical Director of Bronson Methodist Hospital’s Women’s Care Clinic, and founding/Medical Director of Borgess Medical Center’s Women’s Health office.
In each of these efforts, he has been instrumental in expanding services to indigent patients, patients using drugs, HIV positive pregnant patients, to teens as well as to women with private insurance. He is also the founder and former Medical Director of the Kalamazoo County Fetal and Infant Mortality Review team and, for many years, led Kalamazoo County’s efforts to reduce infant mortality, former Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Pediatrics at Michigan State’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, former Co-Chair of the Ohio Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality, and former Senior Policy Advisor to the Ohio Department of Health (2011-2017).
He has also been a member of the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality, a former member of the Board of Directors for the National Healthy Start Association, former board member for the Centering Healthcare Institute, Inc., former Executive Director of The Ohio State University’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, former co-chair for the Center for Disease Control and March of Dimes Health Equity workgroup, and is a member of the March of Dimes Mom and Baby Action Network.
Dr. James has received numerous local and national awards for teaching and for his advocacy to achieve equity in birth outcomes and is the 2022 recipient of the American Public Health Association’s Martha May Eliot Award. He is also a frequent national speaker on infant mortality, especially regarding the national racial disparity in birth outcomes.
What’s Your Why?
EQUITY!
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Alexis Johnson is a creative leader and communicator, helping customers leverage the Google Cloud Platform to meet the technical needs that drive their business. Creating an inclusive and collaborative work environment is a priority for her.
What’s Your Why?
I view maternal mental health as part of the support framework that ensures equitable access to career opportunities for all.
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Lee Johnson III, Ph.D., is Senior Fellow for Early Childhood Education at the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) and directs the Southern Early Childhood Education Justice (SECEJ) Network. He leads the Network’s regional coalition of caregivers, early care and education professionals, advocates, and researchers dedicated to expanding early learning opportunities across the South.
Previously, Dr. Johnson served as Vice President of Policy at the National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI), directing its advocacy, research, and public policy initiatives. Before joining NBCDI, Dr. Johnson served as Senior Policy Analyst for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) at ZERO TO THREE, championing federal investments in mental health programs for babies and their families. He later held director appointments at Alabama’s Department of Early Childhood Education, where he directed the state’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program and the state’s IECMH Association, expanding mental health services and home visiting access.
He earned a B.S. in early childhood education and an M.A. and Ph.D. in public health from the University of Alabama.
What’s Your Why?
What draws me to maternal mental health is the chance to honor my mother’s legacy while recognizing, through the experience of losing her during my early childhood, that so much of who we become as adults takes shape long before we speak our first words. The quality of our earliest experiences, including whether our mothers’ and caregivers’ well-being was fully supported throughout our development, matters deeply, which is why being part of the solution for so many families is so meaningful to me.
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Veronica Pollock is a Senior Vice President at DB3, where she leads strategic government affairs and advocacy efforts for a diverse portfolio of domestic and international clients, including multinational corporations, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, and foreign governments. She advises organizations on engaging federal policymakers, refining their message, and effectively communicating their value to lawmakers.
Veronica brings more than two decades of experience navigating Capitol Hill and the broader policy community. Her work is grounded in long-standing relationships with Members of Congress, senior Hill staff, and government affairs leaders across both parties, enabling her to anticipate political dynamics and position clients for both near-term wins and long-term policy objectives.
Before joining DB3 in 2014, Veronica worked for a global organization focused on strengthening democratic institutions, overseeing programs in emerging political environments and organizing major international political forums. Earlier in her career, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. Veronica graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and two children.
What’s Your Why?
Maternal mental health is deeply personal to me. After experiencing postpartum depression with my first child, a stillbirth at 39 weeks with my second, and a long road of recovery supported by maternal mental health specialists who focus on loss, my third child arrived with profound gratitude — shaping my commitment to advancing real policy solutions that support mothers, babies, and families when they need it most.
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Dr. Lamia Soghier is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington DC.
She is a board-certified neonatologist and the Associate Division Chief of Operations for the Department of Neonatology, and the NICU Quality and Safety Officer at Children’s National since 2013.
Dr. Soghier has a profound interest in improving caregiver mental health in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) through the application of improvement science. After completing a randomized controlled trial, the team at Children’s National understood that the NICU caregiver population remains understudied despite being at higher risk. These findings and others led Dr. Soghier to investigate factors contributing to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) in NICU caregivers, the role of resilience and neighborhood disadvantage, and the use of quality improvement approaches to advance universal screening and referral for postpartum caregivers.
Through several funding opportunities, Children’s National has established a multidisciplinary team of physicians, social workers, screeners, psychologists, and quality improvement specialists to advance this work.
What’s Your Why?
I believe caring for critically ill infants also means caring for the mental health and well-being of their families. Healing one heals the whole.
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Jessica Brooks-Woods is the CEO of the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals, and she previously served as President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health from 2013-2023. Jessica focuses on advancing healthcare value, access, equity, and quality.
Jessica founded EARN Staffing Solutions as a crucial full-service DEI-centered consulting and talent placement firm for the business community. She serves her community generously and serves on the boards of directors for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
Jessica is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business, and Carnegie Mellon University, where she received her master’s in public management.
What’s Your Why?
My “why” is rooted in both my personal and professional experiences. As a mother, I understand the responsibility, pressure, and emotional weight women often carry while still showing up for everyone around them. Throughout my career in healthcare and health equity, I have also seen how often women’s voices, pain, and mental health concerns are minimized or overlooked within the system, particularly during pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood.
That intersection is what draws me to maternal mental health advocacy. I believe every mother deserves to be heard, supported, and cared for holistically, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. When we prioritize maternal mental health, we change outcomes not only for women, but for families and future generations.