2026 CHAMPS National Virtual Conference

Antoinette Kleiner is a Registered Nurse and CHAMPS National Consultant dedicated to maternal-child health advancements to improve the health and well-being of her community. She has served Indigenous communities within the Indian Health Service to attain Baby-Friendly designation and advance the voice of the community on feeding support. Additionally, she is a former Chairperson of the Four Corners Chapter of the New Mexico Breastfeeding Taskforce, working to increase breastfeeding support of all families.

Antoinette currently works as nursing faculty in Guam, teaching maternal-child and community health nursing to BSN students to influence their roles in maternity and community care practices and support the feeding goals of all families. She is also a member of the Guam Breastfeeding Action Team, working to promote community awareness, support, and advocacy while supporting healthcare personnel and agencies to promote evidence-based practices.

Becky Knapp, MPH, RN, IBCLC, has been a maternal-child health nurse for 18 years. Since the start of her career, she has been driven to support moms, babies, and their families during the prenatal and postpartum period. Becky’s passion quickly became promoting and protecting breastfeeding, in particular addressing socioeconomic and racial inequities that can so often complicate the breastfeeding journey. This has guided her work across the country as a postpartum, nursery, and antepartum nurse and lactation consultant in hospitals and the community. Additionally, Becky has worked on research teams looking at best practices to address inequities in maternity care.

Cathy Carothers, BLA, IBCLC, FILCA, is a CHAMPS National hospital coach and consultant, a national breastfeeding promotion and support expert, and Co-Director of Every Mother, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing counseling and lactation training for health professionals across the United States. Cathy is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 1996; past president and Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association; and past chair of the United States Breastfeeding Committee. She currently serves as Chair of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) Steering Committee and has served as the North American representative to WABA since 2023. She has provided more than a thousand training events in the field of lactation in every US state and territory and many countries. She was honored with the CHEER Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 and received the National Leadership Award in the “Friend of WIC” category from the National WIC Association in 2014.

In addition, Cathy has served as the national project director for numerous USDA Women, Infants, and Children curriculum development projects, including project director for the new WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum, a comprehensive breastfeeding staff training curriculum for all levels of WIC staff. She also developed the national WIC peer counseling program training curricula and management materials. Cathy previously worked with the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop national resources for supporting breastfeeding employees and their employers, including the MCHB Business Case for Breastfeeding, and the OWH Supporting Nursing Moms at Work national initiative. She has provided state-level workshops for employers and community advocates on worksite lactation support in 37 US states. 

Trendle Samuel, MPH, BSN, RN, CLC, is a Senior Research Project Manager with the Center for Health Equity, Education and Research (CHEER) and a CHAMPS National coach. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Health Education and Promotion, from the University of Alabama.

With 28 years of experience in maternal-child health, Trendle has served in a variety of clinical, public health, and leadership roles, including obstetric nurse, Labor and Delivery nurse manager, and Perinatal Coordinator for the Alabama Department of Public Health. Her work has focused on improving outcomes for mothers, infants, and families through clinical care, quality improvement, and community partnerships. In 2021, she was recognized as one of Alabama's Top 10 Nurses.

Today, Trendle supports hospitals nationwide in implementing evidence-based practices that promote breastfeeding, improve maternal and infant health outcomes, and reduce health disparities. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, traveling, going to the movies, and listening to Prince.

Danilea Carmona Matos is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and Technical Assistance Guide for the CHAMPS National Program at CHEER. She specializes in maternal and infant health, breastfeeding support, health equity, and culturally responsive Spanish-language training. Based in Puerto Rico, she also works at Blooming Families Clinic providing direct breastfeeding education and support. Danilea has led Spanish-language trainings on Quality Improvement and breastfeeding and contributed to national clinical research and publications focused on underrepresented communities in medical education. Her background also includes a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) research fellowship and over five years of experience in medical and legal translation.

Kirsten Krane is a registered dietitian and co-founder of Yarrow, a public health consulting organization specializing in quality improvement, evaluation, strategic planning, assessment, and maternal and child health. She holds Master’s degrees in both Nutrition and Public Health and has worked in the fields of nutrition and public health for more than 18 years. During that time, she has held positions with Boston University, Indian Health Service, Montana WIC, and the Peace Corps.

Laura Burnham, MPH, is the Associate Director at the Center for Health Equity, Education, & Research (CHEER) at Boston Medical Center. Her work focuses on quality improvement and program implementation in the field of maternal and child health, with a particular focus on breastfeeding and maternity care practices. Laura manages CHEER’s CHAMPS (Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Care Practices) programs, which assist birthing hospitals to safely implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. 

Anne Merewood, PhD, MPH, is the Executive Director of the Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research (CHEER) and Executive Director and Founder of the CHEER International Group (CHEERing) a nonprofit organization working with refugees in Greater Athens, Greece. Additionally, Dr. Merewood is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, an Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health, Affiliate Faculty at the Boston University Center on Forced Migration, and visiting Associate Professor at the University of Nicosia School of Medicine, Cyprus.

For years, Dr. Merewood has led millions of dollars’ worth of funded projects that have successfully increased breastfeeding rates and reduced disparities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Southern Texas and among Tribal Communities in Alaska, Arizona, Montana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, by increasing the number of Baby-Friendly designated hospitals in those regions. Due to the documented success of the CHAMPS (Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Practices) and Dr. Merewood’s other previous work with hospitals in Massachusetts and New Jersey, CHEER earned a 3-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to replicate the success of CHAMPS nationally.

Dr. Merewood has coauthored over 80 peer-reviewed publications, spoken at conferences nationally and internationally, and served as a member of the American Public Health Association, the International Society for Research into Human Milk and Lactation (ISRHML), and the Society for Prevention Research. She is the former Editor in Chief of the Journal of Human Lactation and current editorial board member for the Journal of Maternal Child Nutrition. Dr. Merewood has also served as a consultant for the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality, the DHHS Indian Health Service, and is a current consultant for the World Health Organization and UNICEF.

Dr. Michelle Owens is a Maternal Fetal Medicine subspecialist who completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Johns Hopkins Hospital and her fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Owens is MFM faculty at Ascension St. Vincent’s Hospital and is the Perinatal Medical Director for Magnolia Health. She is a consultant for the MS State Department of Health where she chairs the Maternal Mortality Review Committee. Her research and clinical interests are in hypertensive and substance use disorders in pregnancy, cancer in pregnancy, sickle cell disease, and health disparities. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters and serves as the Vice President of the MS State Board of Medical Licensure. Dr. Owens is a passionate advocate for women’s health and health equity both locally and nationally. She has served as a District and National officer of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and member of its Board of Directors.

Andrea Serano, MPH, CLC, IBCLC, CHES, is the Executive Director of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), a national nonprofit organization advancing breastfeeding equity and maternal-infant health justice through culturally grounded, community-led solutions. A clinician and public health advocate, Andrea brings extensive lactation experience and systems-level leadership to building sustainable pathways for families – particularly Black families and other communities historically underserved by maternity and lactation care. At ROSE, Andrea helps lead strategy, partnerships, and program implementation, including coordination of trainings, events, and program-related activities that strengthen the national lactation workforce and expand mother-to-mother and peer support models. She is also a key driver of ROSE’s annual summit planning and fundraising efforts, ensuring convenings remain mission-aligned, community-centered, and action-oriented.  

Andrea holds a Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Maternal Child Health with a concentration in Human Lactation from Union Institute and University. In addition, Andrea is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree with a concentration in Diverse Populations and Health Equity from Mercer University. Her professional pathway reflects a rare blend of bedside lactation expertise and public health leadership –supporting families directly while also shaping the systems, policies, and partnerships that determine whether families can access respectful, evidence-based breastfeeding support.

In addition to her leadership at ROSE, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Maternal Child Health Section of the Georgia Public Health Association. She has also held board positions with both the Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition and the United States Breastfeeding Committee.

Complementing her policy and advocacy work, Ms. Serano has provided direct clinical support as a bedside lactation consultant in two Baby-Friendly designated hospitals in the Metro Atlanta area.

Cathy Carothers, BLA, IBCLC, FILCA, is a CHAMPS National hospital coach and consultant, a national breastfeeding promotion and support expert, and Co-Director of Every Mother, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing counseling and lactation training for health professionals across the United States. Cathy is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 1996; past president and Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association; and past chair of the United States Breastfeeding Committee. She currently serves as Chair of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) Steering Committee and has served as the North American representative to WABA since 2023. She has provided more than a thousand training events in the field of lactation in every US state and territory and many countries. She was honored with the CHEER Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 and received the National Leadership Award in the “Friend of WIC” category from the National WIC Association in 2014.

In addition, Cathy has served as the national project director for numerous USDA Women, Infants, and Children curriculum development projects, including project director for the new WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum, a comprehensive breastfeeding staff training curriculum for all levels of WIC staff. She also developed the national WIC peer counseling program training curricula and management materials. Cathy previously worked with the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop national resources for supporting breastfeeding employees and their employers, including the MCHB Business Case for Breastfeeding, and the OWH Supporting Nursing Moms at Work national initiative. She has provided state-level workshops for employers and community advocates on worksite lactation support in 37 US states. 

Trendle Samuel, MPH, BSN, RN, CLC, is a Senior Research Project Manager with the Center for Health Equity, Education and Research (CHEER) and a CHAMPS National coach. She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Health Education and Promotion, from the University of Alabama.

With 28 years of experience in maternal-child health, Trendle has served in a variety of clinical, public health, and leadership roles, including obstetric nurse, Labor and Delivery nurse manager, and Perinatal Coordinator for the Alabama Department of Public Health. Her work has focused on improving outcomes for mothers, infants, and families through clinical care, quality improvement, and community partnerships. In 2021, she was recognized as one of Alabama's Top 10 Nurses.

Today, Trendle supports hospitals nationwide in implementing evidence-based practices that promote breastfeeding, improve maternal and infant health outcomes, and reduce health disparities. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters, traveling, going to the movies, and listening to Prince.

Charlotte Treitl, known online as "The Milk Rebel," is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Clinical Lead for Parenting at Anya. She is dedicated to making breastfeeding support more accessible, inclusive, and empowering for every family.

With over a decade of experience, Charlotte's work spans peer support, grassroots advocacy, clinical leadership, and policy development. She provides personalized, evidence-based support to help parents navigate infant feeding with confidence. At Anya, she leads the development of research-informed parenting and infant feeding resources, ensuring families have access to trusted support throughout early parenthood.

Charlotte is also an advocate for improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities in infant feeding. She believes every family deserves high-quality support, regardless of their background or circumstances, and works to improve the systems that support breastfeeding families.

Charlotte combines clinical expertise with practical problem-solving and a compassionate, family-centered approach, bringing warmth, honesty, and real-world experience to every session she delivers.

Laura Burnham, MPH, is the Associate Director at the Center for Health Equity, Education, & Research (CHEER) at Boston Medical Center. Her work focuses on quality improvement and program implementation in the field of maternal and child health, with a particular focus on breastfeeding and maternity care practices. Laura manages CHEER’s CHAMPS (Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Care Practices) programs, which assist birthing hospitals to safely implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding. 

Mariah DeBow, MPH, is the Senior Project Management Specialist at the Center for Health Equity, Education, and Research (CHEER) at Boston Medical Center. She manages national maternal and child health initiatives focused on helping hospitals implement evidence-based maternity care practices, improve breastfeeding outcomes, and reduce health disparities through quality improvement, education, and collaboration.

Mariah earned her Master of Public Health from Boston University, where she concentrated on maternal and child health with a special interest in refugee and immigrant health. Her background includes program implementation, evaluation, and health communications.

Before joining CHEER, Mariah worked at Boston Medical Center's Immigrant & Refugee Health Center as the Social Media and Communications Specialist and Patient Advisory Council Coordinator, supporting patient engagement and outreach for immigrant and refugee communities. She also served as a communications specialist for Nature and Culture International, promoting environmental and community health initiatives in Mexico and South America. As CHEER International Group's (CHEERing) first fellow, she helped coordinate a preventive health program serving refugee communities in Greece.

Kayla Dunavan has served as a Lactation Consultant at Lompoc Valley Medical Center for the past six years, providing evidence-based breastfeeding support to families throughout their infant feeding journey. She completed her Lactation Consultant Education Certificate through the University of California, San Diego Extension and became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in 2019. Kayla earned her Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Development, with a minor in Psychology, from San Diego State University. She is passionate about empowering families through compassionate, family-centered lactation care and education.

With 20 years of experience at the St. Cloud Hospital Birth Center, Heather Klein has served in multiple roles, including postpartum bedside nurse, lactation resource nurse, core charge nurse, and her current position as a postpartum nurse clinician. Throughout her career, she has remained committed to providing evidence-based care to postpartum patients while ensuring the highest standards of support and clinical excellence.

Tabitha Smith is a Registered Nurse and Lactation Nurse from Macon, Georgia, currently practicing at Atrium Health Navicent. She has 13 years of nursing experience, including 7 years in postpartum care and 3 years specializing in lactation. As a mother of three girls, including a set of twins, Tabitha's own breastfeeding challenges have deeply changed her approach to lactation care and deepened her passion for supporting and educating breastfeeding families. She loves being a lactation nurse because she has an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in such an important and vulnerable time in a family's life. She loves helping moms feel heard, supported, and empowered, especially when breastfeeding feels difficult. These personal and professional experiences inspired her to become a CLC, expand her knowledge, advocate for breastfeeding families, and continue her education with the goal of becoming an IBCLC.

Lindsey Smith is a Registered Nurse and Lactation Nurse from Macon, Georgia, currently practicing at Atrium Health Navicent. She began her nursing career in emergency and trauma nursing, where she gained valuable experience caring for patients during some of their most vulnerable moments. Her passion for lactation comes from her own experiences as a mom of three children. She faced challenges while breastfeeding her own babies, and those experiences showed her firsthand how overwhelming it can feel when things don't go as planned. Those challenges became the foundation for her desire to help other mothers. Her goal is to meet each mom where she is, help her navigate the challenges, and remind her that she is capable and doing an amazing job. Lindsey loves combining her emergency nursing background with her passion for lactation to provide compassionate, individualized care to every family she serves. She feels honored to be able to turn her own experiences into a career where she can support moms and babies during such a meaningful time. 

Jen is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and registered nurse with nearly five years of experience in postpartum care and lactation. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from Louisiana State University, a Master of Education from Texas State University, and an Associate of Science in Nursing from Charity School of Nursing. Jen uses her unique expertise in education and nursing to help improve breastfeeding outcomes through evidence-based practice, education, and quality improvement. She enjoys creating and providing healthcare teams and her patients with practical, family-centered strategies that promote exclusive breastfeeding and support families in reaching their breastfeeding goals.

Stephanie Murillo, BSN, RNC-MNN, is a registered nurse with 18 years of experience within the Ochsner Health system. She is currently a full-time employee at Ochsner Medical Center- West Bank campus, but has been a shared employee in the past, working across several Ochsner campuses, gaining diverse clinical experience while caring for women, newborns, and their families. Stephanie spent 15 years providing direct bedside care in Women's Services before transitioning into a quality improvement role, where she led initiatives focused on improving maternal and newborn outcomes, enhancing patient safety, and promoting evidence-based practice. Although she valued the opportunity to influence system-wide improvements, Stephanie missed the meaningful connections that come with caring directly for patients and families. This passion led her back to the bedside, where she continues to provide compassionate, patient-centered care. Drawing on both her extensive clinical background and quality improvement expertise, Stephanie is dedicated to improving patient outcomes and elevating the experience of patients, families, and healthcare team members alike.

Danilea Carmona Matos is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and Technical Assistance Guide for the CHAMPS National Program at CHEER. She specializes in maternal and infant health, breastfeeding support, health equity, and culturally responsive Spanish-language training. Based in Puerto Rico, she also works at Blooming Families Clinic providing direct breastfeeding education and support. Danilea has led Spanish-language trainings on Quality Improvement and breastfeeding and contributed to national clinical research and publications focused on underrepresented communities in medical education. Her background also includes a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) research fellowship and over five years of experience in medical and legal translation.

Kirsten Krane is a registered dietitian and co-founder of Yarrow, a public health consulting organization specializing in quality improvement, evaluation, strategic planning, assessment, and maternal and child health. She holds Master’s degrees in both Nutrition and Public Health and has worked in the fields of nutrition and public health for more than 18 years. During that time, she has held positions with Boston University, Indian Health Service, Montana WIC, and the Peace Corps.

Cathy Carothers, BLA, IBCLC, FILCA, is a CHAMPS National hospital coach and consultant, a national breastfeeding promotion and support expert, and Co-Director of Every Mother, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing counseling and lactation training for health professionals across the United States. Cathy is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 1996; past president and Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association; and past chair of the United States Breastfeeding Committee. She currently serves as Chair of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) Steering Committee and has served as the North American representative to WABA since 2023. She has provided more than a thousand training events in the field of lactation in every US state and territory and many countries. She was honored with the CHEER Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024 and received the National Leadership Award in the “Friend of WIC” category from the National WIC Association in 2014.

In addition, Cathy has served as the national project director for numerous USDA Women, Infants, and Children curriculum development projects, including project director for the new WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum, a comprehensive breastfeeding staff training curriculum for all levels of WIC staff. She also developed the national WIC peer counseling program training curricula and management materials. Cathy previously worked with the HHS Office on Women’s Health (OWH) and Maternal Child Health Bureau (MCHB) to develop national resources for supporting breastfeeding employees and their employers, including the MCHB Business Case for Breastfeeding, and the OWH Supporting Nursing Moms at Work national initiative. She has provided state-level workshops for employers and community advocates on worksite lactation support in 37 US states. 

Susan Bonasso, BJ, BSN, RN, IBCLC is a nurse and lactation consultant at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s. Nine years of working with families in the Birthing Center as a certified RN spearheaded her passion for lactation and guiding new parents through their best start possible. Ensuring all families have the information to make educated decisions, and are empowered and supported when it comes to feeding their newborns, is near and dear to her heart. Susan also spent a year teaching in the WVU School of Nursing. After five years as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, Susan has been educating and creating updated informational materials for staff and patients alike, while working directly with new parents at the bedside.

With experience in both outpatient and inpatient pediatric settings and extensive training in infant feeding, Samantha Craigo provides specialized speech, feeding, and lactation services at WVU Thomas Hospitals through LinguaCare Associates. In addition, Samantha works within the WVBTT Early Intervention program through Speech & Teach LLC, supporting infants and children through evidence-based speech, feeding, and lactation services designed to promote healthy growth and development. Samantha is TOTS and SOFFI certified and recently became certified as a Certified Infant Massage Coach.

Charlotte Dillon, MSN, RN, IBCLC is the Hospital Lactation Consultant at Cabell Huntington Hospital, Marshall Health Network in Huntington, West Virginia. She has more than 40 years of nursing experience, including 20 years as an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant. Charlotte serves in dual leadership roles for the CHAMPS initiative as the Breastfeeding/10 Steps Team Lead and Quality Improvement Team Lead. She is passionate about staff education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advancing best practices in lactation care. Outside of work, Charlotte is the proud mother of five wonderful children and the soon-to-be grandmother of seven precious grandchildren.

Emily K. Nease MD, NABBLM-C, FAAP is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine in Morgantown, WV. She is a graduate of the West Virginia University School of Medicine. She completed her residency training at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh specializing in General Pediatrics. Dr. Nease is a board-certified Pediatrician and board-certified Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine physician through the North American Board of Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine (NABBLM). Her areas of interest include newborn care, Breastfeeding and Lactation Medicine (BFLM), and graduate medical education. She served as the WVU Pediatrics Residency Associate Program Director from 2010-2015 and the Pediatrics Residency Program Director from 2015-2017. Dr. Nease also served as the Vice Chair (2019-2022) and Chair (2022-2025) of the West Virginia University School of Medicine Committee on Admissions. Dr. Nease established an outpatient breastfeeding/lactation medicine clinic in 2014 where she cares for breastfeeding dyads. Through her work, she educates and mentors medical students and residents to support breastfeeding families. Dr. Nease is a member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), AAP Section on Breastfeeding, and serves as a WV AAP board Member At-Large, and AAP Chapter Breastfeeding Coordinator for WV.

Dr. Elizabeth A. Copenhaver, MD, FAAP is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Vandalia Health CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital. She earned her medical degree from the West Virginia University School of Medicine (WVU) in Morgantown, West Virginia (2013), and completed her general pediatric residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee (2016).

Dr. Copenhaver is a board-certified general pediatrician who practices as a newborn hospitalist in Charleston, West Virginia. Her clinical and academic interests include newborn care, breastfeeding medicine, community health, and advocacy. She serves on the WVU Committee of Academic and Professional Standards as a medical student advisor (2025-present).

Dr. Copenhaver served as the physician lead in establishing West Virginia’s first breastmilk depot and breastmilk dispensary, helping expand access to donor human milk for infants across the state. She is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, and the Academic Pediatric Association.

Laura Burnham, MPH, is the Associate Director at the Center for Health Equity, Education, & Research (CHEER) at Boston Medical Center. Her work focuses on quality improvement and program implementation in the field of maternal and child health, with a particular focus on breastfeeding and maternity care practices. Laura manages CHEER’s CHAMPS (Communities and Hospitals Advancing Maternity Care Practices) programs, which assist birthing hospitals to safely implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.