Staff
Joy Burkhard, MBA - Executive Director
Joy is the founder and executive director of 2020 Mom. Joy was inspired to found 2020 Mom after several of her worlds collided, including losing her little brother to suicide, learning the complexities of the U.S. health and mental health system while working for a health insurer, becoming directly involved in health care policy change and experiencing the realities of birth and the postpartum period with her firstborn. She recognized she was in a unique position to learn why mothers (and others) were not being treated for mental health disorders in the same way they were for medical conditions.
She has a passion for quality and innovation and believes that the government's role should be to keep its people safe and to that end, establish baseline requirements for businesses so the U.S. can count on our health delivery system. She also believes it's business's role to surpass baseline requirements and delight people with the best possible care.
Joy is known as a collaborator as well as a fierce advocate representing the interests of our largest health care consumers – mothers.
Her most gratifying projects at 2020 Mom have included hosting the organization's annual FORUMs, which brings together hundreds of change agents pushing the envelope in the fields of maternal and mental health as well as the National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health, which convenes non-profits with shared interests in addressing gaps in maternal mental health.
Joy worked for the insurer Cigna where she spent nearly 25 years. She served as a regulatory affairs leader and has a passion for quality improvement and innovation. Joy is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology expert workgroup on Maternal Mental Health and the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, the nation’s first agency working to solve the U.S.’s maternal mortality crisis.
She has been recognized for her leadership and vision with several awards, including receiving The American Public Health Association’s Maternal Child Health Leadership and Advocacy Award, California's American Mother of Achievement Award, the "Emerging Leader" award in women's health from the federal Health and Human Services Agency, Office of Women's Health and Cigna's Volunteer of the Year award.
Joy lives with her husband and two Jr. High school-age children in Los Angeles, California.
LaToya Davis, MS
LaToya is the Director of Communications & Marketing for 2020 Mom.
Her career has included various roles in Communications and Marketing in the corporate and nonprofit space including iHeartRadio and Under Armour. Most recently, LaToya worked at the Greater DC Diaper Bank as the Director of Communications.
LaToya is a New Jersey native but currently resides in Maryland. She is a proud mother of two amazing preschool aged children, Jaxon and Kaari and is married to her college sweetheart. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Psi Epsilon Omega Chapter. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Pearl Elegance Foundation, Inc. and sits on the executive team for ColorComm.
LaToya received her bachelor’s degree (dual) in Communications and Marketing from Syracuse University (SU) and her M.S. in Media Management from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at SU.
She enjoys traveling the world, spending time with family and friends, and gaining new experiences. She gets the most gratitude from living her best life, growing to new heights, and evolving as a strong woman.
Cindy Herrick MA, CPSS, MHFA
Cindy is a mom, teacher, musician, researcher, entrepreneur, maternal mental health advocate. She serves as 2020 Mom’s nonprofit and medical partner lead. She also runs the Maternal Suicide Awareness Campaign as well as the Maternal Mental Health Week Awareness Campaign under 2020 Mom’s Awareness brand, TheBlueDotProject. Her own experience with severe maternal mental health disorders in 2012 sparked her desire to bring change to the maternal mental healthcare system, as well as work towards mainstreaming the discussion about maternal mental health.
Cindy is a certified peer support specialist and is a subject matter expert for the Arizona Department of Health Services’ (ADHS) Maternal Mortality Board. She is also on ADHS’s Arizona Maternal Mental Health Task Force, where she chairs the awareness workgroup. Cindy is also a Patient Merit Reviewer for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Prior to joining 2020 Mom, Cindy was a graduate instructor and researcher at Arizona State University, specializing in autism spectrum disorders. She also founded her own piano music studio in 2007, created to meet the individual needs of both neurotypical students and students on the autism spectrum. She currently resides in Phoenix, AZ with her husband, son, and 3 cats.
Laura Killgore
Laura joined 2020 Mom in 2018 and leads social media for 2020 Mom and TheBlueDotProject and supports social media for Mom Congress. She has a background in Early Childhood Education and a passion for child development and parent education. She married her loving and supportive husband, Stephen, in August of 2016, and in June of 2018, she became a mother to a baby girl, Adaline. After experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety, her family has decided to explore adoption through the foster care system to grow their family.
Brooke Lerman
Brooke joined 2020 Mom in 2019 and has held multiple roles including performing social media engagement. Brooke is a strong project manager and currently supports the Executive Director and the 2020 Mom board of directors. She has a background in Early Childhood Education with a strong emphasis in Special Education, specifically Autism. Brooke lives in Central Oregon with her loving husband Dan, whom she married in 2012, and became a new mother in September of 2019 to a baby girl, Aspen Jade.
Alice Lu, MBA
Alice Lu supports 2020 Mom’s California legislative advocacy work. Alice has over a decade of experience in biotech and pharmaceutical product management and new product planning - launching and growing innovative products and programs for patients with unmet medical needs. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Economics and Business Management from Cornell University, and an MBA in Biotechnology and Health Industry Management and Marketing from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.
Crystal McAuley
Crystal joined 2020 Mom in 2017 as an Ambassador with a passion for creating community connections and policy change. Formally joining the team in 2018, she supports advocacy and events. She is a mother to two boys and wife to a loving Kiwi husband. She is proud to serve her community locally as a peer supporter for Napa MomSquad.
Mary Miller
Mary has more than 15 years of experience in strategic partnerships and development and is passionate about supporting and empowering moms. In her role, Mary is responsible for building partnerships that can expand the impact of 2020 Mom, Mom Congress, and its collaborators. Prior to her work with 2020 Mom and Mom Congress, Mary spent more than a decade focused on coalition building, external relations, fundraising and grassroots outreach for several nationally focused think tanks, non-profits, and public policy organizations. She received a BA from McGill University in Montreal and resides in Virginia where she is a proud #GirlMom.
Kelly Nielson, MPH
Kelly has nearly 20 years of experience in the research, clinical, and nonprofit settings, and is passionate about improving the quality of care and the patient experience. In her role, Kelly oversees operations, manages projects, and develops systems needed to support the visionary work of 2020 Mom. Kelly is drawn to this cause because she knows that maternal health - both mental and physical - can determine the wellbeing of future generations and help predict public health challenges for families, communities, and our healthcare system.
Stacey Porter, MSW
Stacey manages 2020 Mom’s MMH Certificate Training and webinars, as well as the Public Health Fellows and Ambassador Programs. She lives in the north suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Stacey has several years of experience in collaborative work focused on supporting mothers and families during the perinatal period, including the work of her own non-profit which supports families through birth trauma and perinatal/infant loss. Stacey received her Master of Social Work degree from Rutgers University. Prior to that, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Diana Rae
Diana is a graphic designer that has extensive experience in the advertising, publishing, and print industries. She has been producing graphics for 2020 Mom, TheBlueDotProject, Mom Congress, the National Collation for Maternal Mental Health (NCMMH), and the California Maternal Mental Health Collaborative (CMMHC) since 2012. Her work can be seen on our posters, brochures, palm cards, and campaign materials, as well as our websites and email newsletters and many other related materials.
Shalini Wickramatilake, MHS
Shalini is 2020 Mom’s Policy Director and resides in the suburbs of Washington, DC. She is a public health professional whose hope is that anyone struggling with mental health or addiction issues is able to access the services they need.
Prior to joining 2020 Mom in 2021, Shalini served as the Associate Director of Public Policy for the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD), where she held several previous positions. Prior to NASADAD, she served as a research coordinator at Boston Medical Center, case manager at a residential treatment center, and program coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Shalini earned her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, and she is currently pursuing her Doctor of Public Health degree there with a focus on Health Policy & Management. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University.