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.
Bekah Bischoff
Bekah supports 2020 Mom's federal legislative advocacy work and prepares mothers and other advocates to meet with members of Congress. Following her own near-death experience and postpartum recovery with the birth of her second child due to severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome, Bekah is passionate about helping moms identify and heal from their traumatic birth experiences. She recognizes the importance of sitting beside each hurting mother in the isolation that comes with pregnancy trauma. Her work centers on helping empower these women to transform their pain to purpose. In 2018, she collaborated with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) for legislative policy work, where she learned how much she loved meeting with policymakers to advocate for maternal health legislation and to ensure mothers are given a seat at the table. She specializes in storytelling for advocacy.
She calls Louisville, KY home where she lives with her husband Joseph, her two elementary-aged children, and two adopted babies, who have taught her the capacity of love our hearts are able to hold is immeasurable.
Rebecca Britt, MA
Rebecca joined 2020 Mom in 2022 with a passion for aligning strategic direction with streamlined processes that integrate evaluative measures to ensure program optimization, impact and sustainability. Rebecca has led innovative evaluation efforts to assess patient perspective and improve quality in prenatal and postpartum care. Rebecca is a visionary and global thinker. She holds a Master's degree in Program Evaluation and a professional certification in Results Based Accountability. As the Director of Research and Impact, Rebecca provides the evaluative framework necessary to ensure 2020 Mom's strategic focus prioritizes key activities that most effectively close gaps in maternal mental health.
Cindy Herrick MA, CPSS, MHFA
Cindy is a mom, teacher, musician, researcher, entrepreneur, maternal mental health advocate. She serves as 2020 Mom’s Strategic Partnerships and National Campaigns 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.
Kandyce Hylick, MPH
Kandyce serves as a Policy Analyst with 2020 Mom and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia. She is passionate about women’s health issues, focusing on improving women’s physical and mental health during pregnancy and postpartum. Kandyce also serves as a board member for Precious Me Inc, where she lends her expertise in program development and evaluation to aid in curriculum development and planning women’s health seminars for the community.
Aside from her research, Kandyce strives to invoke policy change to improve maternal health by collaborating with national organizations such as the American Public Health Association, the World Health Organization, and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs. She has co-authored policy statements on global maternal mental health and expanding Medicaid for one-year postpartum.
Her ultimate goal is to reduce maternal mental health disorders among birthing individuals while improving maternal well-being. Through policy, research, and practice, Kandyce aspires to help bring about integrated maternal health care models that allow women to get the care they need and deserve while bringing children into this world.
Sarah Johanek, MPH
Sarah joined 2020 Mom in 2022 with a passion for women’s health issues, accessible mental health services, and data-driven policy. As a former intern at Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, Sarah advocated for policies aimed to increase access to peer support services. Her public health background cultivated her interest in program evaluation, data analytics, and community-based research. Sarah was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, focused on women's empowerment within schools. She is dedicated to expanding her knowledge and skills and utilizing innovative solutions to decrease inequity.
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 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.
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.
Ebony Wrenn, M.Ed.
Ebony serves as the Program Director for Mom Congress. Ebony joined the Mom Congress team after serving for over ten years in the field of urban education, most recently as an Early Childhood Principal. She is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at National Louis University and will graduate in 2022. Ebony is passionate about ending generational poverty through empowering, encouraging, and elevating mothers. While reflecting on her personal and professional experiences, Ebony believes in an intergenerational approach to advocating for mothers; if we support mothers, their children will be supported as well. In her free time, Ebony enjoys reading a good book, traveling with her children, exploring pescatarian cuisine, and creating memories with family and friends.