Board and Staff

Stacy Davis has been inspired by her own lived experiences of being a Black woman and mother trying to navigate inequitable systems. She has dedicated her professional experiences to addressing inequities in infant nutrition and maternal child health. In the past 10 years, Stacy has assisted in the creation of programs and services aimed to address racial and health inequities, including instituting Pathway 2 lactation programs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, which seek to positively impact the maternal and infant mortality and morbidity rates, improve maternal and child nutrition outcomes, and increase, strengthen, and diversity in birth and lactation supporters and providers.

Stacy has received extensive training in racial equity, and cultural competence and humility through participating in cohorts such as Race Forward’s (formally known as Center for Social Inclusion) First Food Racial Equity Cohort and the Advancing Health Equity to Achieve Diversity and Inclusion AHEAD in WIC Health Equity Champion.

She obtained her undergraduate degree from Davenport University and graduate degree in Public Health from Western Michigan University. Currently, Stacy is the Senior Manager of Health Equity and Community Partnerships for the National WIC Association. Stacy is a lifelong resident of Detroit, MI and mother to four sons.

Dawn Baltz has more than 30 years of experience in nursing with a primary focus on maternal child health.  Having experienced her own struggles with breastfeeding and through the support of two IBCLCs, she was able to realize that there was so much more to supporting mothers and their infants.  She continued to work with mothers and infants at a hospital that was on a path to Baby Friendly and then at a Children’s hospital (that had a Lactation team) while working on her education and clinical skills hours to sit for her IBCLC.  Since becoming an IBCLC, she has continued to work with mothers and infants in a Children’s hospital and currently at a Baby Friendly Initiative Hospital.  She is the lactation team leader, provides lactation care to the mothers and infants in an inpatient setting and also in the outpatient office.  Mrs. Baltz also triages breastfeeding issues for moms who call the Lactation warm line and provides on-going staff education and guidance on lactation.  She has served as the Recording Secretary for the Florida Lactation Consultant Association for 4 years and is currently serving as their treasurer.  She is also a participant and Board Member at large for the Tampa Bay Breastfeeding Taskforce.

She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida, a Master’s of Science in Nursing Education from Walden University, is certified in Neonatal Intensive Care nursing and well as being an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.

Cierra Murphy-Higgs is a perinatal mental health advocate, lactation consultant, and educator dedicated to supporting families through culturally responsive, evidence-based care. She serves as the Didactic Coordinator for the Human Lactation Pathway 2 Program at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, instructing and mentoring future professionals and developing dynamic, learner-focused content to inspire and equip the next generation of practitioners. Cierra has extensive experience training pediatric and obstetric providers on best practices in lactation and infant feeding. She has had the opportunity to speak at national conferences and events, where she highlights the critical intersection of perinatal mental health and infant feeding challenges. Her advocacy focuses on integrating mental health support into clinical care and bridging systemic gaps to improve outcomes for families. In addition, Cierra oversees a peer coaching certification program as a perinatal behavioral health coach at FamilyWell Health, equipping coaches to compassionately support birthing individuals through their unique perinatal journeys. Motivated by personal experience and a multidisciplinary professional background, she is passionate about collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to provide equitable access to care, address disparities, and create holistic solutions that empower vulnerable populations.

Shirley Monge is a Los Angeles-based marketing strategist of Costa Rican heritage who has more than 20 years of volunteering + working with non-profits.  Part researcher, part strategist, part creator, I specialize in presenting data fused with storytelling. I’m currently enrolled in childbirth educator and doula training as well as breastfeeding studies. Pura Vida!

Debbie Sandberg joined USLCA in January of 2022.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from The University of Central Florida in her hometown of Orlando, Florida.  She grew up at Disney World as the child of a parent who worked in corporate Disney for 40 years.  Her interest in lactation stems from her personal positive experience working with lactation consultants during her own challenging, and eventually successful breastfeeding journey.  She is passionate about helping to grow the organization and serving USLCA members in any way she can.  She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas and enjoys traveling, exploring new restaurants and spending time with her husband, three-year-old son and pug.

Ashley Calderone is a nurse leader, educator, and strategist. She has clinical experience spanning inpatient, outpatient, and community health settings; specifically in pediatrics, postpartum, neonatal intensive care, OB outpatient, and lactation. She has extensive academic experience as faculty in the College of Nursing at Keiser University. Her interests include improving teamwork and communication, centering the voice of those with lived experience, and breaking silos to create more efficient systems of care. Ashley has served as the task force leader for the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and was responsible for opening and facilitating the first Baby Café on the southeast coast of Florida.

Ashley recognizes the importance of individual needs when it comes to learning styles and personal beliefs. With a heart for service, she sits on boards at the local and national level. Ashley earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Central Florida. She also holds degrees in Nursing (MSN) and Health Education & Behavior (B.S.) from the University of Florida. Her proudest accomplishment is being mom to 2 beautiful, exclusively breastfed children.

Ashley resides in Florida with her husband and two children. As a family they enjoy an active lifestyle full of golf cart rides, all things sports/exercise related, and making magic out of the small moments in life.