Board of Directors

Christine Staricka is an IBCLC and certified childbirth educator with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.  Her work in Bakersfield, CA area hospitals has encompassed inpatient and outpatient clinical consultation, ongoing staff education, and work toward Baby-Friendly certification.  She is an experienced NICU and postpartum, and outpatient lactation consultant.  In 2013, Christine co-founded a professional lactation education group called California Advanced Lactation Institute which has trained nearly 100 individuals in basic breastfeeding management and preparation for the IBCLC exam.  In 2013 she and her local colleagues created Central Valley Lactation Association (CVLA),  a chapter of USLCA, to coordinate efforts to support lactation professionals in California’s Central Valley.  She is the current Secretary of CVLA.  In 2014, Christine and 2 other IBCLCs opened California’s first licensed Baby Cafe location.  Baby Cafe provides free breastfeeding support and IBCLC care in a welcoming and non-medical environment; it is a non-profit service which operates on in-kind donations and Christine and the IBCLC team volunteer their clinical services.  Baby Cafe also provides the only venue in Kern County which allows individuals to obtain supervised clinical hours toward the IBCLC exam in a non-employment setting.  Christine is serving on the California Breastfeeding Coalition Summit Committee for 2016 and is a member of the International Association of Tongue Tie Professionals.  Christine met her husband of over 20 years while both were serving in the US Navy and they are the proud parents of 3 amazing daughters.  She and her husband love dogs, especially Doberman Pinschers, and enjoy concerts and live music, especially Pearl Jam.

Sylvia Edwards is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University, Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing. She received her masters in Nursing Administration and as a Pediatric Clinical Specialist from Ohio State University.  She graduated with a post graduate degree from the University of South Carolina as an Advanced Practice Nurse in Family Practice. She has been a registered nurse for 42 years and a Board Certified Lactation Consultant for the past 3.5 years. She has been practicing as an Advanced Nursing Coordinator of Lactation Services at the University of Alabama Birmingham for the last  5 years. During this time, Sylvia managed a hospital lactation program and facilitated a mother/ baby delivery system redesign.  She developed staff lactation competency  with classroom educational components. She trains hospital staff, nursing and medical students, intern, and residents in care of the breastfeeding mother and child. She is the Co-Chair of the Alabama Breastfeeding Committee and the Southeastern Regional Representative on the USBC. She has worked on a CPPW grant with the Jefferson County Department of Health on a Child Care Obesity Task Force. She has been a speaker in several statewide workshops and has been asked to speak at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and the Alabama State Obesity Task Force regarding Breastfeeding.  Sylvia has a varied background and has held positions as a Family Nurse Practitioner, Chief Nursing Officer, Administrative Director of Women Services, Clinical Associate Professor, as well as various managerial and staff nursing positions.   She has experience serving on several boards in educational, professional, and community organizations. She is wife to her wonderful husband of 44 years and the proud mother of three breastfed children and four breastfed grandchildren ranging in age from 8 – 18 years old.

Maureen Dann is a pediatric nurse practitioner and IBCLC who has worked with breastfeeding couples for over 30 years. She has written articles and the book, LACTATION MANAGEMENT: TECHNIQUES, TIPS, AND TOOLS FOR THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER to help integrate breastfeeding support into routine primary care. Maureen was a member of the first USLCA board, and she continues to support education efforts in her community and through the USLCA Professional Development Committee. She is currently the Breastfeeding Community Coordinator working with the United Way to help pediatric and OB practices achieve Breastfeeding Friendly designation in Western New York.

Dominique Gallo has been helping mothers and advocating for breastfeeding for the past 6 years and has been an IBCLC for the past 2 years. She is a wife to a wonderful husband and mommy to two beautiful girls and one adventurous little boy.

Michelle Stulberger holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology, Masters of Healthcare Administration, and IBCLC (2014.) She is the Director of Business Operations for Metropolitan Breastfeeding & Littlebeam in Bethesda, MD, where she runs the businesses and also see patients.

Ginger Carney is currently the Director of Clinical Nutrition at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN, and an original member of the Memphis Area Lactation Consultant Association (MALCA).  She is a registered dietitian (R.D.) and an IBCLC.  She has a Baccalaureate Degree in Dietetics and a Master of Public Health.  She was honored to become a Fellow of the International Lactation Consultant Association during the inaugural year.  She has worked many years in pediatric clinical nutrition and her areas of expertise include infant nutrition and breastfeeding support in the pediatric setting.  She has been very active in the local USLCA chapter and breastfeeding coalition in Memphis for many years, and also provides lactation education and mentoring to students in local dietetic internships, as well as prenatal breastfeeding classes at her institution.  Her interests include advancing breastfeeding education for healthcare professionals, inspiring more dietitians to become IBCLC, and raising the breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in the local area.  Ginger has been married to her high school sweetheart for more than 30 years, and together they have three adult children.

 Danielle Harmon joined the USLCA as Executive Director after spending 2 years as the Breastfeeding Project Coordinator for a non-profit in her home town of Lincoln, Nebraska. During her time in Lincoln she also served on the leadership team for the Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition. Danielle obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science and Dietetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and earned her Master of Public Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health. During graduate school, she worked at the University of Texas Health Science Center and the Lactation Foundation, where she developed an even stronger passion for breastfeeding and the important role of the IBCLC.  Danielle currently resides with her husband, Thomas in Chicago and enjoys exploring what the city has to offer as well as spending time with friends and her dog, Cozmo.