Dr. White practiced OB/GYN in Frankfort, Kentucky, for over twenty years. She retired from clinical medicine and joined the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH) as the Director of the Division of Women’s Health in 2009. She then joined the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky (UK) in 2011 in the Department for Health Behavior. Dr. White returned to KDPH as Deputy Commissioner of Clinical Affairs in 2011. She is Principal Investigator for multiple grants that include chronic diseases to substance use disorder and works in the state pandemic response.

Ms. Clouse received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Kentucky in May of 2009. From 2010 to 2019, she worked as an epidemiologist in Kentucky’s Department for Public Health (KDPH), within the Division of Maternal and Child Health (MCH). In October 2019, Ms. Clouse joined the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) serving as a Local Field Placement in Kentucky. In this role, she worked to enhance the KDPH’s capacity to develop and implement goals in critical areas for Kentucky’s Opioid Use Disorder, Maternal Outcome, and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Initiative (OMNI) and assisted Kentucky in establishing a Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Ms. Clouse is now employed with the University of Kentucky and serves as the Program Manager of Kentucky’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC). Ms. Clouse recently received her Certification in Public Health (CPH).

Mrs. Johnson serves as the Epidemiologist for the KyPQC through the Kentucky Department of Public Health. Ms. Farley received her Master’s of Public Health from the University of Kentucky in May of 2023. Ms. Farley also has BS in Health and Human Performance from the University of Louisville. She has experience in clinical research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and community outreach.

Mrs. Vargas is the Program and Collaboration Coordinator for the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC) at the Kentucky Department of Public Health. She is bilingual in Spanish and is able to use that skill to further the mission of the KyPQC in underserved perinatal populations. She earned her Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) from the University of Kentucky in 2016 and her Master of Public Health (MPH) at George Washington University in 2025. Following her BPH, she worked in international development across Central America, focusing primarily on public health and water initiatives in Honduras. Upon returning to the U.S., Mrs. Vargas joined the organization CASA and later served with the Pike County Health Department, furthering her commitment to improving community collaboration and health.

Mrs. Peacock is an Administrative Specialist for the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative (KyPQC) at the Kentucky Department of Public Health. She received her Bachelor’s in Health Services Administration in 2018 from Eastern Kentucky University.

Anna is the Program Coordinator for the HRSA funded Kentucky Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program.  This program will create a provider consult line for primary care, obstetric providers and others across the state to consult with a perinatal mental health professional - including but not limited to a psychiatrist, psychologist or resource and referral specialist.  This program is set to launch in 2025.  Anna has 15 years of experience in nursing in perinatal women's care, both inpatient and outpatient settings and is an Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant.  Her areas of interest include perinatal mental health, substance use disorder in perinatal women and foster and adoptive experiences of perinatal women.

Brittani Roberts is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor dedicated to advancing maternal mental health across Kentucky. As the Resource & Referral Specialist for the Kentucky Perinatal Psychiatry Access Program, she provides essential consultation and resources to physicians and prescribers. Brittani also delivers statewide education on perinatal mental health, equipping healthcare professionals to deliver more effective and compassionate care.

Holding a Master of Education in Counseling from Lindsey Wilson College, Brittani is a National Certified Counselor with advanced training in perinatal psychotherapy, lactation counseling, and certification in Reality Therapy/Choice Theory and TeleMental Health Training. With over a decade of experience, she is a recognized leader in her field, serving as Co-Chair of the Kentucky Maternal & Infant Health Collaborative Panel, Founder and State Liaison of the Maternal Health Council, and Treasurer of Postpartum Support International's Kentucky Chapter.

A skilled speaker and educator, Brittani has presented at state and national conferences on topics such as postpartum planning, maternal mental health interventions, and self-care. Through her clinical expertise and leadership, she continues to drive innovative solutions that improve mental health outcomes for mothers and families statewide.

Leann Baker is a practicing neonatal nurse practitioner. Prior to that, she worked as a labor and delivery nurse, NICU nurse, and a nurse educator. In 2018, Mrs. Baker completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at UofL with a focus on Improving Inter-professional Collaborative Practice and Communication in the Perinatal Healthcare Environment. Mrs. Baker serves as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UofL, the coordinator for the UofL Neonatal Nurse Practitioner track for the School of Nursing, and provides teaching along with her clinical practice under the School of Medicine in association with Norton Children’s’ Medical Group – Neonatal Medicine. She is a member of numerous regional and national organizations associated with nursing and medicine. She has presented several posters at national conferences; and is the co-author of a chapter in the recently published: “Handbook of Perinatal and Neonatal Palliative Care: A Guide for Nurse, Physicians, and Other Health Professionals (2019).”

Chase Barnes has been with the Kentucky Department for Public Health as Harm Reduction Program Manager since January 2022. Prior to joining KDPH, he served in roles with international and national non-profit organizations. Chase is a two-time graduate of Eastern Kentucky University with degrees in Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Public Health. 

In his role as the Harm Reduction Program Manager, he oversees program implementation through collaboration with state-wide partners and other supporting agencies; assures compliance with state and federal legislation, regulations, policies, goals, and objectives. Chase also represents KDPH on the Kentucky Agency Substance Abuse Policy (KY-ASAP) Board, Recovery Ready Communities Executive Board, Kentucky Morbidity and Mortality Task Force, and Kentucky Overdose Response Effort's State Implementation Team. He also serves as lead facilitator of the Kentucky Drug Overdose and Alert System and the Displaced Opioid Patient Response Plan, when activated. Chase also serves as Principal Investigator and Project Director for the First Responder's- Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (FR-CARA) grant awarded to KDPH by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Nikki Boyd is the Director of Maternal and Infant Health Initiatives for March of Dimes Kentucky market. The aim is to mobilize community partners with initiatives that focus on reducing pre-term births and maternal morbidity/mortality and to advocate for the health of families and babies state-wide. Nikki has over twenty years of experience in project planning, including organizing, developing, training, implementing and evaluating strategies to promote health and wellness; improve health outcomes and address social determinants of health, with fourteen of those years specifically aimed at promoting the health and wellness of families and children. Nikki holds a BS from the University of Louisville and studied Public Health with a focus on Health Behavior at the University of Kentucky College of Public Health.

Rita Crum, MSN RN, is a dedicated and passionate professional, currently serving as Women's and Children's Health Service Line Director at ARH. With a wealth of experience and proven track record in her field, Rita is committed to delivering exceptional results and fostering innovation. Her leadership style is characterized by a focus on collaboration and teamwork, ensuring that every project benefits from diverse perspectives and expertise. Rita is deeply committed to the mission and values of the organization and continually strives to make a positive impact through her work. Rita is also a member of AWHONN, ACHE, KyMMM and Kentucky's Maternal and Mortality Review Committee.

Casey is proud to have the privilege of serving our Kentucky hospitals as the Associate Vice President for Quality and Health Professions at the Kentucky Hospital Association. Casey is a Registered Nurse with over 18 years of experience in a diverse healthcare background that includes long-term care, clinical management, home health and Hospice services, Med/Surg bedside nursing, and hospital quality leadership. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree that she acquired from Lindsey Wilson College. Casey resides in Glasgow, KY with her husband, Chris, their three children, and four dogs. In her free time, she enjoys dining out, reading, watching nerdy movies, dancing, trail hiking, serving in children's ministry at her church, and traveling in pursuit of new adventures with her family.

Dr. Mina H. Hanna is a neonatologist in Lexington, Kentucky and is affiliated with University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital. He received his medical degree from University of Alexandria Faculty of Medicine and has been in practice between 11-20 years.

Pauline Hayes is a registered nurse with 46 years hospital experience, 43 of which were spent as a NICU nurse and the last 11 years as unit manager. During her hospital experience, Ms. Hayes took part in research, quality improvement projects, and staff education. She served as a member of the multidisciplinary task force that developed the first treatment protocol for NAS in 2009. Ms. Hayes serves as a hospital-based NRP instructor and STABLE instructor. She is certified in Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing and she finished her MPH in December of 2018. Currently, Ms. Hayes is the Perinatal Nurse Consultant/Inspector for the Division of Maternal and Child Health within Kentucky’s Department for Public Health. Besides being a member of the Neonatal workgroup for the KyPQC,  Ms. Hayes is also on the board of the Kentucky Perinatal Association.

Dr. Neese is the Director of the Maternal Child Health Division at the Kentucky Department for Public Health. She was previously the Medical Director of Quality for Women’s Services at Norton Healthcare. Lyndsey is also the Chair for the Kentucky Section of ACOG. She completed her medical degree at the University of Alabama Birmingham and her Residency training at the University of Louisville. In addition, she received a Master of Medical Management from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Neese’s mission is to provide safe, equitable care for all women.

Dr. John O’Brien specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Kentucky, where he serves as Medical Director for Labor and Delivery and Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. O’Brien graduated from Kalamazoo College in Michigan with a B.A. in Biology and from Wayne State University in Detroit with an M.D. in 1988. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1992 and a Fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine in 1994 at the University of Tennessee.

Cheryl Parker is the Director of Nurse Anesthesia Program at the University of Louisville, in Kentucky. She is also an actively practicing obstetric anesthetist providing services with NorthStar Anesthesia at Norton Hospital, Labor & Delivery department in Louisville. 

She earned her BSN from Eastern Kentucky University and her MSN and DNP from Murray State University. She has been a nurse for 30 years, working primarily in the areas of women's health, specifically: Postpartum, L&D, and NICU. For the last 17 years her focus has been Obstetric Anesthesia. She is a member of AANA (American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology), KyANA (Kentucky Anesthesia Nurses Association), SOAP (Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology), KyPQC (Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative), and a long-standing member of AWHONN (Association for Women's Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nursing), where she served 2 years on the Public Policy Committee. In 2020 she was instrumental in the submission and acceptance of KY-HR73; approving legislation to establish January 23rd as Women's Health Awareness Day; and making Kentucky the 5th state in the nation to inaugurate an MHA resolution. In 2023 she was inducted as a Fellow of both the AANA and AWHONN. Her primary practice is the Director of the UofL Nurse Anesthesia Program.

Dr. Parker's publications include: a case report in JOGNN (Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Neonatal Nursing), May 2015, entitled: An Innovative Nursing Approach to Caring for an Obstetric Patient with Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS); in 2019 she served on AWHONN's Evidence Based Guidelines-Revision Science Team, which produced the evidence-based clinical practice guideline entitled: Analgesia and Anesthesia in the Intrapartum Period, and in October 2020, an AWHONN Practice Brief and Podcast entitled: Lower Extremity Nerve Injury in Childbirth.

Dr. Sara Petruska is a generalist obstetrician-gynecologist at the University of Louisville, where she serves as Medical Director for Labor and Delivery and Associate Dean for Admissions. She graduated from Boston College with a B.S. in 1994 and from the University of Florida with an M.D. in 2000. She completed residency training in 2004 and a fellowship in Medical Education in 2008 at the State University of New York Stony Brook. In 2008, she relocated to Louisville with her husband Jeff as they joined the faculty of UofL together. She believes we are at our best when we are a team with the patient at the center.

Kelly Taulbee is Director of Communications and Development at Kentucky Voices for Health (KVH). She engages coalition members and impacted Kentuckians in lifting their voices about decisions affecting their health and speaks publicly on public health, vaccinations, maternal health, and the need for barrier-free, accessible healthcare. Kelly works closely with the Immunize Kentucky Coalition, HPV Task Force, Maternal Health Innovation Learning Collaborative, ThriveKY, 9-8-8 Coalition, and others. 

Prior to joining KVH in 2020, Kelly found her footing into state government by friendly chance as a switchboard operator. In 2009, she became a Legislative Aid for Governor Steve Beshear, and by 2014 was Executive Advisor to the Governor's Chief of Staff. She assisted many efforts between 2008-2015 including Graduate Kentucky, Celebration of Hope, Kentucky's Business One Stop Portal Advisory Committee, 2012 Special Session HB1 Implementation Oversight Committee, and the National Governors Association Prescription Drug Abuse Reduction Policy Academy.

White at the Attorney General's Office (OAG) of Senior Protection helping protect aging Kentuckians from abuse and scams, she assisted in Western Union Settlement and Remission intake and correspondence, and reported to the Consumers' Advisory Council. Kelly was Policy Advisor for Kentucky House Democratic Caucus and was the Floor Leader's surrogate to the 2020 Census Complete Count Task Force. She briefly lobbied for Goss Samford PLLC, and was Special Advisor to Louisville Metro Government, helping develop Louisville's Civilian Review and Accountability Board. 

Kelly is a Centre College alum, helped establish Frankfort Chamber of Commerce's Young Professional Network, and received the John C. Barbour Memorial Award. Kelly, her husband John Atha, and their daughters live in Anderson County.

Dr. Judith Ann Theriot is the Medical Director for the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services and has served in that capacity since May 2019. Prior to that, she was the Commission for Children with Special Health Care Needs’ Medical Director from July 2013 through May 2019. Dr. Theriot attended medical school at the University of Louisville (UofL) then went on to complete her Pediatric residency and a chief resident year before joining the faculty at UofL. Dr. Theriot served as the director of the General Pediatrics Clinical Research Unit (for two years) and prior to that as the medical director of the Children and Youth Project; a multidisciplinary primary care clinic serving the inner-city high-risk children of Louisville, Kentucky (for 9 years). Dr. Theriot is a certified physician executive and is a professor of Pediatrics at UofL.

Dr. Ana'Neicia Williams is a seasoned social worker, educator, and advocate dedicated to advancing reproductive justice, birth equity, and mental health services. With a Doctorate of Social Work (DSW), a Master of Social Work (MSW), and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Dr. Williams has built a comprehensive career centered on creating transformative change in communities through strategic partnerships, program development, and hands-on clinical work. Dr. Williams serves as the Kentucky State Coordinator for SisterStrong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective where she plays a pivotal role in program development, partner cultivation, and advancing the organization's mission on both local and national levels. During this time, Dr. Williams focuses on increasing the organization's reach and measuring the impact of its initiatives aimed at reproductive justice for women of color.

In addition to advocacy work, Dr. Williams is an Adjunct Professor at Spalding University, where she teaches graduate students in the School of Social Work. With expertise in perinatal mental health, reproductive health, and community organizing, she designs and delivers courses that promote scholarly activity, critical thinking, and the development of future social workers.

As the Founder and Executive Director of Momology Maternal Wellness Club, LLC, Dr. Williams leads a company that provides therapeutic services, policy consulting, and professional development focused on birth equity, maternal mental health, and trauma-informed care practices. Her work includes consulting for reproductive healthcare professionals, state officials, and organizations, ensuring that best practices are implemented to improve maternal health outcomes.

Dr. Williams has also contributed to multiple organizations, including Baptist Health Louisville, where she provided social work support to mothers and babies, and Jefferson Public Schools, where she supported the mental health and well-being of students. Additionally, she has served in leadership roles providing therapeutic services and advocating for families facing addiction and crisis.

Throughout her career, Dr. Williams has remained dedicated to advancing systemic change and providing compassionate, high-quality care to individuals and families. Her expertise in maternal health, trauma, mental health and social justice continues to make a significant impact on the communities served.

Bethany, APSS is a Peer Support Specialist for the University of Kentucky PATHways Program.  Throughout her career she has worked among community and behavioral health organizations focusing on prevention, intervention, and rehabilitation services.  Bethany has had the opportunity to support others through providing hospital visits, performing HIV/HCV testing and risk reduction counseling, recovery planning and education with individuals including those experiencing incarceration, outreach in various community settings, one-on0one peer support sessions, and treatment group facilitation/co-facilitation.

Dr. John R. Barton completed medical school and residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology (OB/GYN) at the University of Kentucky (UK) Medical Center.  He completed a Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) fellowship at the University of Tennessee-Memphis under the direction of Dr. Baha Sibai in 1991. He served as the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Baptist Health Lexington in Lexington, Kentucky.  He served as voluntary faculty at UK and was active in the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the Foundation for SMFM.  Dr. Barton served as a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Hypertension in Pregnancy Task Force and contributed to the National Partnership for Maternal Safety Consensus Bundle on Obstetric Hypertension.  He published over 250 articles and abstracts largely in his field of interest of hypertension in pregnancy and maternal medical complications of pregnancy.  His contributions to the field of Maternal Fetal Medicine and the patients he served were one of his greatest legacies.  Dr. Barton passed away in July 2023. 

Famed Lexington OB-GYN John Barton dies at 66 | Lexington Herald Leader (kentucky.com)