Advancing Health Equity to Achieve Diversity and Inclusion (AHEAD) in WIC - Jan. 14, 2021

Quinney Harris is Director of Health Equity and Community Partnerships at the National WIC Association, directing community health and health equity projects for the association.  In this role, he provides leadership for integrating community health and health equity approaches into WIC practice and develops multi-sector partnerships to support program innovation.  He has contributed to multiple successful grant proposals, served as Principal Investigator for NWA’s CDC-funded Community Partnerships for Healthy Mothers and Children project, and he is currently engaged in nationwide projects focusing on maternal mortality, community/clinical linkages, participant retention, storytelling, and health equity integration in WIC.

Quinney is also a passionate proponent of population health.  He provides training and technical assistance to state and local WIC staff on systems level approaches to community health.  He has presented at numerous conferences and spoken to students, researchers, philanthropic organizations, government officials, and health professionals about WIC’s coalition work.   

Angela Odoms-Young, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and is the Associate Director for Research and Education in the Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships also at UIC. Her research explores the social and structural determinants of dietary behaviors and diet-related diseases in low-income and Black/Latinx populations and centers on identifying culturally appropriate programs and policies that promote health equity, food justice, and community resilience. Dr. Odoms-Young has over 20 years’ experience partnering with communities to improve nutrition and health and 200+ academic publications, book chapters, and presentations. She has served on numerous advisory committees and boards including the National Academy of Sciences Food and Nutrition Board, the Institute of Medicine committees to develop the nutrition standards for the National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program and to revise the food packages provided in the Supplemental Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and Council on Black Health. Locally, Dr. Odoms-Young has been a member of the Board of the Greater Chicago Food Depository (previous), American Heart Association Chicago Metro Board (current), and Blacks in Green (current). Dr. Odoms-Young received her B.S. in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and M.S./PhD in Community Nutrition from Cornell University. Additionally, she completed a Family Research Consortium Postdoctoral Fellowship examining family processes in diverse populations at the Pennsylvania State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Community Health Scholars Fellowship in community-based participatory research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Prior to joining UIC, Dr. Odoms-Young served on the faculty of Northern Illinois University in Public Health and Health Education.

Maddie has been with Deschutes County WIC in Oregon for 8 years. She joined the team as a breastfeeding peer counselor before transitioning to WIC certifier. In 2019 Maddie was given a fellowship from NTEN to implement some digital literacy programming into standard WIC services, and in 2020 joined NWA's Health Equity Champions. Maddie is excited to be a mentor and guide in the AHEAD in WIC project and encourages everyone to submit an application to be chosen as a recipient for a $55k grant for pilot projects highlighting health equity. See NWICA.org for application link!

Stacy Davis is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Over the course of her 20 years of public health career, Stacy has had an intense focus on addressing health equity locally, nationally and internationally, particularly in the areas of Maternal and Child Health (MCH). Her professional experience includes curriculum development, policy, program management, implementation strategies and skilled lactation care; affording her opportunities
to spearhead renowned, national programs focused on supporting birth and breastfeeding equity amongst Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and their children. As former executive director of the National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color, Stacy lead the organization’s tremendous growth by establishing the nonprofit as a brand and leader in the field of MCH- addressing racial equity in lactation support
and education, acting as a panelist and collaborator with other leaders and organizations, and holding privileged organizations accountable and responsible for the health and well-being of rural and urban communities of color. Additionally, Stacy Davis co-lead the growth and expansion of equitable access to lactation training programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Currently, she is a Regional Lactation Consultant for Michigan Department of
Health and Human Services WIC Division.

Ruby Ferguson serves as Director of Nutrition Services at Near North Health Service Corporation by supporting and expanding the WIC, clinical dietetic, and a cooking programs. She believes that nutrition can return power to underserved populations, and thus provide the community with the agency to be an active stakeholder in its own health. Using the lens of cultural humility she has been awarded grants that address food and health inequities through breastfeeding, nutrition education, hands-on cooking expertise, disease management, and sharing the narratives of the community. Examples of her commitment to community nutrition is seen in the development of pop-up WIC clinics at Head Starts, collaborations with local farms across the city, and implementation of virtual cooking classes in a pandemic. 

After earning her Bachelor's degrees in Psychology and Chemistry from Spelman College, she completed her Master's in exercise physiology from Auburn University and Master's in Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ruby is a registered dietitian, certified lactation specialist, and is in the progress of studying for her IBCLC and Integrative and Functional nutrition certifications. As a Health Equity Champion with the NWA, she is humbled about the opportunity to use this new knowledge to spearhead programming that uplifts the ancestral wisdom that currently exists in the communities she serves.