The Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC) global board is a working board, and members devote their time to this work. We welcome recommendations for board members who can provide time and energy to this exciting project.
Salma Ali
Salma Ali is a member of the Breastfeed Durham implementation team. Salma is coordinator for the Breastfeed Durham newsletter, The Durham Digest, and the Breastfeed Durham blog, StayAbreast.
Salma recently graduated with a Master’s in Public Health in Maternal, Child, & Family Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel. She is passionate about reproductive justice and working towards sexual and reproductive health, justice, and equity for all. This includes ensuring that families have the lactation support they need to support their infant’s nutrition and health.
Love Anderson
Love’s role as a parent of two high-spirited boys inspires, shapes, and informs her advocacy efforts. Love’s professional background is in the areas of system analytics, physics, and education. After starting to breastfeed her two children with special needs, Love began volunteering in the fields of lactation support, universal access, and community support.
With a focus on the intersection of race equity and inclusive design, over the past few years Love has had the opportunity to view community breastfeeding support from two different perspectives—as the director of a volunteer driven breastfeeding advocacy group, Breastfeed Durham, and as a Community Health Worker for the Durham County Health Department. Love has now transitioned her focus to statewide and national first food equity projects, including infant feeding in emergencies. Believing that the creation of a breastfeeding family-friendly community can start to ameliorate inequities, she works to promote avenues of support for human milk-feeding families and advocates for policies that protect families’ rights so that each family may meet their own personal goals.
Melissa Henry
Melissa Henry is a devoted mother of 8 breastfed babies and a community college teacher. For over 30 years, she has also been an advocate for women’s health and well-being in California and the Carolinas.
Melissa graduated from UC Berkeley, where she earned a B.A. in English. This academic foundation laid the groundwork for her involvement in community initiatives. Through support groups, workshops, and one-on-one consultations, she has supported countless women navigating the journey of motherhood. Her expertise in breastfeeding has empowered families to embrace this natural and nourishing practice. In 2016, she completed her Lactation Peer Counselor training. In 2018, Melissa shared her personal account at an event organized by Sistas Caring 4 Sistas, Mothers Matter: An Intimate Evening of Birth Near Death Stories. In 2021, Melissa began her work with the Buncombe Partnership for Children, advocating for breastfeeding in public. Her commitment to maternal wellness, combined with her invaluable insights, has helped support networks that continue to benefit families.
Fariha Rahman
Fariha Rahman is a birth doula and chief operating officer for BFFC. She is a member of Breastfeed Durham’s implementation team, where she also served as a policy coordinator.
Fariha graduated from Duke University with a Masters of Science in Population Health Sciences and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Management. Throughout her course of study, she gained invaluable experience as a birth doula at UNC Hospitals and contributed to research understanding the impact of social determinants on women’s mental health. These experiences, particularly her work with new mothers from diverse backgrounds, fueled her passion for maternal health equity and policy advocacy. She is excited to continue contributing her expertise and dedication to BFFC, where she is committed to making a lasting impact on maternal and child health.
Interested in learning more about joining the Board? Please reach out!
Advisors and Support Team
Kathleen Anderson – Board Member Emerit
Kathleen began working with the BFFC initiative while at the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She was delighted to be a part of the development team for the pilot in her local community and continued to work with BFFC after retirement.
A background in teaching and early intervention has given Kathleen the opportunity to provide resources on optimal infant development to families and communities for over 30 years. She also has continued to advocate for policies and practices that support children and their families. Kathleen’s love for breast/chestfeeding and her understanding of its vital role in a child’s development began as a nursing parent, and her work in early intervention has given Kathleen a deeper appreciation of the importance of equity in breast/chestfeeding promotion, protection, and support. Kathleen firmly believes that our communities play a pivotal role in improving the health and well-being of children and families by welcoming nursing families to feed their children safely and happily in all areas of community life.
Bernadette Greene
Bernadette Greene is a dedicated community advocate and breastfeeding champion, serving as the Executive Director and Board Member of Breastfeed Durham. She also sits on the board of Fatherhood of Durham, contributing her expertise in family support and community engagement.
With a background in childcare, Bernadette previously worked with the Durham Head Start program and served as a Community Health Worker with the Durham County Department of Public Health (DCoDPH). In her role as a breastfeeding advocate, she continues to provide technical assistance to both Head Start and DCoDPH, ensuring that families receive comprehensive breastfeeding support.
As a mother and grandmother who has breastfed five children, Bernadette brings a wealth of lived experience to her advocacy. Her motto, “A happy mom breastfeeding is a happy baby eating,” reflects her passion for supporting families in their breastfeeding journeys. She is a trusted resource in the Durham community, known affectionately as the “resource lady” for her ability to connect parents with essential local services.
Bernadette actively engages with the community by attending events, sharing knowledge about chest/breastfeeding, and promoting equitable access to breastfeeding support. Her leadership at Breastfeed Durham has been instrumental in establishing Durham as the ideal pilot project for Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities, serving as a model for cities worldwide. With its racial diversity and balanced size—not too big, not too small—Durham provides critical insights that help shape the global initiative. Bernadette’s commitment to family well-being, her deep connections within the community, and her expertise in early childhood care make her a vital addition to the advisory group for Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities Global.