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 working as a Community Health Worker for the Durham County Health Department. Love is now transitioning her focus to statewide and national first food equity projects. 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, as well as advocates for policies that protect families rights, in order 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.
Saisahana Subburaj
Saisahana is a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, studying to become a midwife/women’s health nurse practitioner.
Saisahana graduated from Duke University with a self-designed major titled “Global Women’s Health in Asia: Culture, History, and Power.” Her academic and personal passion manifests in her interdisciplinary experience with global determinants of women’s health outcomes. Saisahana hopes to continue to work in the global health sphere as she becomes a women’s health provider.
Interested in learning more about joining the Board? Please reach out!
Advisors and Support Team
Kathleen Anderson – Board Member Emerita
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.