Our Team & Board

Joy Burkhard, MBA

CEO

Joy founded the Policy Center after experiencing failures of our healthcare “system” through the birth of her first child and losing a family member to suicide. She began to see a path forward, with her volunteer state policy experience and nearly 25 years working for a large health insurer. She has unparalleled expertise in understanding the complexities of U.S. healthcare and the levers for improvement, including payment, measurement/quality improvement, and health policy, which serves as the foundation for our work. Joy is a highly respected collaborator and passionate advocate, recognized as a go-to authority on maternal mental health.

Kelly Nielson, MPH

Director of Operations & Finance

Kelly has over 20 years of experience in the research, clinical, and nonprofit settings, and is passionate about improving the quality of care and the patient experience. In her role, Kelly oversees operations, manages projects, and develops systems needed to support the visionary work of the Policy Center. Previously, Kelly managed programs/divisions at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Kelly is drawn to this cause because she knows that maternal health – both mental and physical – can determine the well-being of future generations and help predict public health challenges for families, communities, and the healthcare system. Kelly holds a Master’s in Public Health from UCLA.

Rebecca Britt, MA

Director of Communications and Impact

Rebecca joined PCMMH after leading the strategic planning work for the Policy Center, aligning strategic goals with streamlined processes and evaluative measures to optimize our programs. With a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and background as a social worker, she brings understanding of the need for systems-level change. As Director of Communications and Impact, Rebecca ensures effective communication of our research and reports. She has supported projects like developing county-level data to illustrate MMH provider shortages and creating state MMH report cards, foundational resources for systems change. Rebecca holds a Master’s in Program Evaluation and a certification in Results-Based Accountability.

Stacey Porter, MSW

Training and Events Program Manager

Stacey manages the Policy Center’s Training programs, including our Certificate Trainings, Fellows Program, and webinars. Stacey also serves as the project manager for our annual FORUM. Stacey has several years of experience in collaborative work focused on supporting mothers and families during the perinatal period, including the work of her own nonprofit, which supports families through birth trauma and perinatal/infant loss. Stacey received her Master of Social Work degree from Rutgers University. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She lives in the north suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, with her two children.

Cindy Herrick, MA, PMH-C, CPSS, MHFA

Senior Editorial and Research Manager

As Senior Editorial and Research Manager, Cindy develops publications and briefs that summarize critical research and statistics for the field which include evidence-based clinical and policy recommendations. She brings her lived experience suffering from maternal mental health disorders to the work and is passionate about addressing disparities. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Nursing Science & Healthcare Innovation and is also a certified peer support specialist and certified in Perinatal Mental Health. With over a decade of experience in MMH and a strong academic foundation, Cindy uses her skills to bridge the gap between evidence-based research and policy in MMH.

Crystal McAuley

Policy and Advocacy Project Manager

Crystal joined the Policy Center team in 2017 and supported state and federal policy advocacy. She joined the Mom Congress team in 2019 as the Community Engagement Manager. She leads the development of the Mom Congress Moms’ Agenda and related advocacy efforts and loves being a part of this team. She is also a proud maternal mental health peer support specialist serving her community in Napa Valley.

Brooke Lerman

Board of Directors Project Manager

Brooke joined the Policy Center, formerly 2020 Mom, in 2019 and currently supports the Executive Director and both the Policy Center Board of Directors and Mom Congress Advisory Board. She has enjoyed growing in her Project Management Role. She has a background in Early Childhood Education with a strong emphasis in Special Education, specifically Autism.

Brooke lives in Bend, Oregon, with her loving husband, Dan, whom she married in 2012. She became a new mother in 2019 to a baby girl, Aspen Jade, and welcomed a baby boy, Reed Thomas, in the Fall of 2021. Her personal experience with perinatal and postpartum depression and anxiety with her son has driven her passion for addressing maternal mental health care. In her free time, Brooke treasures time spent outdoors hiking, hunting, mountain biking, and creating memories with family and friends.