Our People

Renée Boynton-Jarrett is a practicing primary care pediatrician at Boston Medical Center, a social epidemiologist and the founding director of the Vital Village Networks. Vital Village works to improve community capacity to promote child wellbeing and advance equity through dedicated collaborative partnerships, research, data-sharing, and community leadership development in Boston and nationally through the NOW Forum and CRADLE Lab.  She joined the faculty at Boston University School of Medicine in 2007 and is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics. She received her AB from Princeton University, her MD from Yale School of Medicine, ScD in Social Epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health, and completed residency in Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her scholarship focuses on the role of early-life adversities as life course social determinants of health. She has a specific interest in the intersection of community violence, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect and neighborhood characteristics that influence these patterns.

As a public health social worker, Diana is committed to advancing racial, economic, and health equity ensuring that communities most impacted by structural inequity can thrive in healthy communities of opportunity and are at the forefront driving policy and systems-level change. Born in the Philippines and raised in Houston, Texas, she graduated with a BA in Human Biology from Stanford University and a dual Masters in Social Welfare and Public Health from University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining the Vital Village team, she engaged in research, capacity building, and policy advocacy to build equitable food systems and inclusive health workforce policies at PolicyLink. Diana also brings experience in school-based health research, health career pathway programs, youth leadership development, community engagement, and immigrant health.

Jenny Weaver is a nurse and lactation consultant dedicated to building equitable breastfeeding support for families. As an active member and leader in the Vital Village Boston Breastfeeding Coalition since 2016, she has participated in building sustainable pathways for community members who desire to serve their communities as lactation peer counselors and consultants. Along with these Breastfeeding Scholars and Coalition members, she has provided breastfeeding and parenting support as the IBCLC co-facilitator in our multiple support groups.  She provides direct breastfeeding support to families, and mentoring for counselors,  on our Breastfeeding Warmline.  Jenny believes that breastfeeding, in addition to its health benefits for our children, is a vital source for empowering parents, families and communities. Jenny utilizes her 25 years of experience in lactation, and current leadership in our Boston Breastfeeding Coalition, towards the core breastfeeding support and educational goals of our mission. She currently serves on the Vital Village staff as the Breastfeeding Scholar Lead Mentor. Jenny has her RN, BSN from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.  She has been an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) since 1998.

Corin Bauman is a reflective practitioner who is passionate about cultivating collaborative leadership for social justice and supporting community-driven solutions. Prior to joining Vital Village, she worked in higher education student affairs for over ten years designing, implementing, and managing educational programs. She received her Master’s in Leadership for Sustainability Education from Portland State University, and her B.S. in Biology from the University of Portland.

My name is Danielle N. Champagnie, LPN, LS, LC. Born in Boston, Massachusetts. I’m a wife, mother of four children, a grandmother and proud member of my community. I was introduced to breastfeeding early on by seeing my mother breastfeed my siblings. I had one full term baby and three of my children were born premature so I spent a significant amount of time in the NICU-Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I faced many challenges with breastfeeding my full term and premature baby’s not fully understanding how to breastfeed, what to do about problems that arise with breastfeeding and the importance of breastfeeding a premature baby. Due to the lack of support and guidance I know first-hand the challenges that can arise with breastfeeding, especially for premature infants.

While working in the nursing field for 20 plus years, I was introduced to Vital Village Networks & ROSE by a family member and I fell in Love with helping Mothers/families during their birthing and breastfeeding journey. Since then I have completed the Mamatoto Lactation specialist training, Healthy Children Lactation Counselor training, the R.O.S.E Community Transformer training as a member of BMC Vital Village Network's Boston Breastfeeding Coalition and Madriella Doula training.

I am working towards obtaining my I.B.C.L.C., so I can continue to work with families in diverse communities. My goal is to provide physical and emotional support, be a resource to families by providing education and helping them with challenges, understanding the importance of breastfeeding, and support families with babies in the NICU to successfully breastfeed at home. In my role as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program coordinator, I have coordinated and facilitated training and professional development for lay community members in training to become breastfeeding peer counselors and certified lactation counselors. I also coordinate shared resources, support training, and opportunities for breastfeeding peer counselors/ to learn basic breastfeeding information, including the benefits of breastfeeding, overcoming common barriers, getting a good start breastfeeding, and preventing and handling common breastfeeding concerns. I am the Recipient of Vital Village 2021 Excellence in Mentorship Award for outstanding dedication to the community and passion for lactation mentorship.

Suzeth Dunn-Dyer has  20 years of experience in the planning and executing of trauma-informed community development initiatives in the city of Boston. She helped develop and led the planning and execution of community wellness programs for more than 3000 low income families in Roxbury and lower South End, in the areas of Youth Development, Workforce Development, Education,Community Wellness & Public Safety.

Vianelly García (she/her) born and raised in the Dominican Republic. As a teenager her family and her moved to the smallest state, Rhode Island. She recently recieved a Bachelor of Science in Health Science with a minor in Sociology from Boston University. Vianelly is currently persuing Master of Public Health at Boston University's School of Public Health. Over the last couple of months, Vianelly has combined her passions for public health, healthcare and addressing social needs by working at small community vaccine clinics throughout Massachusetts. She hopes to make a meaningful impact in public health and healthcare by using her knowlege and life experiences to push foward health initiatives in communities in need.

Smith Guillaume H. Lamothe, is a trained Community Health Worker with CHA and currently serves on the MACHW Board.  He is an IHI trained Improvement Advisor.  He has been a long time Community Champion with Vital Village.  He has expertise in Public Relations, Clinical Health Education, Case Management, and Program Coordination in the health sector. He, along with his wife live in Boston and are the proud parents of three young men.  Smith Guillaume is active in the Haitian American Community of Boston.  He is also a member of Family Ministry in Action where he serves as its Executive Director.

Desiree (Desi) Hartman is currently pursuing her Master of Social Worker (MSW) at Boston University and graduated from Colorado College in 2016 with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Global Health. During college, Hartman conducted field research on infant attachment in multiple caregiver settings and cultivated a GlobeMed partnership with the Western Organization for People Living with HIV/AIDS (WOPLAH) in Kenya. Desi is passionate about early childhood development, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), child rights, maternal child health, migration and working with local leaders in the pursuit of justice, dignity, and health equity for all children and families.

Amira, a native of Roxbury, Massachusetts, brings a public health background and lived experience that fuel her dedication to empowering communities toward economic mobility and self-sufficiency. With degrees in Health Sciences and Public Health from Northeastern University, she focuses on simplifying complex policy processes, fostering collaboration, and centering people and places in equitable policy solutions. Her career includes impactful roles with the Alliance to End Hunger, Community Farm Alliance, Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), and Caprock Strategies, LLC. In these positions, she has worked on developing and implementing long-term approaches and solutions to systemic and structural issues in the areas of poverty alleviation, food security, childcare access, and local food systems.

Previously, she was a Congressional Hunger Center Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow; an anti-hunger and anti-poverty fellowship that bridges the gaps between grassroots advocacy and national public policy. During her placement in Kentucky, she gained a deep understanding of rurality as a social determinant of health. This experience, combined with her urban upbringing, drives her passion for bridging urban and rural divides through inclusive advocacy. She is passionate about coalition building, centering empathy and lived experience in policy development, and achieving equity in federal programs and policies. She believes policy can be the key to creating a nation of abundance so that every individual can have their basic needs met.

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Alexandria Jones is a relationship and mission-driven professional with a focus on systems thinking and its intersection with human-centered cultures and outcomes.  Prior to Vital Village, she worked in higher ed administration and philanthropy, and has years of experience in the cultivation, coordination, and management of events, programming, and teams.  As an alumna from Berklee College of Music, majoring in Music Therapy, she is passionate about music’s ability to empower others.

Arvind Pawar is a Data Analyst specializing in data wrangling, visualization, geospatial analytics, and predictive analytics. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Information Technology from the University of Mumbai, India, in 2017 and completed his Master of Science in Data Analytics with a major in Statistical Modeling from Northeastern University, Boston, in 2020. Prior to joining Vital Village Networks, Arvind held significant roles, including Product Data Analyst, Data Scientist for Digital Marketing and Market Research, and Business Analyst for Forecasting and Planning research. Arvind thrives on solving intricate challenges and effectively conveying insights to diverse audiences, highlighting his passion for the field.

Leidy has over a decade of experience working in partnership with communities throughout the Commonwealth as an educator, community grassroots  mobilizer, strategist, and advocate to strengthen coalitions, organize, engage youth, and advance community-based research. Leidy is a member of the Village, an alumnus of the Certificate in Community Leadership and Advocacy Fellowship, and a member of the Steering Committee for our National Community Leadership Summit.

Leidy joins us as a Coalition Builder and Strategist and will guide our newest area of work around the Greater Boston Birth Equity Coalition, and support both local and national partnerships and learning journeys around coalition strategy and community leadership, and family and caregiver engagement and leadership in participatory research.

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Sarada Kalpee is a Financial Administrative Coordinator with Vital Village Networks. Sarada holds a degree in Political Science from Suffolk University and brings deep expertise in administrative and financial management, organizational compliance, and has worked to develop systems that promote equitable leadership.  Sarada is a service member in the Army Reserve for the past 22 years. Her past 10 years she worked as a Veteran Service Officer assisting Veterans and their families with state and federal benefits. With a passion for helping other she is currently pursuing advancement to Sergeant Major with a capstone focus on Women, Peace and Security globally.

Jei is a herbalist, mixed media artist, earth tender, and community organizer, dedicated to centering decolonial ways of relating with one another, the land, and our more-than-human kin in order to build liberated futures. Their work in food justice began during their time pursuing their BA in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. Since then they’ve gone on to continue this work at the grassroots and institutional level as an educator, gardener, cook, and facilitator for social change. Jei currently resides on unceded Muh-he-con-neok (Albany, NY), where they’re  spending their time documenting the legacies of Black and Brown community members and organizing a free dinner series for a collective of QTBIPOC+ folks in the area.

Saghi is a designer and strategist, passionate about the intersection of creative disciplines with social impact. She has worked in design, marketing, and consulting, using human-centered solutions to design for people and community needs, and communicating with them through storytelling. Saghi received her Master’s in Professional Studies (MPS) in Design Management from Pratt Institute and her Bachelor's in Interior Design (BID) from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Sarah X. Rojas-Rogalewicz is a healthcare professional with research interests that focus on the relationship of race and ethnicity to language, cognition, and health-related quality of life. She previously worked in diverse capacities in pediatric neuroimaging research, EEG research, and social work services outside Philadelphia. Most recently, Sarah assisted in multiple MRI studies including (ECHO) Environmental Influences on Childhood Outcomes at the New York State Psychiatric Institute.  Born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida, she received her MS in Neuroscience at Columbia University, and BS in Communication Science Disorders from Pennsylvania State University. Her experience and passion for language justice is multifaceted involving advocacy, multilingualism, cultural awareness, and interpretation. Currently, Sarah is a Master of Speech Language Pathology candidate at Boston University with a commitment to helping marginalized populations with limited resources and accessibilities.

Stacey Ruiz is passionate about research on the social determinants of health and fostering health equity among Latine/o communities. She earned her Master's of Science in Global Health and Population from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Stacey has experience conducting community-based quantitative research with a focus on Latin American communities, both domestically and internationally. She has collaborated with UNAIDS and El Salvador’s Ministry of Health, exploring the associations between patient health knowledge, trust in physicians, and treatment adherence among people living with HIV in San Salvador.

Before joining Boston Medical Center, Stacey served as a research fellow for Reform for Resilience, contributing to research on the root causes of migration across the Northern Triangle as part of the White House’s Partnership for Central America initiative. In her role as a Clinical Research Coordinator at BMC, Stacey has contributed to studies exploring early relational health among English- and Spanish-speaking low-income parent-child dyads, as well as a transportation support program for low-income families with infants in the NICU. In her free time, Stacey enjoys exploring local coffee shops and panaderias.

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Leah recieved her BA in media studies from the University of Maine with a minor in history in May, 2022. She has a passion for identifying creative solutions in human-centered research and design, and has applied these principles to work in the social sciences, tech, accessiblity, and community mobilization. Leah places empathy and curiosity at the forefront of her work; she recognizes the importance of community-driven solutions to support a more equitable and sustainable future, as well as the crucial role of communication in coalition building and mobilization.

Ishaan Shah graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2020, with a degree in Political Science.  In the past, he has worked for California’s Department of Healthcare Services, the Odom-John Lab at Washington University School of Medicine, and Kol Rinah Early Childhood Center as a teacher’s assistant. He previously worked for the CK-READY Study through Gephardt’s Civic Scholars program in an effort to better understand the social, financial, emotional, and physical barriers that mothers and their families during the postpartum period. In 2020, he rejoined the study as a full-time Americorps VISTA, allowing him to learn more about community-based participatory research, civic engagement, and children’s and family advocacy. Ishaan is currently a medical student at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine.

Clare graduated from Columbia University in 2013 with a Masters in Public Health. At Columbia, Clare worked in the Population and Family Health Department on the Getting Ready for School project and on SKIP!, the toddler physical activity intervention in Early Head Start. She has held research positions with Harvard Prevention Research Center, Boston Medical Center, and New York University in addition to health education roles with Harlem Children’s Zone and the New York City Department of Health. She also completed a Dietetic Internship at Harvard Medical School/ Brigham and Women’s Hospital to become a Registered Dietitian and has practiced primary care clinical nutrition focused on diabetes and women’s health. Clare is pursuing a Doctorate in Public Health at San Diego State University & UC San Diego with plans to develop equitable, cost-effective familial interventions targeting social-emotional development and childhood obesity.