COBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At January 25, 2017 General Meeting: Dee Dee Grayson, Cheryl Coleman, Ruth Piatak, Montika Collins, Karen Palumbo, Laura Wardwell

At January 30, 2016 General Meeting, L to R: Laura Wardwell, Montika Collins, Becky Mannel, Karen Palumbo, Ruth Piatak, Claire Powers

At 2015 Strategic Planning Meeting, L to R: Claire Powers, Ruth Piatak, Becky Mannel, Linda Malthaner, Karen Palumbo, and Laura Wardwell.

COBA Chair
Montika Collins, BS, BSN, RN, CLC, IBCLC

Montika serves as an international board certified lactation consultant, a resource nurse, an activist, and an avid supporter of everything breastfeeding.  She has worked with both premature and full term newborn mother/baby dyads to help them successfully breastfeed.  Montika is passionate about expanding and improving breastfeeding support in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide.  She is the wife of her amazingly supportive husband Paul and the mother of their three superhero children, ages 3, 5, and 11, who were all extended breastfeeders.

Montika's research interests and experience include extended and tandem breastfeeding, socioeconomic disparities in birth outcomes, development of health care models to improve breastfeeding outcomes in African American women, development of health care models to lower African American infant mortality rates, and the impact of early postpartum progesterone-only contraception on lactation and birth spacing.
 
Montika holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from Northeastern State University.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and she is currently pursuing a Holistic Lactation certification. 
In addition to COBA, Montika is an active member of Sigma Theta Tau International, Honor Society of Nursing (STTI), La Leche League International (LLLI), Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), and International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA).
 
In 2011/2012 Montika was honored to receive the Every Day Hero award from Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) and the Save a Life Hero award from The Red Cross for saving the life of a four year old boy. She was recently instrumental in the rescue of her own son from a severe choking incident -- another great testimony to her courage and readiness in caring for children!

Montika lives in Broken Arrow, OK and offers lactation support for women who live in the surrounding areas.
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Contact Montika:
chair@okbreastfeeding.org

COBA Vice Chair
Dee Dee Grayson, BS.Ed., CLC, CBE, CCFM, PCD (DONA)
 
Dee Dee began encouraging, educating, supporting and empowering breastfeeding families in the COBA Baby Café Minority program in 2015. She is a strong advocate for Doula and breastfeeding care for women. She is a coauthor in beYoutiful: A collection of Body Image Stories for Every Body, Shape, Size, Color and Ability. In it she shares her story about the effects of Postpartum Depression. The book will be released in the Fall of 2017. She is also involved with Bountiful Blessings Postpartum Doula Services in which she serves, nurtures and supports breastfeeding and bottle feeding families.

Dee Dee is the mother of seven breastfed children, the MiMi of Luke, and the very blessed wife of Jerry. Her plan for the future is to acquire the IBCLC credential.

​Dee Dee is Chair of the Baby Cafe Committee.

Contact Dee Dee:
vicechair@okbreastfeeding.org

COBA Secretary
(Bio coming soon)
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COBA Treasurer
(Position open -- write to governance@okbreastfeeding.org for information)
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COBA Board Member at Large
Karen Palumbo, MEd, AdvCD/BDT(DONA), CBE, CCE
 
Karen has worked with families during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period since 1988 in both the class and hospital setting, and has extensive experience in curriculum development. She has been a Certified Breastfeeding Educator since 1998, a Certified Childbirth Educator since 1990, a DONA Certified Birth Doula since 2001, a DONA Birth Doula Trainer since 2007, and a DONA Advanced Certified Doula since 2015.
 
Karen received an Associate of Science degree in Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling from OSU-Oklahoma City in 1996, a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from University of Central Oklahoma in 1998, and a Master of Education in Adult Education from University of Central Oklahoma in 2003.  Karen's 2014 publication, Early Childhood Nutrition in an American Indian Community: Educational Strategy for Obesity Prevention, depicts her study through OU Health Sciences Center of a set of educational interventions with Native American families in Southwest Oklahoma about breastfeeding and toddler feeding practices.
 
Karen belongs to the Doula Association of Central Oklahoma (DACO) where she has served as President, Vice President and Secretary.  She is also a member of Oklahoma Birth Network, Oklahoma Lactation Consultant Association, and Daughters of the American Revolution. Karen has participated in COBA since 2002, and assisted with both the development of COBA’s Model Hospital Policy and its recent revision. She has served as Secretary since 2012, and was instrumental in COBA's drafting of bylaws and achievement of 501(c)(3) status in 2014.
 
Karen lives in Warr Acres with her husband of 40 years. She enjoys spending time with him, their 3 sons and their wives, and their two treasured grandchildren.
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COBA Board Member at Large
(Additional bios coming soon)

This page last updated 4/11/2018 by RMP.