COBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
COBA Chair
Becky Mannel, MPH, IBCLC, FILCA
Becky has worked in lactation for over 25 years. She developed and managed the hospital-wide lactation service at OU Medical Center for 15 years. She is currently Director of the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center in the Department of OB/GYN at OU Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and Executive Director for the Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank (OMMB). She leads the Becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma project sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). Becky also developed and oversees the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Hotline and provides professional training/education to Oklahoma hospitals to improve their breastfeeding care and outcomes, both OSDH-funded projects.
As a faculty member at OUHSC, Becky has developed a variety of trainings for health care and public health providers including the first formal clinical training in Oklahoma for aspiring lactation consultants. She has presented extensively at state, national and international professional conferences. Becky served 4 years on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Human Lactation and has served as Lead Editor for two editions of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) textbook, Core Curriculum for Lactation Consultant Practice. She co-edited the new (2018) Core Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Lactation Care sponsored by the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee. Becky is past Chair of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) and past President of ILCA. She has represented the lactation consultant profession at national-level meetings, including those for the development of the 2011 U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding and at national strategy meetings sponsored by the CDC from 2010 to 2014. Becky currently represents IBLCE on the US Breastfeeding Committee and was elected as a full member in 2014 of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation.
In 2017, Becky was awarded the Warren Crosby Champion for Maternal and Infant Health Award by the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative. This award is given for “championing efforts to improve outcomes for Oklahoma’s mothers and infants and going above and beyond to do what is right for the patients”.
Becky has been involved in COBA since its founding in 2000 and has served in various offices, including Chair 2006-2009 and 2012-2017.
She lives with her husband in Edmond, has 3 grown children and became a grandmother in 2018.
Contact Becky: chair@okbreastfeeding.org
Becky Mannel, MPH, IBCLC, FILCA
Becky has worked in lactation for over 25 years. She developed and managed the hospital-wide lactation service at OU Medical Center for 15 years. She is currently Director of the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center in the Department of OB/GYN at OU Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) and Executive Director for the Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank (OMMB). She leads the Becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma project sponsored by the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). Becky also developed and oversees the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Hotline and provides professional training/education to Oklahoma hospitals to improve their breastfeeding care and outcomes, both OSDH-funded projects.
As a faculty member at OUHSC, Becky has developed a variety of trainings for health care and public health providers including the first formal clinical training in Oklahoma for aspiring lactation consultants. She has presented extensively at state, national and international professional conferences. Becky served 4 years on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Human Lactation and has served as Lead Editor for two editions of the International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) textbook, Core Curriculum for Lactation Consultant Practice. She co-edited the new (2018) Core Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Lactation Care sponsored by the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee. Becky is past Chair of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) and past President of ILCA. She has represented the lactation consultant profession at national-level meetings, including those for the development of the 2011 U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding and at national strategy meetings sponsored by the CDC from 2010 to 2014. Becky currently represents IBLCE on the US Breastfeeding Committee and was elected as a full member in 2014 of the International Society for Research in Human Milk and Lactation.
In 2017, Becky was awarded the Warren Crosby Champion for Maternal and Infant Health Award by the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative. This award is given for “championing efforts to improve outcomes for Oklahoma’s mothers and infants and going above and beyond to do what is right for the patients”.
Becky has been involved in COBA since its founding in 2000 and has served in various offices, including Chair 2006-2009 and 2012-2017.
She lives with her husband in Edmond, has 3 grown children and became a grandmother in 2018.
Contact Becky: chair@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Vice Chair
April Stuart, BA, MPH
April’s passion and professional background is in nonprofit program management and development. Over the past 10 plus years she has worked for Goodwill Industries of Tulsa, Up With Trees, and American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation. She currently works for Presbyterian Health Foundation, a private foundation based in Oklahoma City’s Research Park. Her role with PHF includes assisting with communications and program development, disseminating information about cutting edge biotechnological and medical advancements right here in Oklahoma.
April aims to serve her community in a public health capacity. She completed the Master of Public Health program at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2015. While earning her MPH degree, April realized the importance of advocating for maternal and child health in Oklahoma. Giving birth to her own children in 2015 and 2017, 17 months apart, she gained a true appreciation for the perinatal period. While she had access to breastfeeding resources, she still found breastfeeding exceptionally challenging. The experience helped her appreciate the support families need and the many barriers they may face in accessing those resources. Her return to the workforce following the birth of her first child revealed the challenges involved with juggling breastfeeding and pumping while trying to balance work and family life.
April hopes that her experience positions her to make a difference in the lives of breastfeeding families in Oklahoma by assisting with COBA's development and capacity, and providing program support for outreach strategies to empower families to successfully breastfeed their children.
April and her husband, Zach, are fairly new residents to Oklahoma City from Tulsa. She enjoys learning new things about the city and finding activities for their young children, taking them to the library, the Science Museum, and to area parks. In her spare time she enjoys discovering new favorite places with her husband, reading, and being outdoors. Together they enjoy lots of family time in their living room and dream of traveling internationally.
Contact April: vicechair@okbreastfeeding.org
April Stuart, BA, MPH
April’s passion and professional background is in nonprofit program management and development. Over the past 10 plus years she has worked for Goodwill Industries of Tulsa, Up With Trees, and American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation. She currently works for Presbyterian Health Foundation, a private foundation based in Oklahoma City’s Research Park. Her role with PHF includes assisting with communications and program development, disseminating information about cutting edge biotechnological and medical advancements right here in Oklahoma.
April aims to serve her community in a public health capacity. She completed the Master of Public Health program at University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 2015. While earning her MPH degree, April realized the importance of advocating for maternal and child health in Oklahoma. Giving birth to her own children in 2015 and 2017, 17 months apart, she gained a true appreciation for the perinatal period. While she had access to breastfeeding resources, she still found breastfeeding exceptionally challenging. The experience helped her appreciate the support families need and the many barriers they may face in accessing those resources. Her return to the workforce following the birth of her first child revealed the challenges involved with juggling breastfeeding and pumping while trying to balance work and family life.
April hopes that her experience positions her to make a difference in the lives of breastfeeding families in Oklahoma by assisting with COBA's development and capacity, and providing program support for outreach strategies to empower families to successfully breastfeed their children.
April and her husband, Zach, are fairly new residents to Oklahoma City from Tulsa. She enjoys learning new things about the city and finding activities for their young children, taking them to the library, the Science Museum, and to area parks. In her spare time she enjoys discovering new favorite places with her husband, reading, and being outdoors. Together they enjoy lots of family time in their living room and dream of traveling internationally.
Contact April: vicechair@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Secretary
Cheryl Coleman, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Cheryl currently serves as a lactation consultant at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa. She has been a registered nurse for over 40 years and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant for 8 years. She served as the lead for Hillcrest’s Baby-Friendly designation.
Prior to working at Hillcrest, Cheryl worked as an Education Specialist and Clinical Nurse Manager at Oklahoma State University Medical Center. She has served as a board member with the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) for 14 years in various capacities, including Director of Public Relations, Secretary, President-Elect and President. She was on the faculty for ICEA Basic Teacher Training and Postnatal Educator Workshops for many years.
Cheryl lives in Verdigris, Oklahoma with husband, Bob. They have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Cheryl is passionate about Sooner sports, the Chicago Cubs, Oklahoma City Thunder, breastfeeding families, and doing the Happy Breastmilk Dance.
Cheryl is Chair of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Committee.
Contact Cheryl: secretary@okbreastfeeding.org
Cheryl Coleman, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Cheryl currently serves as a lactation consultant at Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa. She has been a registered nurse for over 40 years and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant for 8 years. She served as the lead for Hillcrest’s Baby-Friendly designation.
Prior to working at Hillcrest, Cheryl worked as an Education Specialist and Clinical Nurse Manager at Oklahoma State University Medical Center. She has served as a board member with the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) for 14 years in various capacities, including Director of Public Relations, Secretary, President-Elect and President. She was on the faculty for ICEA Basic Teacher Training and Postnatal Educator Workshops for many years.
Cheryl lives in Verdigris, Oklahoma with husband, Bob. They have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Cheryl is passionate about Sooner sports, the Chicago Cubs, Oklahoma City Thunder, breastfeeding families, and doing the Happy Breastmilk Dance.
Cheryl is Chair of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative Committee.
Contact Cheryl: secretary@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Treasurer
Alexis Boryca, La Leche League Leader, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
As a teen mother, Alexis struggled to breastfeed her son and felt incredibly defeated. She saw very little support or guidance from her community. When she was pregnant with her second child 3 years later, she knew she would try to breastfeed again though she was full of doubt and fear. It was during this pregnancy that she discovered her local La Leche League group. With the support of a kind Leader and group of regularly attending women, she was able to successfully breastfeed her second son until he was 18 months old. She has since added two more breastfed children to her family.
Alexis has served her community in many ways. She became a La Leche League Leader in 2013 where she served the rural communities of South West Oklahoma, then she relocated to Mustang, Oklahoma where she continues to serve that part of Central Oklahoma. In 2016 she partnered with the Best for Babes Foundation as a volunteer Miracle Milk Stroll Coordinator and social media contributor. In 2017 she accepted a position as a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at the largest WIC clinic in the state of Oklahoma. In 2018 she became an Emerging Leader with United Way of Oklahoma. These positions I have given her the opportunity to support nursing families while bringing awareness and education to underserved communities. Her hope for COBA is that it can grow to fully accommodate our state's needs while reducing disparities in breastfeeding.
When they have down time, Alexis and her husband Steven and four children enjoy traveling and loving on their small flock of chickens.
Contact Alexis: treasurer@okbreastfeeding.org
Alexis Boryca, La Leche League Leader, WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor
As a teen mother, Alexis struggled to breastfeed her son and felt incredibly defeated. She saw very little support or guidance from her community. When she was pregnant with her second child 3 years later, she knew she would try to breastfeed again though she was full of doubt and fear. It was during this pregnancy that she discovered her local La Leche League group. With the support of a kind Leader and group of regularly attending women, she was able to successfully breastfeed her second son until he was 18 months old. She has since added two more breastfed children to her family.
Alexis has served her community in many ways. She became a La Leche League Leader in 2013 where she served the rural communities of South West Oklahoma, then she relocated to Mustang, Oklahoma where she continues to serve that part of Central Oklahoma. In 2016 she partnered with the Best for Babes Foundation as a volunteer Miracle Milk Stroll Coordinator and social media contributor. In 2017 she accepted a position as a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor at the largest WIC clinic in the state of Oklahoma. In 2018 she became an Emerging Leader with United Way of Oklahoma. These positions I have given her the opportunity to support nursing families while bringing awareness and education to underserved communities. Her hope for COBA is that it can grow to fully accommodate our state's needs while reducing disparities in breastfeeding.
When they have down time, Alexis and her husband Steven and four children enjoy traveling and loving on their small flock of chickens.
Contact Alexis: treasurer@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Board Member at Large
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 dyads to help them successfully breastfeed. Montika is passionate about expanding and improving breastfeeding support in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. Her research interests and experience include holistic breastfeeding, gut health, craniosacral fascial therapy, ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), socioeconomic disparities in birth outcomes, development of healthcare models to improve breastfeeding outcomes in African American women, development of healthcare models to lower African American women's pregnancy mortality rates and African American infant mortality rates.
Montika holds a Bachelor of Science degree 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 is currently attending graduate school in wellness coaching at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. 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). She served as COBA Chair from January 2017 to May 2018.
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. In June 2016 she was 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 is the wife of her amazingly supportive husband Paul and the mother of their three superhero children, who were all extended breastfeeders. Montika lives in Broken Arrow and offers lactation support for women who live in the surrounding areas.
Contact Montika: montikac@okbreastfeeding.org
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 dyads to help them successfully breastfeed. Montika is passionate about expanding and improving breastfeeding support in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. Her research interests and experience include holistic breastfeeding, gut health, craniosacral fascial therapy, ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), socioeconomic disparities in birth outcomes, development of healthcare models to improve breastfeeding outcomes in African American women, development of healthcare models to lower African American women's pregnancy mortality rates and African American infant mortality rates.
Montika holds a Bachelor of Science degree 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 is currently attending graduate school in wellness coaching at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. 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). She served as COBA Chair from January 2017 to May 2018.
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. In June 2016 she was 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 is the wife of her amazingly supportive husband Paul and the mother of their three superhero children, who were all extended breastfeeders. Montika lives in Broken Arrow and offers lactation support for women who live in the surrounding areas.
Contact Montika: montikac@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Board Member at Large
Julia Profit-Johnson, RN, BSN
Julia “JP” Profit-Johnson has been a nurse since 1998, and received her bachelor’s degree with honors in nursing from Oklahoma City University in 2016. She is a member of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and serves as Legislative Representative and a Director at Large with Region 2 of the Oklahoma Nurses Association (ONA).
Julia is Birthing Center Manager at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso, where she strives to empower her staff to take care of their patients and prepare her patients to take care of their babies. When JP wanted to help mothers stay close to home preparing for birth, she developed the curriculum, trained staff and launched a community-based childbirth education program so mothers wouldn’t have to drive to Tulsa to get the education they needed. In 2015, Julia received a Spirit of Achieving Cost Savings Award from the Oklahoma Hospital Association for a training program partnership with Hillcrest Medical Center which strengthened the Birthing Center staff’s involvement and flexibility.
Julia enjoys spending time with her husband and family, including Dayton and Hunter -- her beautiful grandchildren and the joy of her life.
Julia is Chair of the Governance Committee.
Contact Julia: juliap@okbreastfeeding.org
Julia Profit-Johnson, RN, BSN
Julia “JP” Profit-Johnson has been a nurse since 1998, and received her bachelor’s degree with honors in nursing from Oklahoma City University in 2016. She is a member of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and serves as Legislative Representative and a Director at Large with Region 2 of the Oklahoma Nurses Association (ONA).
Julia is Birthing Center Manager at Bailey Medical Center in Owasso, where she strives to empower her staff to take care of their patients and prepare her patients to take care of their babies. When JP wanted to help mothers stay close to home preparing for birth, she developed the curriculum, trained staff and launched a community-based childbirth education program so mothers wouldn’t have to drive to Tulsa to get the education they needed. In 2015, Julia received a Spirit of Achieving Cost Savings Award from the Oklahoma Hospital Association for a training program partnership with Hillcrest Medical Center which strengthened the Birthing Center staff’s involvement and flexibility.
Julia enjoys spending time with her husband and family, including Dayton and Hunter -- her beautiful grandchildren and the joy of her life.
Julia is Chair of the Governance Committee.
Contact Julia: juliap@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Board Member at Large
Rachel Nelson, USAF Staff Sergeant
Rachel is a Black Stay-at-Home Mom to Gabrielle Sophia Nelson, born in September 2017 seven weeks before her due date. Rachel serves in the United States Air Force Reserves. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she moved to Missouri in 2015, where she met her husband Scott Nelson. The Nelsons moved to Oklahoma in December of 2017. Rachel got involved in Oklahoma City’s Milk Moms support group right away, joined COBA, volunteered to serve on the COBA Board of Directors, and was elected with Gabrielle on her lap at our January 2018 meeting in Tulsa!
Rachel and Scott discussed breastfeeding prior to becoming pregnant. Rachel did a ton of research about it and discovered breastfeeding support as her passion. Gabrielle was due in November, but in August Rachel was hospitalized with a large chorioangioma, a tumor on the placenta raising risks for complications such as hydrops (extra fluid) and anemia. Gabrielle was born 3 weeks later and remained in the NICU for 24 days -- the hardest of the Nelsons’ lives! Rachel pumped around the clock and lived at Ronald McDonald house while Gabrielle matured, receiving her milk by nasogastric tube. When Gabrielle started showing hunger cues, they started practice feeds. She would latch on perfectly but would quickly get winded. When Gabrielle was able to take full feeds by mouth it was the most amazing feeling in the world!
Rachel is Chair of the Baby Cafe Committee.
Contact Rachel: racheln@okbreastfeeding.org
Rachel Nelson, USAF Staff Sergeant
Rachel is a Black Stay-at-Home Mom to Gabrielle Sophia Nelson, born in September 2017 seven weeks before her due date. Rachel serves in the United States Air Force Reserves. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she moved to Missouri in 2015, where she met her husband Scott Nelson. The Nelsons moved to Oklahoma in December of 2017. Rachel got involved in Oklahoma City’s Milk Moms support group right away, joined COBA, volunteered to serve on the COBA Board of Directors, and was elected with Gabrielle on her lap at our January 2018 meeting in Tulsa!
Rachel and Scott discussed breastfeeding prior to becoming pregnant. Rachel did a ton of research about it and discovered breastfeeding support as her passion. Gabrielle was due in November, but in August Rachel was hospitalized with a large chorioangioma, a tumor on the placenta raising risks for complications such as hydrops (extra fluid) and anemia. Gabrielle was born 3 weeks later and remained in the NICU for 24 days -- the hardest of the Nelsons’ lives! Rachel pumped around the clock and lived at Ronald McDonald house while Gabrielle matured, receiving her milk by nasogastric tube. When Gabrielle started showing hunger cues, they started practice feeds. She would latch on perfectly but would quickly get winded. When Gabrielle was able to take full feeds by mouth it was the most amazing feeling in the world!
Rachel is Chair of the Baby Cafe Committee.
Contact Rachel: racheln@okbreastfeeding.org
COBA Board Member at Large
Erin Coppenbarger, MS, RD/LD, CLC
Erin received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, Exercise, Health Sciences and Dietetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare Systems. She began working for the WIC program as the Lead Nutrition Educator for a local agency in Nebraska while obtaining her registered dietitian credential and completing her Master of Science degree in Nutrition remotely from the University of Central Arkansas. She also completed the CLC program, which sparked her interest in breastfeeding.
Erin moved to Oklahoma in 2015 and began working as the WIC Clinic Manager for Variety Care. At Variety Care, she has initiated Oklahoma City's first WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program and is currently in the process of starting the BCEP education program for Variety Care providers while creating a partnership with OU Lactation to house an IBCLC in Variety Care clinics.
Since she started working with breastfeeding families in the WIC program, Erin has realized that her 6 years of training in nutrition barely touched the surface of knowledge about the optimal nutrition source for infants. She is extremely interested in promoting breastfeeding, not only to pregnant women, but to healthcare providers. COBA offers her a platform to bring healthcare providers' knowledge of breastfeeding in line with its importance for family health. Her fascination with breastfeeding grows with each new tidbit she learns about its benefits!
Erin Coppenbarger, MS, RD/LD, CLC
Erin received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition, Exercise, Health Sciences and Dietetics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed her dietetic internship at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare Systems. She began working for the WIC program as the Lead Nutrition Educator for a local agency in Nebraska while obtaining her registered dietitian credential and completing her Master of Science degree in Nutrition remotely from the University of Central Arkansas. She also completed the CLC program, which sparked her interest in breastfeeding.
Erin moved to Oklahoma in 2015 and began working as the WIC Clinic Manager for Variety Care. At Variety Care, she has initiated Oklahoma City's first WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor program and is currently in the process of starting the BCEP education program for Variety Care providers while creating a partnership with OU Lactation to house an IBCLC in Variety Care clinics.
Since she started working with breastfeeding families in the WIC program, Erin has realized that her 6 years of training in nutrition barely touched the surface of knowledge about the optimal nutrition source for infants. She is extremely interested in promoting breastfeeding, not only to pregnant women, but to healthcare providers. COBA offers her a platform to bring healthcare providers' knowledge of breastfeeding in line with its importance for family health. Her fascination with breastfeeding grows with each new tidbit she learns about its benefits!
This page last updated 12/16/2019 by AHS.
