MEET THE BOARD

  • Keisha Usher-Martin, Esq (she/her) is a Belizean-American. She graduated from the University of Florida College of Law in 2003. Thereafter, she moved to Philadelphia and fell in love with the city. The racial reckoning in 2012 changed her legal path. She has been fulfilling her passion and using her legal background by focusing on social justice advocacy for women and children. She is the founder of Modern Impact Collective.

    She is currently the Vice Chair of the South of South Neighborhood Association (SOSNA) and the Chair of its Impact Committee.

    She lives in Southwest Philadelphia with her husband, three children, and their dog. She enjoys traveling, theater,

  • Seneca Shahara Brand (she/her) was born and raised in Newark, NJ when kids measured time with streetlights and etchings on the inside of door frames. She was guided to choose the path of home birth for both of her children and was fortunate to connect with Christy Santoro when she and her husband moved across the country to Philadelphia at 7 months pregnant. Fourteen years and two home births later, she continues to feel so blessed to have had the knowledge, like-minded community, and opportunity to experience natural birth at home for both her children. She believes this path of homebirth should be available to those who choose it regardless of their financial standing. It is indeed a birthright for both mother and child.

    Seneca has explored an array of interests in which she cultivated her perspectives on life, creativity, and management skills. In addition to being a wife and mother, she runs her Family Office, is an Archetypal Astrologer with a focus on biographic introspection, a student of Anthroposophy and Anthroposophic Psychology, a visual artist, photographer, interior designer, and natural lifestyle enthusiast. In addition, Seneca has served as a board member for the Kimberton Waldorf School.

    Seneca received a BA for Art History and Studio Arts from Duke University and a MS from Pratt Institute for Interior Design. She also has several certifications in pranic energy healing from the Center for Pranic Healing, as well as certifications from Nightlight Astrology and The American Feng Shui Institute.

  • Christine Ivery, MPH, CHES (she/her) is dedicated to addressing inequities in healthcare and mitigating issues within the Black infant and maternal mortality crisis. Her passion is to help all walks of life through disease and disparity prevention, as well as to make an impact in the communities she serves.
    Within the field of public health, she secures implementation of the program objectives, leads teams to successful execution, and cultivates networks to effectively address barriers that affect
    health outcomes. As Founder and CEO of Public Health Jawn LLC, Christine aims to connect health professionals to address social justice issues and draw awareness to critical topics in her podcast, Public Health Gems.
    Christine serves as Regional Director of Sisters in Public Health and the Community Health Planning and Policy Development (CHPPD) Governing Counselor for the American Public Health Association (APHA). She is a proud member of the New Jersey Birth Equity Funders Alliance Advisory Board Member and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated Social Justice platform. Christine has been awarded by the APHA CHPPD Section with the 2022 Excellence in Collaboration Award, recognized as a 2023 Drexel University 40 Under 40 Honoree, and presented her first TEDx Talk, “Igniting Change in the Black Maternal Mortality Crisis” in 2022.
    Christine holds a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science- Kinesiotherapy from Norfolk State University, a Master’s degree from Drexel University in Public Health, and Health Education Specialist Certification (CHES).

  • Alia Logan (she/her) brings a wealth of experience and passion to the PBF. With over 16 years of owning and operating a childcare center in Philadelphia, Alia has immersed herself in the world of family and children's advocacy. Her commitment to ensuring the well-being of families and their little ones has been a cornerstone of her career.

    As a wife and a devoted mother of three, Alia's personal and professional life intertwine seamlessly, driving her advocacy efforts. Her journey into advocating for home births stemmed from her own profoundly rewarding experience choosing this path. The transformative and empowering nature of her own home birth experience ignited a fire within her to amplify awareness and accessibility to this birthing option.

    Apart from her work, Alia loves traveling and making special memories with her family.

  • Gloria Essoka, PhD (she/her) is a retired nurse educator focused on the health of women, children, and families nationally and internationally. She has worked as a bedside nurse, lecturer, clinical instructor, Undergraduate Program Director, Distinguished Visiting Professor, and Major in the U.S. Army Nurse Reserves. Through a Rockefeller grant awarded to the University of Pennsylvania, she was recruited to serve as an exchange professor at the University of Malawi, Kamuzu College of Nursing for two years, where she taught Pediatric Nursing, Nursing Research, and collaborated with faculty in developing a curriculum that transitioned the school from a diploma to BSN program. She earned a Ph.D. (Nursing) from New York University and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Certification from Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing of the City University of New York. Her commitment has been to the education of nursing students at the baccalaureate level.

    She is an avid reader, gardener, world traveler, and lover of anything involving activities in New York City; she lives with her husband of many decades in West Orange, NJ. They are the loving and indulgent grandparents of three world's most wonderful grandchildren.

  • Christy Santoro (she/her), CPM joined the Program for Maternal Health Equity (PMHE) team at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in 2018 after serving as a homebirth midwife in the Philadelphia region for almost 20 years through her practice Motherland Midwifery. Christy also sought to build community and connections amongst birthing families, advocate for legal recognition and licensure for Certified Professional Midwives in Pennsylvania, and to train and support Black community midwives in the region. Her current work as Director of Community Engaged Research at Temple is to cultivate and support community-academic partnerships that center community leadership and patient expert feedback as well as advance relationship-based models of perinatal care and research justice. She lives in Northwest Philadelphia with her husband, two vibrant children, and their puppy, and enjoys hiking, theater, growing food, and traveling.