Meet Our board and volunteers

Founder & President

Latoya Blueford is a child-loss-survivor, former NICU-mother, Certified Pregnancy and Infant Loss Advocate, Postpartum-Doula, Legislative Advocate, , former Rape-crisis Advocate through Lifelines Counseling Services,  PreemieWorld Foundation board member,  Hope for Healing Partnership advisory board member, member of the NICU Parent Network, and a member of the AngelEye Health Parent & Family Collaborative. Her life's work is to walk the NICU and bereavement journey with families offering a display of hope and reassurance that no matter what the final outcome is, they are not alone and given the proper resources and support they will overcome any obstacle.

Her goal is to bring awareness to NICU postpartum care by giving the world a glimpse inside the this world. A NICU mother is still a postpartum mother but with a critical baby, a devastating reality.

It is her mission to develop and implement new ways to improve conditions, heal, and help NICU and bereaved families.therapeutically process trauma.

Secretary  

Emily Locke is a PhD student in medical anthropology at the University of Alabama, a postpartum doula, and a volunteer community birth doula. She first learned about The Skylar Project when she was collecting data for her masters thesis that explored the impact of multiple natural disasters on infant health, well-being, and feeding in Alabama’s gulf coast. Emily is a passionate advocate for equitable access to doula care, midwifery, and evidence-based practice. She loves to support moms by connecting them to resources that help them thrive.

Treasurer

Arielle Arroyo is a Physician Assistant student and  graduate from Norfolk State University with Bachelors of Science in Mass Communications;  She is versed in the areas of basic patient care, emergency healthcare, project management, social media outreach, audience engagement and public speaking. She is dependable, result-oriented young professional who is a team player and self-starter. Her education background and previous work experience has prepared her for the capabilities to succeed in fast-paced, evolving and intense work environments. Her professional experiences have allowed me to efficiently manage logistics and perform supervision of teams in order to fulfill the requirements of a project from its inception to conclusion.

Advisory Board 

Deb Discenza gave birth to her daughter at 30 weeks gestation in 2003. From day one she was thrust into advocating and never looked back.  Whether it was her starting the award-winning Preemie Magazine in 2005 or co-writing The Preemie Parent’s Survival Guide to the NICU and launching PreemieWorld, she saw a huge void in parent education in and out of the NICU especially in underserved communities.  In 2020 she Co-Founded the Alliance for Black NICU Families, a non-profit providing racial and health equity in the form of a free wearable breast pump.  In 2023 she founded and is the Executive Director of PreemieWorld Foundation, Inc., providing equitable access to patient education in the form of like-minded books and long term outcomes data for premature infants into the geriatric years. Also in 2023 she founded and is the Executive Director of the Books for Healing Partnership, Inc. going no where no one else can with patient education in the form of a children’s story to be used in all forms of healthcare.  When not doing all of that, Deb serves or has served on numerous boards and committees including the International Neonatal Consortium, the National Coalition for Infant Health and NICU Parent Network, International Children’s Advisory Network as well as the NICHD Neonatal Research Network’ Community Engagement Board and the Board of Directors for Kindred 360.

Advisory Board

Dr. Maheshwari is an esteemed neonatologist and the Founding Chair of the Global Newborn Society. He holds prestigious fellowships with several prominent organizations. He received medical education at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi and the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh in India. He then relocated to the University of Florida at Gainesville  for further training in clinical pediatrics and laboratory research. Two years later, he relocated with the same team to the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida (USF) to continue his research and for fellowship training in neonatology.. His career includes notable positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of South Florida, as well as Johns Hopkins University, where he has made significant contributions to neonatal medicine and education. He is committed to newborn health and maternal health equity. 

Fundraising Committee

Cora Howard is a C-section Emotional Resilience Coach who helps women recover emotionally after having C-sections. Through her “Write to Heal” approach, Cora empowers women to reclaim confidence, courage, and a renewed sense of self. With expertise in mindfulness and a deep love of philosophy, Cora has guided numerous women through emotional healing and personal transformation. Beyond this meaningful work, she is a mother of two daughters, has experienced two C-sections herself, and has overcome postpartum depression and anxiety.