Meet Our Team

Our small but mighty team is made up of people from across the country, each bringing a unique set of skills, experience and passion for advancing reproductive justice and access. What binds us together is the idea that healthcare is a human right, including abortion care. We use our talents and pasion to build programs that provide students, nurses, midwives, and SRH allies with education and resources to become skilled care providers and social change agents.

Operations Team

Lina Buffington, PhD

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Lina (she/her) is a “maker” with a love for clay and textile arts; this creative spirit informs her social entrepreneurship, which spans the non-profit and for-profit sectors. She believes that we must take a holistic and creative approach to our work if we hope to close the persistent equity gaps plaguing humanity. Lina is an experienced Program Officer, Executive Director, and Entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience developing and leading mission-centered organizations. While her diverse experience spans multiple sectors, they are all aligned within an unwavering passion for social justice and equity. In addition to her leadership experience, Lina has over 13 years of experience developing curriculum and teaching in institutions of higher education. Before coming to NSRH she co-founded the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative. Lina earned her BA in Philosophy from Spelman College and a PhD in Philosophy from Emory University.

Christy Alisea

Chief Operations Officer (COO)

Christy (she/her/hers) is a nonprofit professional committed to racial and gender equality. She has over 15 years of development experience. During her tenure she has worked with state and federal agencies to secure funding for organizations serving marginalized communities. She has worked for various local and national organizations including the Alzheimer's Association, Think First National Injury Prevention, UCSD Health, and SURE Helpline and Crisis Center as a member of the Imperial County Sexual Assault Response Team.

Alexia Lewin

Executive Assistant

Alexia Lewin (she/her) is a freelance Executive Assistant based on the warm and vibrant island of Jamaica. With over nine years of administrative experience and one year of project management expertise, Alexia is committed to delivering exceptional support to organizations and individuals. Throughout her career, Alexia has leveraged her skills in communication management, database administration, social media support, and website management to contribute to various organizations. She is passionate about empowering women and believes they play a crucial role in nurturing and guiding us through life. This passion drives her involvement with Nurses for Sexual & Reproductive Health. Alexia is currently pursuing a BSc in Digital Marketing at the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean and holds certifications in Administrative Management, Project Management, and Business Administration. She is dedicated to making a positive impact and continues to seek opportunities that allow her to contribute to meaningful causes, especially in supporting women's health and empowerment.

Azero Alcala

Operations Director

Azero Azero (he/him/hims) is based in San Francisco, CA. He brings over 8 years of dedicated experience in the nonprofit sector, specializing in IT management and process development. His career has been defined by a strong commitment to helping organizations achieve their goals in uplifting BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Throughout his professional journey, Azero has consistently contributed to creating innovative and efficient solutions in the nonprofit realm. This includes streamlining IT systems, implementing effective processes, and supporting meaningful initiatives. Beyond their professional life, Azero finds joy in the rhythms of Latin dancing, maintains an active lifestyle through fitness activities, and shares knowledge through teaching dance.

Tracy Yassini

RHSC Grant Admin and Project Coordinator

Tracy Yassini (she/her) brings over 25 years of experience to NSRH. She has deep experience with city and state funding, federal grants, corporations and foundations. Her efforts have secured funding for organizations and entities focused on education, community programs, environmental issues, rare disease research, indigenous communities, and many more worthy endeavors. Tracy held key leadership positions at larger “institutional nonprofits” such as City of Hope National Medical Center, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the American Heart Association - experiences which have fortified her ability to shape persuasive, solid grant proposals that get funded. Her understanding of programs, budgets, and organizational development enables her to “put all the pieces together” in a cohesive manner. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from California State University, Dominguez Hills and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Los Angeles region.

Carolina Alicia

Communications Coordinator

As a seasoned communications and marketing expert, Carolina (She/Her/Hers) brings over 5 years of experience in developing and implementing successful strategies to help organizations achieve their business goals. With a proven track record of driving brand awareness, increasing engagement and generating leads, Carolina is dedicated to delivering impactful and measurable results. Throughout her career, Carolina has worked with a diverse range of clients across various industries including healthcare, consumer goods and non-profit organizations. She is skilled in developing integrated marketing campaigns that leverage a mix of traditional and digital channels to reach target audiences effectively. In addition to her professional expertise, she is committed to staying current on industry trends and best practices to ensure partners are always ahead of the curve. When Carolina is not busy working, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading books.

Programs Team

Jace Anderson, MSN, RN

Director of Education

Jace (she/her) is a Registered Nurse with experience working with inpatient populations in Labor & Delivery, Anterpartum, Postpartum, and Orthopedics. In her work as a nurse educator for an L&D and postpartum units, she found passion in educating and training nurses. She now serves as the Director of Education for NSRH and uses that passion to advocate for nurses to have access to education that prepares them to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare.

Rosie Laine, MPH

Student Engagement and Advocacy Manager

Rosie Laine (she/her) facilitates student-led activism and education through our national chapter program and Karen Edlund Future Nurse Leader Fellowship. She enjoys making reproductive justice a reality for more people by organizing and empowering the next generation of care providers. Alongside her work for NSRH, she is pursuing a doctoral degree in public health, specializing in Health Policy & Bioethics. She has experience in qualitative research, patient advocacy, and community organizing. Outside of work, she loves to read, cook, and explore the local food scene.

Sulianie Mertus

Research Assistant

Sulianie (she/her) is currently an Evaluation Analyst at the District of Columbia Public Schools. As an analyst, Sulianie is responsible for the planning, development, and coordination of the school-based HIV/STI prevention program’s evaluation and performance management plan. Sulianie has eight years of experience in applying social and behavioral science and public health practice to program development, research, and evaluation – with a more recent focus on school-based and adolescent sexual health. Sulianie earned a bachelor’s degree in Biobehavioral Health and a minor in Health Policy and Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a master’s degree in Public Health from La Salle University and is a certified health education specialist. Dedicated to leading research and practice that address disparities limiting access to sexual health education and services in urban communities, Sulianie continues her educational pursuit as a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is based in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Seynabou Niang, MPH

Director of Membership

Seynabou Niang is a community health specialist with a focus on health equity, health promotion, social change, and reproductive justice. As the Director of Membership at NSRH, she cultivates an engaged and empowered network of nursing professionals dedicated to advancing sexual and reproductive health. With a background in program management, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement, Seynabou has spent her career developing strategies that strengthen member-driven organizations and amplify voices in public health. She has worked with organizations focused on maternal health, health equity, and grassroots organizing, always centering collaboration and impact. Seynabou holds a Master of Public Health in Global Health with a concentration in Community Health & Development from Emory University, equipping her with the expertise to build sustainable and inclusive membership networks. When she’s not working to expand and support NSRH’s membership, you can find her hosting a podcast that alchemizes communal intimacy, perfecting her latest crochet project, or binge-watching medical dramas—occasionally critiquing their accuracy, but mostly just enjoying the drama.

Emily B.

Instructional Design Manager

Emily (She/Her) comes to her role as Instructional Design Manager with a background in outdoor education and nursing. She has experience as a Labor and Delivery, Perinatal, and in-home Hospice nurse. Emily finds great joy in using her education skills to empower patients during times of transition. She is passionate about designing educational materials that embolden nurses to provide equitable and just care to patients while acting as change agents in healthcare. Outside of work you can find her in or on the water, gathering with family/friends, or taking a walk outside.

Our Mission & Vision

We envision a world in which all people have access to just and dignified comprehensive healthcare.

Our mission is to provide students, nurses and midwives with education and resources to become skilled care providers and social change agents in sexual and reproductive health and justice.

But wait, How do we do this essential work within a system steeped in systemic racism, inequity, and hierarchy? How can we create a community that empowers our members and facilitates healing and well-being within these systems?

At NSRH we are working hard to create an active and engaged community that is reflective, not of the nursing field as it is presently, but of the diverse communities that nurses serve. We have identified ten core values that guide this work. While our organization has a rich history of grassroots nursing student organizing and activism, we are forging a new future for the organization that serves nursing professionals, midwives, and students.

While our focus is on nurses (LPN/LVNs, RNs, APRNs, Certified Midwives), and nursing students (ADN, BSN, DNP, LP/VN, MSN, and PhD), we also recognize how important it is for nurses to work in coalition with other providers. It is especially important for nurses committed to SRH to build power with other birthing professionals as a way of truly challenging the hierarchical structures within the profession that alienate people and make true access to comprehensive healthcare for all impossible.

We know that in order to achieve our vision, we must start within by continuously challenging the lack of diversity within this sector and within our own community. We embrace the challenge and look forward to seeing what we can all build together,JOIN US!

Our Values

Culture

We support the role of culturally rooted and alternative/holistic models of care, particularly as practices essential to the well-being of diasporic and indigenous communities, and people of color

Equity

Everyone has a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential regardless of race, class, gender, citizenship status, ability, creed, age, religion, sexual identity/expression, or geography. Quality, accessible healthcare is a human right.

Integrity

Our work is rooted in the trust of individuals, their communities, and the nurses and other healthcare providers who care for them. We honor and recognize the credibility and expertise of providers at all levels.

Intersectionality

Oppression is systemic and intersected, and our approach to healthcare is rooted in affirming the various identities and experiences of patients and providers. We collectively challenge racism, ageism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, white supremacy, misogyny, sexism, and all oppressive structures and systems.

Pleasure

Pleasure is a form of care and a radical act in the fight for sexual and reproductive freedom and justice. We believe in centering consensual sex as a form of pleasure.

Power

Nursing and social justice are inherently linked. Therefore, it is the role of nurses and other healthcare providers to challenge power structures and systems that inhibit the health and wellness of their communities. This includes transforming relationships of power inter-professionally and between providers and patients.

Safety

Criminalization and policing of women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ people in ways that interfere with and obstruct bodily autonomy, humanity, and life is inhumane and a threat to our communities. We support healthcare provision free from the obstruction of law enforcement.

Science

Patients and their providers should be empowered with evidence-based, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and information.

Trust

Patients should be trusted to know what is best for their body and their family and are deserving of access to the services and care that support those choices.

Wellness

The spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care does not center on the events of conception and pregnancy alone, nor is it limited to interactions with a healthcare provider. We believe in compassionate care that supports the whole person, mentally and physically, throughout their lifespan

Our 3-Pronged Workforce Development Strategy

NSRH is uniquely positioned to contribute to the development of the sexual and reproductive health care workforce, of which nurses are a critical component. While most organizations are focused on physicians, we have crafted a clear pathway to SRH for nurses using our 3-pronged worksorce development strategy.

Advocacy
Education
Professional Development

Our Chapter Support, free student membership, and the Karen Edlund Future Nurse Leaders Fellowship all serve as entry points for nursing students to begin their career journey. After graduation, students can take advantage of another free year of membership before becoming paid professional members. As professional members they have access to our Online Institute, where they can continue their SRH education and get CE Hours that they can apply towards their licensure. Professional nurses can also apply for our Training in Abortion Care Residency where they can get clinical training in an abortion care facility. Those who want to gain further experience working in an abortion care facility can then apply to become a part of our Abortion Nursing Corps, which will allow them to use their training in support of abortion clinics facing nurse shortages.

Who We Serve

NSRH supports all nursing professionals and nursing students. Our scope includes LPN/LVNs, RNs, APRNs, Certified Midwives, and nursing faculty and students (including RN, APRN, LPN, and Midwifery, and MSN programs).

Our History

The history of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health is rooted in student organizing efforts at two nursing schools: Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) in Portland and Winona State University in Minnesota. Nursing Students for Reproductive Health and Justice (NSRHJ) was founded at OHSU in 2005 and Nursing Students for Choice (NSFC) was founded at Winona State University in 2006. Both organizations were focused on filling critical gaps in their nursing curricula and promoting pro-choice issues on campus. In 2007 these two organizations joined forces to create a national network of student-led chapters called, Nursing Students for Choice (NSFC). As the organization continued to evolve, the focus was broadened to address issues of sexual and reproductive health and so the organization became Nursing Students for Sexual and Reproductive Health (NSSRH) in 2017.

For 10 years, the organization provided critical financial, coaching, and educational support to dozens of nursing student-led chapters at colleges and universities across the country participating in a variety of organizing and advocacy efforts. Chapters have organized: educational workshops, multi-week seminars, journal and book clubs, movie screenings, and clinical rotations. Students in our network have written op-eds and participated in campaigns to challenge local, state and national policy. They have successfully pushed for curriculum reform in their schools, and some even gained leadership positions in nationally recognized organizations. In addition to providing funding and coaching support to our chapters, we have also created educational resources, provided scholarships for students to educational conferences, and organized an annual activist conference to foster community-building and learning across the network.

This journey would not have been possible without ongoing collaborations across the pro-choice movement and beyond. Early partnerships were made with If/When/How, NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota, Provide, and other student organizing groups such as Medical Students for Choice. Over the years, these partnerships expanded and deepened, and efforts were made to re-frame the organization to incorporate full-spectrum sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice. In 2017, NSSRH proudly merged with Reproductive Health in Nursing (RhN), catalyzing a new effort to incorporate nursing professionals, faculty and scholars into the fold. In 2018, a new organization emerged, Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health (NSRH).

Our Board

The Board of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health (NSRH) is comprised of talented and skilled reproductive health professionals from throughout the nation.

Executive Committee

Jacki Witt JD, MSN, WHNP-BC, FAANP

Chair

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing and Health Studies

Jacki Witt, JD, MSN, WHNP-BC, FAANP, is a Clinical Professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing and Health Studies and a Principal Investigator in the Collaborative to Advance Health Services. She has provided health care services to diverse, mainly under-or uninsured, women for over 40 years and has taught at all levels of nursing education for over 30 years. During her career, she has been certified as a nurse midwife (CNM) and as a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE-A). She currently maintains certification as a women’s health nurse practitioner and sees patients at adult and adolescent correctional facilities near Kansas City. Jacki has been the Project Director for the Title X-funded National Clinical Training Center for Family Planning since its inception in 2006, as well as the Project Director for an OPA-funded Natural Family Planning research project (2012 – 2014), a HRSA-funded HIV curriculum integration project (2018 – 2021) and a SAMSHA-funded Medication Assisted Treatment curriculum integration project (2018 – 2023). Jacki has authored or co-authored over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles about contraception and family planning. She is the Past Chair of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) Board of Directors (2016-2018) and is a past member of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association’s (NFPRHA) Board of Directors (2015 – 2021). Jacki is the President of the Board of Directors (2020-2021) for the National Certification Corporation (NCC) where she previously served as the Secretary-Treasurer (2014-2018).

Chantel Neece DNP, MSNED, MBA

Vice Chair

Virginia Premier Health Plan

With over 20 years of healthcare experience, Dr. Chantel Neece, currently serves as the Director of Social Determinants of Health, Member Outreach, and Community Development at Virginia Premier Health Plan. From a Nurses’ Aide to Doctor in Nursing Practice, her current role includes oversight for Virginia Premier’s Maternal Health Program which is dedicated to eliminating healthcare disparities to enhance access to care. Her business acumen spans multiple settings to include Critical Care, Accountable Care, Ambulatory practice, and Managed Care. In addition to Chantel’s Doctor in Nursing Practice degree, Master’s in Nursing Education, Master’s in Business Administration, and Family Nursing Practice post graduate certificate, she maintains certifications as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, Gerontological Nurse, Family Nurse Practitioner (licensed), and Six Sigma Black Belt. She has also volunteered with the American Nurse Credentialing Center’s Standard Setting Committee, and the National Association for Healthcare Quality as a change agent to refine nursing practice and healthcare fundamentals. In her spare time, Chantel enjoys gardening, traveling, and sampling international cuisine with her family.

June Gupta MSN, WHNP-BC

Treasurer

Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Pronoun: She/Her, June is a women's health nurse practitioner. She is currently the Director of Medical Standards at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. As a per diem clinician, she also maintains clinical practice with Planned Parenthood of Maryland and Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington. June holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. She lives in central Maryland with her husband and three children.

Ellen Solis DNP, CNM, FACNM

Secretary

Quilted Health; The University of Washington

Dr. Solis (she/her/hers) is a certified nurse-midwife at Quilted Health in Renton Washington and professor of nursing and midwifery at the University of Washington. Prior to relocating to Washington in 2022, she was the lead midwife at Carle Health Systems in Urbana, Illinois and an instructor at the University of Illinois, Urbana, Champaign. She has been a practicing midwife for over 16 years and approaches the care of women and gender expansive people through a reproductive justice and anti-racist lens. Her current research focuses on effective clinical communication skills, simulation learning and evidenced based pregnancy care for individuals with obesity. Dr. Solis is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives and a member of Sigma Theta Tau international honor society of nursing.

Board Members

Lindsey English Hull RN, JD

Lindsey English Hull, RN, JD, (she/her/hers) obtained her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Tennessee, after which she spent five years as a labor and delivery nurse on a high-risk obstetrics unit at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. As a nurse, she is nationally certified in in-patient obstetrics and has helped hundreds of women through some of the best, worst, and hardest days of their lives. Lindsey loves bedside nursing and misses her team, but she decided to go back to law school as a result of a growing disenchantment with our healthcare system and a desire to advocate for positive policy changes. She obtained her JD from the University of Tennessee in the spring of 2020, where she had the opportunity to assist Professor Wendy Bach in researching and documenting the negative effects of Tennessee’s criminal “fetal assault” law. Upon graduation, Lindsey moved to New York City to complete a legal fellowship in reproductive justice at Pregnancy Justice, where she served as a staff attorney - advancing policies and litigating cases that protected healthcare providers and their patients from criminal liability for their actions or inactions during pregnancy and delivery.

Morgan Nuzzo MSN, CNM

Co-founder, Partners in Abortion Care

Morgan Nuzzo (she/her) is a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) and co-founder of Partners in Abortion Care located in College Park, Maryland. Partners opened in October 2022 and serves people seeking abortions throughout all trimesters of pregnancy. Morgan became a midwife to become an abortion provider. She has spent her career in service to abortion patients, but specializes in working with those seeking abortion in later pregnancy. She feels strongly that training Advanced Practice Clinicians (Nurse midwives, Nurse practitioners, & physician assistants) is an important step in assuring the continuation of abortion services throughout this country, even Post-Dobbs. Prior to founding Partners in Abortion Care Morgan worked at both independent and Planned Parenthood clinics across the greater Maryland, Virginia and DC areas. Morgan has been featured in Cosmopolitan, NPR, FiveThirty-Eight, Time Magazine, Slate & The Washington Post.

Joely Pritzker MS, FNP-C

Family Nurse Practitioner

Joely Pritzker, MS, FNP-C (she/her) is a Family Nurse Practitioner who specializes in reproductive and sexual health. She began her career in the field over 15 years ago, first as a health educator at a teen and young adult clinic before earning her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco. She has worked in a variety of clinical settings and currently practices at an FQHC in Vista, California where she provides comprehensive SRH care, including prenatal care, gender-affirming care, and contraception. In addition to her clinical work, Joely is a reproductive and sexual health consultant and trainer. She leads trainings for the National Clinical Training Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Reproductive Health National Training Center, Envision SRH and other organizations on the PATH Framework, client-centered counseling, LARC placement and removal, contraceptive methods and patient self-advocacy. She is a contributing author for the 22nd Edition of Contraceptive Technology, co-authoring the chapter on person- centered reproductive health conversations and contraception counseling. Joely is particularly passionate about finding ways to operationalize Reproductive Justice principals in clinical practice and is dedicated to helping providers, medical assistants and other support staff develop their counseling skills and clinical knowledge.

Amber Rose Washington DNP, APRN, FNP-C

Cabarrus Rowan Community Health Center, North Carolina

Amber Rose Harper, DNP, APRN, FNP-C is a family nurse practitioner and uses she/her pronouns. She has spent her advanced practice nursing career working in federally qualified health centers, where she provides primary care and reproductive health care to underserved populations. Amber has focused her clinical scholarship on improving the health outcomes of BIPOC, specifically Latinx and Black persons through quality improvement initiatives and implementation of evidence-based practice research. Her research has examined the effectiveness of culturally relevant educational interventions in improving patients’ sexual and reproductive health knowledge. In addition, Amber’s research interests having focused on improving utilization of long-acting reversible contraception and adherence to preventative screenings such as cervical cancer and breast cancer. She maintains a clinical practice at Cabarrus Rowan Community Health Center in North Carolina, where she also serves as an Associate Clinical Officer. During her spare time, Amber loves to bake, tend to her patio garden, create canvas paintings, and create floral arrangements.

Colette Williams RN

BS in Biology from CUNY Lehman College, BS in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania

Colette (she/her) is a registered nurse working in Family Planning in the Bronx, NY. She is completing a Master of Science in Nursing at SUNY Downstate to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from CUNY Lehman College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. Her passion for working with and for underrepresented communities began when she was a volunteer and eventual board member for the student-run organization, Bronx Community Health Leaders. This led her to become a prenatal coordinator for a federally qualified health center in Harlem, NY. Since then, she has been an advocate for bridging the gap between resources and equitable care for women and families in minority communities.