The Improving Maternal Health Steering Committee is a group of individuals committed to engage in the work, collaboration and advocacy required to achieve the goal of significantly improving maternal health in Harris County.
The Steering Committee first convened in March 2017, when Houston Endowment partnered with experts from Working Partner.
Today, the Steering Committee is made of leaders from a wide range of backgrounds, including healthcare, behavioral health, social services, research, business, government and philanthropy, who are all working together to learn more about maternal health in Harris County and develop this community-wide effort to reduce the rate of maternal mortality and morbidity.
The committee helps to champion the work that is being done through the Improving Maternal Health Initiative and continues to work towards creating a place where every woman’s pregnancy, delivery and postpartum experience is successful and safe.
Steering Committee
Dr. Sean Blackwell – UTHealth McGovern Medical School
Barbie Brashear – Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
Dr. Gail Bray – The Menninger Clinic
Erica Brown – Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
Dr. David Buck – University of Houston College of Medicine
The Honorable Garnet Coleman – District 147, State of Texas
Martin Comiskey – Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston
The Honorable Sarah Davis – District 134, State of Texas
Evelyn Delgado – Healthy Futures of Texas/Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition
The Honorable Amanda Edwards – City of Houston
Holly Elliott – HCA Gulf Coast Division
The Honorable Rodney Ellis – Harris County Precinct 1
Jamie Freeney – Harris Health/African American Health Coalition
Kami Geoffray – Cullen Trust for Health Care
Dr. Erica Giwa – The Center for Women and Children, Texas Children’s Health Plan
Dr. Chris Greeley – Texas Children’s Hospital
Dr. Olinda Johnson – Texas Woman’s University
Daryl Knox – The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD
Elizabeth Love – Houston Endowment
Naomi Madrid – Crisis Intervention
Elena Marks – Episcopal Health Foundation
Brandii Mayes – Texas Department State Health Services Region 6/5 South
David Mendez – JP Morgan Chase/Houston Endowment – Co-Chair
Dr. Quianta Moore – Baker Institute, Rice University
Dr. Carla Ortique – Baker Institute, Rice University – Co-Chair
Carol Paret – Memorial Hermann Community Benefits Corporation
Dr. Vicki Regan – Memorial Hermann Health System
Dr. McClain Sampson – University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work
Christy Serrano – First 3 Years
Dr. Umair Shah – Harris County Public Health
Dr. Peggy Smith – Baylor Teen Health Clinic
Ann Stern – Houston Endowment
Mel Taylor – The Council on Recovery
The Honorable Shawn Thierry – District 146, State of Texas
Dr. Susan Tortolero Emery – UTHealth School of Public Health
Kern Tseng – Harris Health
Jo Lynn Turner – Community Health Choice
Renae Vania-Tomczek – Mental Health America – Greater Houston
The Honorable Armando Walle – District 140, State of Texas
Darcie Wells – March of Dimes Houston
Stephen Williams – City of Houston Health Department