About Us
Our Team
Community Partner Programs
Shontei Hampton, CD, BS
she/her
Community Partner Project Manager
Shontei is a maternal-child health advocate, certified doula, and wellness educator who brings over a decade of community-based experience to HealthConnect One's Training & Curriculum team. As Training Specialist, she ensures that HC One's educational offerings remain grounded in cultural humility, family empowerment, and the lived realities of the communities we serve.
For the past seven years, Shontei has worked as a Parent Educator with the Visiting Nurses Association, delivering in-home developmental support through the Parents As Teachers program and serving families from pregnancy through age five. She has designed and facilitated workshops on protective factors, early learning, and health education; collaborated with doulas and community health workers; and supported 65 families annually with trauma-informed, culturally responsive care.
Before joining HC One, Shontei served as a Community Outreach Worker, building referral networks and connecting families in Monmouth and Ocean Counties with vital prenatal and postnatal services. She began her career as a Preschool Teacher Assistant, supporting children's social-emotional development and creating inclusive learning environments.
Shontei holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and an Associate degree in Human Services from the University of Phoenix. She is certified as a doula and childbirth educator through Uzazi Village and trained in sexual health and reproductive education, breastfeeding support, and labor and postpartum care.
Known for her heart-centered approach and deep community connections, Shontei blends evidence-based education with lived experience to create affirming spaces where families, especially Black and Brown families, can thrive before, during, and after birth. She facilitates a monthly Mama's Circle support group and remains committed to building doula networks and advancing birth equity through culturally rooted practice.
Mariana Anguiano
she/her
Community Partner Program Lead
Mariana A. Anguiano Orta is the Program Lead at HealthConnect One. Mariana is a certified community-based doula that has supported the Teen parent community over the last 3 years in Tulsa, OK. Mariana discovered her love for doula work being that she was of and from that same community, becoming a young mother, she was able to share her lived experiences with her community and empower them. Mariana has served over 46 families in the community. Mariana has also gained experience training and facilitating community-based doulas within the last 3 years. Mariana’s passion is to share her knowledge within the doula communities she trains to ensure that the invaluable wisdom spanning generations isn't lost but rather nurtured and passed down, enriching the experiences of future generations of caregivers and mothers alike. In her free time, Mariana enjoys spending time with her 3 boys, exploring local businesses in her community, dancing, gardening, and fishing!
Karina Reyes
she/her
Community Partner Program Lead
Community Care Programs
Tasheea Nicholson
she/her
Director of Community Care Programs
Tamiya Griffin
she/her
Community Care Project Manager
Tamiya Griffin, BS, CD, PMH-C is the NJDLC Director of Programing. She is a New Jersey native and mom of 5. She has worked in the Perinatal and Reproductive field for the last 9 years doing work related to Maternal and Child Health, Perinatal Mental Health, Birth Equity, Teen Pregnancy Prevention and more. Tamiya’s love and passion for motherhood has translated to her becoming a Birth and Postpartum Doula, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Pregnancy and Infant Loss Advocate, and certified in Perinatal Mental Health.
Precious Ikejiaku
she/her
Community Care Project Manager
Michelle Carmichael
she/her
DoulaREADI Facilitator
Advocacy & Impact
Tiwani Oseni
she/her
National Advocacy Manager
Tiwani Oseni is the Advocacy Manager at HealthConnect One. Tiwani graduated with her Master’s in Public Health with a focus on Health Education & Communications from Tulane University in 2022 and found a passion in creating public health social media content that allows individuals and communities to better understand various health topics. While at Tulane, Tiwani was a Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Scholar. Through this scholar program, she created social media content, podcasts, and toolkits for organizations associated with Maternal and Child Health throughout the greater New Orleans area.
Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Tiwani attended California State University, Long Beach where she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Health Care Administration. In her free time, Tiwani enjoys exploring the sights and cuisine in the city of New Orleans!
Stephanie Garcia, MPH
she/her
Data Coordinator
Stephanie Garcia is the Data Coordinator at HealthConnect One, where she oversees data management through Clear Impact for community-based doula sites and leads evaluation reporting for the organization’s various programs and services. Her work supports the organization's mission by translating data into actionable insights that enhance maternal and child health outcomes.
Stephanie holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Community Health Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. During her graduate studies, she honed her skills in evaluation methods, statistical analysis, and scientific writing—areas she remains passionate about and applies daily in her role.
Originally from the Chicagoland area, Stephanie also spent time in Atlanta, Georgia, where she earned dual bachelor's degrees in Biology and French from Emory University. She is committed to using her academic background and lived experience to support and uplift communities in Chicago and beyond.
Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys international travel, baking, and attending concerts and festivals.
Valentina Lara Sanchez
she/her
Advocacy Communications
Breana Turner, Ph.D
she/her
Research Liaison
Executive Office
Twylla Dillion, MBA, PhD
she/her
President & CEO
Dr. Twylla Dillion leads HealthConnect One with a commitment to transforming birth outcomes through community-centered strategies, rigorous research, and systems change. She brings over a decade of experience spanning nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, Medicaid reform, maternal-child health equity, and data-informed decision-making.
Before joining HC One, Dr. Dillion served at United Way of Greater Rochester, where she leveraged data and analytics to strengthen the fundraising, grantmaking, and evaluation cycle—ensuring resources flowed toward measurable community impact. Her research portfolio includes work on breastfeeding equity, serving as program officer for maternal-child health initiatives, and leading research for a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) project that partnered directly with Black mothers to understand contributors to maternal mortality and morbidity and co-develop strategies for better outcomes.
Dr. Dillion's leadership is grounded in the belief that those closest to the challenges hold the solutions. Under her guidance, HC One continues to expand its national reach while deepening its commitment to community-based doula support, peer leadership development, and birth equity advocacy.
She holds a PhD in Health Services Research, Policy and Outcomes from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and an MBA from St. John Fisher College.
Brenda Reyes
she/her
Chief Advocacy Officer
Brenda Reyes is a bilingual registered nurse and certified lactation counselor. As the Chief Advocacy Officer for HealthConnect One (HC One), she has over 20 years of experience working with diverse organizations to create and implement peer support programs for birthing families and maternal child health quality improvement initiatives.
Her work centers and engages communities every step of the way. In 2020, her Op-Ed on Why Community-Based Doulas Are A Lifeline for Latinas was featured in HipLatina.com. Her work was also spotlighted in Prism and WellnessandGood.com. Recently, she was also featured in Telemundo’s Mujeres Imparables by Telemundo for her work in maternal and child health. During 2011 – 2012, Brenda worked on Communities Putting Prevention to Work and on Chicago’s Healthy Places initiative and co-created the Hospital Breastfeeding Toolkit for Illinois’ State Perinatal Breastfeeding Quality Improvement Project. She led HC One’s National Birth Equity Leadership Academy (BELA) Community Projects Initiative.
Currently, she serves as HC One’s representative to the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC). She has served as an elected board member of USBC and NAPPLSC. She participated in the Center for Social Inclusion’s National First Food Racial Equity Cohort; served as work group expert panel member of the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) for the United States; Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Bread for the World Institute and White House Gender Policy Council (GPC), White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) and Office of the Vice President (OVP) focused on maternal health.
She led the HC One First Food Equity Project Initiative funded by WKKF. She is a frequent speaker on breast/chestfeeding, maternal and child health, racial equity, reproductive justice, and supporting birthing communities of color. She is a parent of three children, enjoys running, art, and the outdoors.
Janessa Mondestin
she/her
Chief Operating Officer
Janessa Mondestin serves as Chief Operating Officer at HealthConnect One, providing enterprise-wide leadership across People Operations, Finance Operations, Development Operations, Partnership Operations, and Communication Strategy. Reporting to President & CEO Dr. Twylla Dillion and serving as a member of the executive triad, she has led a comprehensive operational transformation since joining the organization in 2026, stabilizing the financial foundation, modernizing the HR and technology infrastructure, launching HC One's first structured communications function, and establishing the brand governance architecture that positions the organization for its next 40 years of advancing birth equity through community-based perinatal support.