Who We Are

NCEMCH faculty and staff include public health experts, MCH educators, librarians, implementation science specialists, and technology professionals who have the training, skills, experience, and working relationships necessary to advance the MCH agenda on national, state, and local levels.

Leadership Team

John Richards, MA, Executive Director. John serves as executive director of NCEMCH, research professor in pediatrics, and lead for the Health Information Group. He is the Principal Investigator for the MCH Navigator, Strengthen the Evidence for MCH Programs, and the HealthCheck Training and Resource Center. For the past twenty-five years, he has worked on a wide range of MCHB initiatives, including the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, the National Partnership to Promote Safe Sleep, the Title V Information System, Bright Futures, and the Healthy Start National Resource Center.

He also serves as technical liaison with the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, the Georgetown University Medical Center, and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. Mr. Richards is lead author of Advancing Online Public Health Training Systems: Challenges and Opportunities (2016), author of State MCH-Medicaid Coordination: A Review of Title V and Title XIX Interagency Agreements (2008); coauthor of "Collaborative Learning and Technology Skills Development: Evaluation of an Online Annual Grantee Meeting" (MCH Journal, 2011), "Assistive Technology Curriculum Structure and Content in Professional Preparation Service Provider Training Programs" (Journal of Allied Health, 2007), and Well-Child Care: A Bright Futures Curriculum for Pediatric Providers (2008). John has been recognized by HRSA with the MCHB Director's Award, the Young Leadership in MCH Award, and Georgetown University President’s Award for "expertise in technology, discipline-specific knowledge, and creativity in product development."

Rochelle Mayer, EdD, Director. Rochelle has led NCEMCH for over three decades and is a research professor in pediatrics. She has served as editor of Educating Children for Democracy, the professional journal of the International Step by Step Association, and as program evaluator for the Center for Intercultural Education and Development at GU. She was co-director of the Commonwealth Fund Project on Pediatric Care Linkages for Developmental Services (2004–2006).

She served as Principal Investigator of the National Consortium to Advance Education and Public Policy Development in Maternal and Child Health (1996–2002) and the National Education and Information Project (1990–1996), spearheading national program initiatives. She is the recipient of the Administrator’s Special Citation, HRSA’s highest honor to a non-government employee “for building an outstanding information resource to expand knowledge in the MCH community throughout the Nation.” The hallmark of Rochelle’s leadership has been her dedication to advancing MCH through partnership, working closely with MCHB and other organizations. In developing the Bright Futures guidelines, Dr. Mayer led NCEMCH in coordinating four interdisciplinary review panels consisting of over 60 organizations focused on infant, child, and adolescent health and welfare as content authors, reviewers, and supporters.

Research and Evaluation Team

Lan Le, MPA, Research Director. Lan leads development of all Evidence Analysis Reports, ensuring that results are based in science and address needs in the field. She is lead author of A Technical Assistance Model for Guiding Service and Systems Change, which forms the basis of Center TA and training protocols.

Skylar Schlicht, Research Specialist. Skylar coordinates projects and integrates MCH work with technology as the liaison with the Development Team.

Keisha Watson, PhD, Evaluation Director. Keisha serves as co-lead of the MCH Navigator; in this role, she ensures usability for adult learners and leads efforts to develop and maintain the content management database in technical infrastructure that houses the project’s online learning investments. She developed the online survey and organized findings and recommendations for Advancing Online Public Health Training Systems. Dr. Watson has led evaluations of national HRSA-funded initiatives; her research is focused on self-efficacy in health-seeking behaviors and health services program evaluation.

Knowledge Management Team

Beth DeFrancis-Sun, MLS, Senior Librarian. Beth serves as lead to the MCH Digital Library, including managing the archives digitization project. She is an authority on organizations focused on MCH issues, having spent 30 years as a researcher and librarian at NCEMCH. She researches the information needs of MCH professionals, reviewing thousands of online resources to develop Center information products.

Olivia Pickett, MA, MLS, Emeritus Librarian. Olivia brings over 30 years of experience as a professional librarian and 30 years of specialized experience with NCEMCH. She has led the NCEMCH's Knowledge Base through the information revolution, transforming it from a paper and hard-copy collection to an electronic and data/web-based information system. Olivia oversees information services staff and coordinates with IT staff to develop innovative online products. She is editor of the MCH Thesaurus.

IT Development Team

Crystal Boateng, User Interface (UI) Developer. Crystal develops websites, interactive online tools, newsletters, and curricula that are accessible and engaging. She coordinates technology for NCEMCH/Health Information Group projects and serves as the liaison with technology-driving projects at the McCourt School of Public Policy.

Tim King, Senior Web Architect. Tim coordinates the translation of public health materials to formats that can be used by professionals and families. He is responsible for all NCEMCH-related websites, database, and technology assets and leads development of projects in collaboration with Georgetown University Law School.

Mindy Nash, User Experience (UX) Developer. Mindy is responsible for the relevance and currency of NCEMCH resources online and that all technology responds to the needs of NCEMCH's various users. She ensures that online materials are easy-to-access, accessible to people with differing physical abilities and cognitive capabilities, and are innovative. She spearheads work with Georgetown University Medical Center.