Who we are

Stephanie Ayala – Co-Chair

Stephanie Ayala is a dedicated leader in perinatal quality improvement and patient safety, serving as a Project Manager for the District of Columbia Perinatal Quality Collaborative (DCPQC) under the DC Hospital Association (DCHA). She drives hospital engagement in implementing AIM Patient Safety Bundles, with a focus on maternal health equity, respectful care, and perinatal mental health. Stephanie leads key initiatives, including the Postpartum/Transitions of Care Workgroup and the Perinatal Mental Health Workgroup, supporting hospitals in quality improvement. She oversees the implementation of the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Patient Safety Bundles across hospitals in the District, currently focusing on the Obstetric Hemorrhage Bundle. Her work extends to strengthening postpartum care transitions and amplifying patient and family voices in quality improvement efforts. Passionate about systems change and collaborative learning, Stephanie continues to shape policies and programs that improve maternal and infant health outcomes across the District.

Layo George – Co-Chair

Layo George is currently the CEO and Founder of Wolomi. Wolomi is a perinatal health company that strives to create innovative ways to improve outcomes for women of color. Layo has experience working in both acute and primary care settings. She also has expertise in assisting healthcare organizations transition from pay for performance to value-based, patient focused and outcome-based systems. Layo has worked on one of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services innovative grants pioneering the way for city-wide care coordination in the District of Columbia (DC). She has also worked as a Quality Improvement Specialist at District of Columbia Primary Care Association leading primary care members through care and practice transformation. Layo was appointed to the DC Board of Nursing to continue her work in strengthening the healthcare system. She previously served as the vice-chair on the District of Columbia Department of Healthcare Finance’s HIE stakeholder subcommittee. She is currently on the board of Unity Healthcare System, the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in the District of Columbia. Layo is a nurse with a master’s in Health System Administration from Georgetown University. Layo can be found supporting mothers on social media @wolomiapp.

Yolette Gray – Co-Chair

Yolette Gray is a public health leader with over 15 years of experience in health policy, healthcare management, and community-driven initiatives. As Senior Director of Maternal & Child Health Initiatives at the DC Hospital Association, Ms. Gray leads efforts to improve outcomes through the DC Perinatal Quality Collaborative, aligning clinical best practices with equity-focused, community-informed strategies. Ms. Gray’s background includes roles in public policy, patient experience, and community health, with a consistent focus on bridging policy and practice. Ms. Gray co-chairs the DMV Maternal and Infant Health Equity (MIHE) Coalition and contributes to several public health workgroups. She holds a BS in Community Health from VCU and an MPH from Benedictine University. Outside work, she is a wife, mother, mentor, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Nancy Jallo Ph.D., RNC, FNP-BC, WHNP-BC, CNS, FAAN – Co-Chair

Nancy Jallo is an Associate Professor and PhD Program Director for the School of Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University. A practicing family and women’s health nurse practitioner, she brings decades of clinical experience in perinatal and women’s healthcare across diverse inpatient and community settings. Dr. Jallo’s biobehavioral research focuses on developing and testing innovative, practical interventions to promote maternal well-being, address stress-related responses, and improve health outcomes. She has led interdisciplinary interventions targeting reductions in maternal stress and anxiety and is an active collaborator on community-engaged efforts to address disparities in maternal health. Through her research, teaching, and leadership, Dr. Jallo has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to advancing nursing science and mentoring the next generation of nurse leaders to improve maternal and child health outcomes.

Elizabeth Kielb, PhD, MS –March of Dimes Coalition Lead

Dr. Elizabeth Kielb is a maternal and child health specialist and serves as the Director of Maternal and Infant Health (MIH) for the DMV region at March of Dimes. An advocate for health equity, Dr. Kielb leads the DMV Maternal and Infant Health Equity (MIHE) Coalition, convening experts across the DMV to address health disparities and improve outcomes for all moms and babies. Dr. Kielb also oversees the regional implementation of March of Dimes programs, leads and contributes to state and federal advocacy efforts, and supports the development of annual reports to inform policy and system change. With a background in community-based research, Dr. Kielb uses a person-first approach to ensure that initiatives are both data-driven and centered on the needs of patients and families. She currently directs several critical programs across the DMV region, including the Mom and Baby Mobile Health Program, and NICU Family Support Program.

Ana Rodney – Co-Chair

Ana is a seasoned maternal health advocate with over a decade of experience shaping equitable policy at the intersection of birth justice and community care. She has served as Co-Chair of the Reproductive Health Equity Alliance of Maryland, a Baltimore City Women’s Commissioner, and Chair of the Baltimore City Maternal Mortality Review Board. Most recently, Ana was appointed President of Maryland Families for Safe Birth, where she continues to champion safe and accessible birth options for all families. Ana brings a powerful blend of lived experience, grassroots leadership, and policy acumen to the fight for reproductive equity. 

Erica Shoemate – Co-Chair

Erica is a maternal health strategist, policy advocate, public speaker, and Founder who has contributed to March of Dimes advocacy efforts for more than five years! Before transitioning into this work, she spent over a decade as a National Security & Intelligence Leader at the FBI and across the U.S. Intelligence Community and later moved into Big Tech policy leadership at Twitter, Amazon, and Meta. She now brings those skills into the maternal health space, using a strategic and non-partisan lens to advance policies that support all families. Erica also draws from her lived experience navigating a complex pregnancy and postpartum journey with her medically complex daughter, grounding her advocacy in both policy expertise and personal conviction.  

Who We Are