Jeanette Contreras, MPP

Jeanette Contreras is the project director for health equity campaigns at UnidosUS, formerly known as the National Council of La Raza. In her role, Jeanette provides the vision and strategic goals for UnidosUS’ health equity portfolio, leading the development of policies that improve health equity and access for Latinos.

Prior to joining UnidosUS, Jeanette served as the director of health policy at the National Consumers League, where she was the key spokesperson and consumer advocate on drug affordability, health care access and the promotion of vaccines across lifespan. Jeanette also previously served as the manager for national grassroots advocacy at the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Jeanette began her health policy career in the legislative office of the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health and spent over a decade in public service at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). During her tenure at HHS, she served as a public health advisor in the HHS Office of Minority Health and led stakeholder engagement for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, where she played a key role in implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and increasing health coverage in medically underserved communities.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the California State University, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in Public Policy from American University in Washington, D.C.

Jasper L. Hendricks III

Farmville, VA native Jasper L. Hendricks III has served as an aide to local, state, and federal elected officials as well as agencies and organizations all over the country. With extensive experience in bringing people to the table in order to work toward solutions, Jasper has been successful in building coalitions across diverse communities in order to build political and community strength through his working relationships with local, state and national groups, elected officials, and other community leaders as well as corporations.

Jasper currently resides in Nashville, TN where he is the President/CEO of public affairs firm Social Strategies.

Sabrina (Semerdjian) Lopez

Sabrina serves as the VP of Cultural Engagement & DEI at McUlsky Health Force, a highly specialized firm that partners with stakeholder advocacy groups and healthcare innovators to elevate patient, provider and consumer voices that advance groundbreaking dialogue and policy solutions.

Sabrina is a skilled business development, award-winning sales and marketing executive with vast expertise in targeting and engaging multicultural audiences across several industries, platforms and languages. Her career in the entertainment and media industry spans over 20 years, notably at NBC Universal – TV Stations Group, where she held multiple leadership roles.

A passionate advocate for DEI, Sabrina created, produced and executed ground-breaking health programs and hyper-local campaigns to bring education and resources to underserved communities and minority groups across all sectors and age groups.

As an immigrant who has experienced the American dream, Sabrina devotes much of her time to serving and giving back to the community. She is inspired by changemakers, believers and doers. She received her Bachelor of Science from Saint Joseph’s College, where she graduated with honors in Biology-Chemistry / Pre-Medicine. She lives in San Diego, CA, with her husband, Robert, their daughter, Mia, and their rescue dog, Callie. She is honored to serve on the Mom Congress Advisory Board.

Carole Mendoza, MPH, MBA

Carole Mendoza is an HR leader whose career spans 20+ years in strategic benefits program planning, design, and delivery for multinational Fortune 500 companies, including IBM and Amgen. She currently serves as Voya Financial’s Vice President of Benefits, where she crafts the enterprise benefits strategy, expands employee retirement readiness initiatives, collaborates with business leaders, and champions DE&I and health equity across the organization. 

Carole holds an MPH from The George Washington University—Milken Institute School of Public Health and an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. Carole serves on the Board of the Midwest Business Group on Health and on the Advisory Board of Mom Congress.

Christine Michel Carter

Featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post, Christine Michel Carter is a best-selling author, advocate, and the #1 global voice for all moms⁣. She helps women navigate the significant impact of motherhood on their professional careers. She elevates the honest truths of working motherhood as a Senior ForbesWomen Contributor, the author of the children’s book Can Mommy Go To Work?, and the author of the adult novel MOM AF. She is also a working parents and women’s ERG subject matter expert; employees have ranked her signature mental health talk the best corporate programming event of the year.

She's also worked on the maternal initiatives of Vice President Kamala Harris and received a Congressional Citation from the U.S. Senate for going “above and beyond in ensuring that Black Moms and Moms of Color have access to important health information for their children and families.”

Reshma Saujani

Reshma is a leading activist and the founder of Girls Who Code and the Marshall Plan for Moms. She has spent more than a decade building movements to fight for women and girls’ economic empowerment, working to close the gender gap in the tech sector, and most recently advocating for policies to support moms impacted by the pandemic. Reshma is also the author of the international bestseller Brave, Not Perfect, and her influential TED talk, “Teach girls, bravery not perfection,” has more than five million views globally. Reshma began her career as an attorney and Democratic organizer. In 2010, she surged onto the political scene as the first Indian American woman to run for U.S. Congress. Reshma lives in New York City with her husband, Nihal, their sons, Shaan and Sai, and their bulldog, Stanley.