Hannah supports learning and evaluation efforts for Breakthrough and helps the Breakthrough team understand how the accelerator supports teams’ success and innovation. She is passionate about work that ensures young people have access to sexual and reproductive health services that feel supportive and affirming of their own paths. With over 10 years of experience in public health research and programming, Hannah brings a strong combination of service delivery experience and quantitative training to support data collection, data management, and capacity building for monitoring, improvement, and evaluation. She uses mixed methods to develop a rich understanding of program processes, outcomes, and impact. Hannah holds a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. In her free time, she enjoys getting outside, cooking, reading, and watching movies.

Kylee supports recruitment efforts for Breakthrough and brings experience supporting both qualitative and quantitative research across sexual and reproductive health and early childhood as a senior research assistant. She previously worked as a health educator in a school-based health clinic, where she brought her passion for ensuring that young people have access to nonjudgmental, affirming sexual health care. Outside of work, you’ll find her fixated on whatever current crafty hobby she’s picked up, planning a themed party, or impatiently waiting for fall. 

Deja leads our cohort of youth advisors, overseeing their efforts to support and guide the innovation teams. With more than six years of experience in qualitative and community-engaged research, much of her work focuses on sexual and reproductive health and youth development. Deja currently leads a youth-engaged research study on community safety in Washington DC, where she trains and mentors young people in all aspects of the research process. She has also supported community-based organizations in building effective youth-adult research partnerships. Deja holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Howard University and is deeply committed to improving health outcomes and social infrastructure so that all communities can thrive. Outside of work, you’ll find Deja in her local Pilates class, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with loved ones.

Sam serves as a coach for Breakthrough teams, bringing expertise in adolescent well-being and over a decade of experience of research on what works best to support adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health. He is particularly interested in translating research into evidence-based practice. He takes a strengths-based lens to his work that considers adolescence as a period of great opportunity for lifelong flourishing. Previously, Sam worked as a researcher on the Global Early Adolescent Study, which engaged over 15,000 young adolescents across five continents. He was a co-developer of the evidence-based El Camino sexual health promotion program and serves as a technical assistance provider for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program grantees. Sam holds a PhD in Population, Family, and Reproductive Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His favorite way of unwinding after a long week is by watching a horror movie (the scarier the better), preferably while his cat Humphrey snoozes in his lap.

Mayson supports Breakthrough’s dissemination activities by implementing a range of activities, including marketing and social media strategies, graphic design, and newsletter development. With more than eight years of experience, Mayson has expertise in communication implementation, social media strategy and implementation, content development, youth engagement, graphic design, event planning, and website management. She is passionate about using health education to benefit communities across the country. In her free time, Mayson loves to create art and spend time at her local coffee shops and community events.

Lauren leads Breakthrough’s dissemination strategy development and helps the dissemination team execute that strategy through Breakthrough’s website, social media channels, and newsletter. She has also provided technical assistance to innovators on the topics of product packaging and marketing. As a strategic communications professional, Lauren has 15+ years of experience developing strategic communications agendas, research translation, message creation, media relations, stakeholder and coalition engagement, strategic planning, team management, event planning, and spokesperson development. She is passionate about working at the intersection of communications, research, and policy, and her career has largely been focused on health issues. Lauren loves spending time outside hiking or running, volunteers with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and is more than halfway to her goal of visiting all U.S. national parks.

Shaniah serves as the deputy project manager of Breakthrough, where she supports the project manager in the day-to-day project management activities. Prior to joining the Breakthrough team, she had more than six years of experience in project and program management roles. As a project manager, Shaniah is interested in creating and implementing systems that improve project organization and coordination, as well as cultivating a positive team culture. She is also a birth doula, having taken the Community Outreach Perinatal Educator (COPE) training, and is passionate about working with families to cultivate the best birth experience for them. Additionally, Shaniah has multiple years of experience as an early childhood education teacher to infants and toddlers. Shaniah graduated from Hamline University with a Bachelor of Arts in social justice and sociology with a concentration in reproductive justice. In her free time, Shaniah enjoys getting out in nature, yoga, dancing, baking, gaming, crafting, and spending time with friends and family.

Up to Us is a series of three fictional short films written by and for formerly incarcerated and justice system-impacted youth. The films are accompanied by interactive arts-based workshops facilitated by trained sexual health educators. The workshops use humor, creative activities, and collaborative discussion to encourage critical engagement with the film content and promote attitude and behavior change around the often-taboo topic of sexual health.

Stigma RPG is a role-playing game in which participants combat “stigma” and engage with concepts like discussing consent and boundaries with partners, exploring healthy relationship patterns, and preventing disease and pregnancy during sexual activity. With trusted and knowledgeable adults as facilitators, Stigma RPG bridges the gap between youth who have been traditionally overlooked and vital sexual health information.  

The HBCU Wellness Collective is a peer education program that aims to foster open conversations about sexual health, empower students to advocate for their needs, and improve health outcomes for HBCU communities. The program’s six pillars—student representation, comprehensive training, peer education networks, normalization of conversations, transformational impacts, and advocacy—work together to create a supportive and empowering environment for students.

Beyond the Bump recruits and trains doulas to provide teen friendly, trauma informed care to pregnant and parenting teens. Beyond the Bump’s goal is to equip doulas with the tools and knowledge they need to empower teens to have the experience they desire and a positive transition into parenthood.

ATLAS is a web-based sexual health education resource that deeply considers the learning needs and experiences of autistic youth. This multimedia resource shares plain-language sexual health information through interactive games, real-life scenarios, and personalized learning paths

Stephen leads our website development and maintenance, providing expert design and technical guidance. He is Child Trends’ director of communications for digital strategy and has a successful track record of managing web properties at prominent research institutions, including the Population Reference Bureau and the Brookings Institution. At Child Trends, Stephen manages the website, newsletters, data visualizations, and analytics. He contributes to strategic planning for the communications team and collaborates closely with researchers to help them maximize the reach and impact of their findings and data among key audiences. Outside of work, Stephen enjoys playing drums and producing music.

Alison serves as project manager at Breakthrough, helping coaches, teams, and recruitment and dissemination staff ensure that the accelerator program runs smoothly and effectively. She has over eight years of experience leading interdisciplinary teams and managing complex projects that blend research, evaluation, and training and technical assistance. Alison is passionate about adolescent and young adult health and is committed to ensuring that young people have the support, resources, and empowering adult relationships they need to thrive. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, and her work is informed by early career experience as a college resident assistant, community health educator, middle school teacher, and out-of-school time practitioner. Outside of work, you’ll find Alison at her neighborhood farmers market or a concert, browsing at independent bookstores and record stores, and at home enjoying a good book, puzzle, or TV series.

Andrea leads learning and evaluation efforts for Breakthrough, helping the team understand how to best support innovators looking to advance adolescent health and well-being. She brings more than 15 years of experience working across communities and continents to strengthen health services and programming through research, evaluation, and technical assistance. At Child Trends, Andrea specializes in using qualitative methods—including focus groups, interviews, and participatory approaches like Photovoice—to uncover the “why” behind the data and surface real-world stories of what works. She holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, lives in Washington, DC with her family, and can’t resist an open dance floor.

Kate supports teams as a coach for rigorous evaluation, bringing expertise in quantitative methods and program evaluation. Kate has served in a lead role on the evaluations of a variety of ASRH programs implemented in schools, community organizations, clinics, and online spaces. Kate believes young people deserve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programming and resources that recognize their unique needs and desires. She has worked in SRH research for nearly 15 years and is excited to collaborate with innovation teams to bring new ideas into the field. Kate has a Master of Public Policy from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. She enjoys spending time in the mountains and at the beach with her family and her goofball pup. She believes she might become a great pickleball player someday.

Asari Offiong supports coaching efforts for Breakthrough. As an adolescent health researcher and public health practitioner, she has over a decade of experience leading youth development programs; providing technical assistance; and conducting mixed methods, community-based research in various metropolitan areas across the United States related to substance use prevention and reproductive health. Asari approaches her work from an asset-based perspective that centers the youth she partners with, viewing youth as “at-promise,” not “at-risk.” Asari personally values the unique and captivating experiences youth can bring to program innovation. She emphasizes centering their worth because society rarely does.

Lisa leads recruitment efforts for Breakthrough and has over seven years of experience leading and supporting qualitative and quantitative research across various areas, including adolescent sexual and reproductive health, intimate partner violence, and healthy relationships. She is passionate about improving access to high-quality care and understanding how socioeconomic factors and policies differentially impact health outcomes for various groups. Lisa holds a bachelor’s degree in public health from the University of Rochester and is currently a Master of Public Health student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Outside of work, you’ll find her creating chaotic travel itineraries that never work out, borrowing and attempting to read too many books on her Kindle, and hanging out with her cat, Mango.

Elise helps shape how teams will experience the accelerator and provides direct support in the form of webinars and coaching, drawing on their knowledge and experience of building an innovation. Elise is adept at bridging the worlds of traditional teen pregnancy prevention and innovation, tech, and startups, frequently providing coaching and training to sexual and reproductive health experts looking to expand their innovation work. Elise has over 15 years of experience in the field and is an expert in youth development and sexuality education. They believe we grow as humans only when we have a space where we can be vulnerable yet safe.

Elise is the co-founder and executive director of OkaySo. OkaySo started as an innovative teen pregnancy prevention intervention that used technology to provide accurate information and build self-efficacy skills with young people. OkaySo has since pivoted to an online, on-demand training program to improve the ability for youth workers to be safe spaces for young people. They hold a Master of Public Health with a focus on Sexuality and Health from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. When not working, Elise is happiest reading a book outside or hanging out with their kiddo.

Sarah leads the design and delivery of innovation initiatives for Breakthrough. She is the CEO and founder of Beyond the Lecture, a premier learning design studio that helps educators and organizations create transformative, human-centered learning experiences. With over 15 years of experience in innovation and adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH), Sarah brings deep expertise at the intersection of design, education, and public health. She has designed and led incubator and accelerator programs and served as a subject matter expert for multiple federally funded innovation hubs—helping teams turn bold ideas into real-world impact.

Along the way, Sarah has partnered with world-renowned design firm IDEO, completed human-centered design training at the Stanford d.school, published peer-reviewed research on innovation in ASRH in Prevention Science, and presented at state and national conferences. Sarah is also an adjunct faculty member at the George Washington University School of Public Health, where she teaches Design Thinking in Public Health, and she recently completed her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH). When she’s not building learning experiences or coaching innovators, you’ll find her volunteering in reproductive health and rights, dreaming up new teaching tools (yes, really), or hanging out with her partner and dog.

At Breakthrough, Jenn steers a vision for a better future for adolescent health and well-being, providing overall direction and strategic guidance to the initiative. Jenn is a leader in advancing sexual and reproductive health nationwide, with more than 20 years of experience working with federal, state, and local health agencies to improve health outcomes. Her passion is to create a nation in which young people feel comfortable talking about sexual health, health care providers provide human-centered sexual and reproductive health care, and all people have access to critical information and services without facing stigma, discrimination, or fear.

At Child Trends, Jenn is the director of the Sexual and Reproductive Health program area, where she leads a portfolio of research and technical assistance projects to improve the rights, health, and well-being of young people. Jenn holds a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University with an emphasis on reproductive health. She’s also served as a birth doula, is an avid reader, and is a parent to two red-headed kiddos. She’s fueled by strong coffee, youth insight, and a good theory of change.