Our Presenters Stephanne R. Rupnicki is a recognized member of the Kickapoo Tribe of Kansas and a married mother of six residing on the Prairie Band Potawatomi Reservation. Her passion for breastfeeding is evident as she serves on the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition Board of Directors, United States Breastfeeding Committee as well as various committees under the USBC after receiving the 2019 USBC Tribal Trailblazer Award. She was awarded the Buffy Sainte Marie Indigi-LC Advocacy Award during Indigenous Milk Medicine Week in 2022. Stephanne is also a Co-Founder and Leader of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Breastfeeding Coalition, Founder & Leader of Indigenous Birthworkers Collective of Kansas.
She serves on the Kansas Maternal Mortality Review Committee, she also works along side Southern Plains Tribal Health Board on many community based committees that strive to support Indigenous moms and babies. She provides support and services to local families as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor and Certified Indigenous Lactation Counselor based out of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Health Clinic. She was honored to be the first Indigenous person to grace the cover of the 2020 CDC Breastfeeding Report Card. In 2022 she received a sub awardee grant through Southern Plains Tribal Health Board from the CDC Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country for their breastfeeding initiative and works to increase visibility, increase support and normalize breastfeeding among Indigenous communities.
Jennifer Russell is a Registered Nurse and IBCLC with over 20 years of experience in pediatrics, breastfeeding, disaster preparedness and response, and coalition work. She has presented breastfeeding and disaster-related content to and served with numerous professional and community organizations and coalitions at the local, state, and national levels. She is a past-president of the Memphis Area Lactation Consultant Association (MALCA), and a current Shelby County Breastfeeding Coalition (SCBC) Board Member.
Jennifer is passionate about translating evidence and people's lived experiences into policy and practice. She is a Ph.D. Candidate for Nursing Science at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, where she is studying the impact of natural disasters on breastfeeding mothers.
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