Marshall Cothran
Donna Cordoba
Shawn Colvin
Veronica Cogwin
Frank Cho, MD
Tres Childress
Mia Hsu Burton
Sr. Beatrice Broussard
Amy Brandes
Jennie Barnes
Marianne Baker Bolduc, JD
Geoffrey Cox, MD
John Thornborrow
Founder at Austin Impact Capital, John brings to the MMBA Board of Directors twenty years of executive financial management experience. He has served in a variety of financial and operations roles in public and private technology companies. He is active in the Austin-area social impact investing space in the healthcare and education technology sectors. In addition to the MMBA, he serves on the boards of directors at Mission Capital, Charity Dynamics, and the Austin Community College Foundation. He earned an M.B.A. from UT Austin.
“I love the mission of MMBA, because it exemplifies the commitment of families in the community supporting other families. Moms volunteer and donate human milk that nourishes tiny preemie babies in need. And MMBA ensures that this life-saving milk is safe and effective for these at-risk infants.”
Jana Sharpe-Sanders
Jana Sharpe-Sanders is the daughter of Dr. George Sharpe, one of the cofounders of Mothers’ Milk Bank Austin, and the Milk Bank has been a very important part of her life from the beginning. Since Dr. Sharpe’s passing in 2006, Jana has increased her involvement with the Milk Bank, becoming a milk donor in 2009 after the birth of her second child. Jana works in physical therapy in the Austin area, and is married with two daughters: Kira and Keelin.
“Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin has been a part of my family since day one, and I am lucky to have been able to be a milk donor, financial donor, and now serve on the Board of Directors. I am proud of the work that my father started, and what the MMBA has done in reaching out to our local community and beyond, to the international community. The education about the benefits of breastmilk, medical research, and constant need for financial donations, to support us in our mission to save the lives of medically fragile infants, is vital to our success and health of the human population, worldwide.”
Veronica Hendrix, LVN, IBCLC, RLC
Veronica Hendrix is a nurse and lactation consultant who has been assisting mother-baby dyads to successfully breastfeed for over 18 years. She is passionate about bringing awareness to the community about the benefits of mother's milk and has been serving as the Program Coordinator in state government for the Texas WIC program's Texas Ten Step Program. This designation program aims to build support for breastfeeding from healthcare providers in hospitals and birth centers across the state through implementation of the WHO/UNICEF's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, a bundle of evidence-based practices that improve health and breastfeeding outcomes. Veronica joined the Board of Directors of MMBA in January 2019.
"I believe it is a basic human right for every infant to receive their mother's milk or donor human milk. There is so much more to learn about the benefits and uniqueness of this extraordinary fluid and it goes without saying that the most critical infants should be receiving this opportunity without question. I am eager to do what is needed to support the mission of Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin, and look forward to the exciting work ahead."
My "why" started over 20 years ago when I was facing my own challenges as a new mother struggling to breastfeed. I was fortunate to have a supportive husband, family, and access to a friend of mine who was an IBCLC who could help support me and my baby throughout our feeding experience. Breastfeeding is natural, but takes skill that we don’t always come to the table with, and as I share with the clients I work with today, it is like a dance between two people and both are learning.
Every mother and baby have the right to live and thrive in a society where the healthiest choices for their family are the default choices. What I've learned since I started down this path though is in order for a woman to be successful in reaching her breastfeeding goal, like me, she must have support at every turn- including where she gives birth, where she lives, and where she works. Access to well-informed lactation support should be, but isn't available to everyone. The transition between the hospital and community so that continuity of care is seamless, should be, but isn't available to everyone. The opportunity to return to work and continue to express breastmilk for your baby should be, but isn't available for everyone. And, you may not know this too, but access to life-saving breastmilk should be, but isn't available to everyone.
Joining MMBA added to my personal mission to ensure that all mothers reach their breastfeeding goals and that every baby has access to life-saving donor breastmilk. This is my why- and I look forward to the day when my work in this area is no longer needed because every mama is successful, and every baby has the healthiest start to their life!"
Jennifer Goetz, MD
Jennifer Goetz is a neonatologist with Mednax, Inc. whose primary practice location is St. David's Medical Center. She joined the MMBA board of directors in January 2014. Jennifer obtained her medical degree at the University of Louisville in 2007, then completed a pediatrics residency and neonatology fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. She also earned an M.A. in bioethics and health policy from Loyola University Chicago. In Austin since 2013, brings her passion for hands-on clinical care to her patients in the NICU. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two dogs.
"I see firsthand, every day, the beneficial effects of donor human milk for our smallest and sickest babies.”
Danielle Plattenburg Arnold, MD
Dr. Arnold is a pediatric hospitalist at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Round Rock. She earned her medical degree at the UT Southwestern Medical School in 2012. She completed her training in pediatrics at the University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program. Dr. Arnold is passionate about educating families and future healthcare professionals, including medical students and residents, about the benefits of human milk. As a mother of color, she has a special interest in addressing health disparities and inequalities in care during the perinatal period. She joined the MMBA board of directors in January 2019, and enjoys exploring Austin with her husband and two children.
“I am excited to contribute to the milk bank because it serves such a crucial role for vulnerable patients who cannot speak for themselves. The science and service provided by MMBA protects fragile neonates and ensures optimal nutrition for many in need. In addition, if the milk bank continues to invest in the education of healthcare professions, it will make an impact on generations of babies to come. It is an honor to be a part of such a noble mission.”
Michael Crowe
Secretary
Michael Crowe is a partner with the law firm of Husch Blackwell, LLP. Michael graduated from the UT School of Law and, for over twenty years, has focused his legal energies almost exclusively on healthcare law and policy. He is married to the talented and effervescent Hope Morrison and has three wonderful daughters; Sarah, Amelia, and Natalie. Michael enjoys mowing the yard and watching TV.
“I first heard of the milk bank from Hope, who made sizable deposits after our daughter Amelia was born. Fast forward sixteen years to my law school buddy, Marianne Baker-Bolduc, explaining the history and mission of the milk bank, and asking if I wanted to get involved. I was thrilled to be asked, and am honored to serve this life-saving organization.”
Sikander Adeni, MD
Sikander Adeni has been a Neonatologist for almost 30 years now, and one of his greatest joys in practice has been observing, first hand, the significant decrease in NEC with increasing Breast milk usage in NICUs all over the country. He completed his training in Pediatrics and Neonatology in Philadelphia and Chicago, after which he spent a decade with Academic and Private Neonatology Practices in Chicago . He moved to Austin in 2001 and since then has been with the Mednax Neonatology group based at Ascension (Seton) affiliated hospitals in the Austin Metro area. He has served as the administrative Medical NICU Director for multiple NICUs in the Ascension system. He has a deep interest in Medical Ethics and has served, in the past, as a member and chairperson of the Ethics Committee at Dell Children’s hospital. Sikander is married to Shubha Adeni, a Pediatrician, for over 30 years and they have raised 3 children together (currently adults). The Adenis enjoy travelling, working out, contributing to charitable endeavors, reading and have a keen appreciation of the natural world.
“As a firm believer in the positive influence of Breast Milk in the care and development of preterm infants, I am very pleased to be practicing in a city that has access to high quality, dependable donor Breast milk. I am honored to be associated with a prestigious organization that essentially sets the standard for milk banking in the country."
