NICOLE MILLS, BOARD PRESIDENT
Nicole Mills is a DONA-trained doula and maternal health advocate, who has volunteered prenatal and labor services via Central Texas nonprofits since 2012. Her past board experience includes tenure as president of Healing Hands Community Doula Project and The Violet Foundation of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.’s Century City Alumnae Chapter. Ms. Mills advises HHCDP on communications, public relations, and marketing, drawing from her career at the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Austin American-Statesman, Dell Technologies, Silicon Valley Bank, and Publicis Sapient.
ANDREA ROSARIO, BOARD SECRETARY
Andrea Rosario, MPH,CHES,CLC is the Director of Community Capacity Building for an Austin-based profit and has been a servant in the field of public health for over 10 years. She has centered her career in designing and implementing community-informed programs, facilitating trainings and workshops for health leaders and advocates, and supporting marginalized communities in obtaining the health education and resources needed to make important health decisions. As a community-based doula and certified lactation counselor who believes in the power of communities to create change, Andrea is committed to working for health equity and reproductive justice for all.
SHANNON NOBLE
Shannon Noble is an attorney specializing in government affairs who has represented many different organizations working to support women and children, such as the Texas Women’s Political Caucus and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Texas. Through that work she met a midwifery advocate and decided to have her own three children at home with a midwife. Shannon has worked with many different nonprofit boards through her experience representing nonprofits and in serving on boards and committees for over thirty years. She was drawn to Healing Hands because of her desire that all women who choose to bear a child can do so safely and with excellent care and support, regardless of race, socio-economic status, or other demographic differences, and having a doula gives a pregnant woman a personal advocate and the support she may need to navigate the childbearing and delivery process. Shannon has lived in Austin for most of her life, has three adult children, and is looking forward to her new life as a liberated nester.
BRAIN FRANCIS
Brian was the top executive of the largest occupational licensing agency in the state of Texas with 39 programs (including the regulation of Midwifery) and nearly 1 million licensees. He brings more than 36 years of public service experience , 22 of which were in executive level roles. He has a unique combination of real world earned wisdom and knowledge gained from his MBA in Public Finance from St. Edwards University, as well as, his BBA in Finance from Texas State University. Brian also brings an internationally learned perspective gathered from the Transformative Leadership Program offered by the University of Adelaide in South Australia and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.
Brian’s strategic and collaborative leadership style and innovative accomplishments has garnered the praise of elected and legislative leaders from both sides of the aisle, a diverse array of regulatory and state agency executives, professional and legislative strategists and industry stakeholders. Brian’s career spans more than three decades and four state agencies- Texas Savings and Loan Department, State Securities Board, Texas Real Estate Commission and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Brian is a highly respected expert in the areas of legislative matters, administrative and rule-making procedures, regulatory systems, occupational, health and medical licensing, organizational diversity and leadership resilience, national and state association relationship building, and information modernization procurement projects