Our Team
Cecile D. Edwards
Executive Director
Cecile Edwards, M.Ed has a passion for maternal & child health/family wellness and believes it is a cornerstone to a well society. Cecile is a Postpartum Doula, Maternal Equity Consultant and Maternal Mental Health & Wellness Advocate, NJ Paid Family Leave Leader, Perinatal/Postpartum Family Coach assisting individuals, families, organizations in facilitating conversations and creating systems that improve maternal wellness via her business MommyEvolve. Cecile is a 16+ year educator and a member of Advocates for Children of New Jersey’s Parent Leadership Council.
Cecile was a proud member of the New Jersey Birth Equity Funders Alliance Community Advisory Committee and is happy to continue to work side by side as the new Senior Manager for the New Jersey Birth Equity Funders Alliance. Cecile looks forward to working with philanthropic organizations and community organizations to build capacity for community work. Cecile loves to hike and travel. She lives in Somerset, NJ with her daughter.
Kérène Kabambi
Program Officer
As assistant project manager, Kérène is responsible for supporting all the going-ons of the Alliance, including collaborating with the Nurture NJ team, supporting NJBEFA grantees and technical assistance recipients, managing the NJBEFA Learning Series, and working with the Community Advisory Committee to award funding to community-based organizations led by and serving people of color.
Prior to joining the Alliance, Kérène completed a two-year fellowship at the Burke Foundation, where she managed a portfolio of maternal and infant health grants.
Joíní James
Program Assistant
Joíní James is a health professional and dynamic Project Manager with a bachelor’s degree in public health from Montclair State University. Joíní specializes in maternal health, with a proven track record of leading projects to success and developing comprehensive health education curriculums.
They have spent over five years in the maternal health sector where their efforts are concentrated on building sustainable doula reimbursement models, championing community solutions for maternal equity, and leveraging technology to enhance health education. They are also the proud owner and founder of The Resting Garden serving NJ/NY, which was founded to support community solutions for Black maternal mortality through holistic health education.
Funder Steering Committee
The Burke Foundation invests in transformative maternal and child health and early childhood initiatives to build a cycle of opportunity across generations in New Jersey and beyond. Learn more.
Working at the intersection of government and community, CHAP is rethinking philanthropy to strengthen maternal health. Learn more.
The Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation makes grants to pre-selected organizations working in early childhood, aging in place, and medical research. A continuing focus of the Foundation is on local communities in New Jersey’s Bergen and Passaic counties, in areas with the greatest needs, including founder Henry Taub’s hometown of Paterson. Learn more.
The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone in America. This mission is inspired by their founder, General Robert Wood Johnson II. Carrying forward his legacy, the Foundation is dedicated to working toward a healthier nation rooted in equity, compassion, and respect. Learn more.
Organon is a global healthcare company building a pipeline and portfolio of products focused on contraception, fertility, maternal and peripartum conditions, and conditions unique to or predominant in women. Learn more.
Additional Support
NJBEFA is additionally grateful for the sponsorship of Bristol Myers Squibb and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.