Who We Are
OUR MISSION
Provide California families access to Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) and lactation support* to meet the nutritional needs of their children, regardless of familial background, circumstances, or socio-economic status.**
OUR VISION
Donor Human Milk Equity, Access & Education.
OUR VALUES
Equity: Bridge the inequity gap in infant nutrition for California’s most vulnerable population. As an irreplaceable part of infant nutrition, donor human milk should always be an accessible option, regardless of familial background, circumstances, or socio-economic status.
Access to Donor Human Milk: Make donor human milk accessible at the most reasonable cost possible, for as many California families as possible.
Education: Provide education and lactation support to California families, promoting the benefits of human milk as essential to the nutritional well-being of all children.
* Lactation support projected year 2–3
** Grant funds applicable initially to infants 0–3 months
Our Team
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Janel Silva, IBCLC, BA
Director / co-founder
Janel is a Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), has a BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University and is co-founder of Human Milk Connection. Her career is currently focused on outpatient lactation consulting at Kaiser Permanente. Dedicated to investing in the greater-Sacramento community, Janel has more than 20 years’ nonprofit experience benefiting children and her other passion – dogs!
Janel’s own breastfeeding experience inspired her passion for lactation and subsequent work as an International Childbirth Education Association and birth doula in Sacramento County, which was her professional focus for over five years before becoming an IBCLC. Janel is committed to ensuring babies get access to human milk.
Contact Janel about the Human Milk Connection Foundation.
Dr. Debbie Albert, PhD, BSN, IBCLC
Board Member / co-founder
Debbie has been assisting breastfeeding moms for over 25 years, and is a Co-Founder of Human Milk Connection. Currently, she is a Nurse Lactation Consultant at Providence Queen of the Valley in Napa, and Kaiser South Sacramento. Debbie is a Founding Board Member of the Providence System Infant Feeding Certification Board, President of the Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition, and a Board Member of the California Breastfeeding Coalition. She has regularly provided testimony for legislation supporting Breastfeeding families at the California Capitol.
From November 2012- February 2021, Debbie was a Clinical Nurse III at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, CA. During her eight years at UC Davis, UCD acquired Baby Friendly Designation, an IBCLC Lactation Care Award and their Employee Lactation Program received a Mother-Baby Friendly Award from the Sacramento Breastfeeding Coalition and the California Breastfeeding Coalition. Debbie received two UC Davis Employee Excellence Awards and six Nursing Awards. She served the LEAARC Board of Directors (Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Committee) from 2013–2019. She was a member of the Clinical Internship Committee, and a reviewer for their “Core Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Lactation Care.” Debbie is a member of the Equity committees for ILCA, served as a Board Member of UC Davis Status of Women and Career Ladder Committees.
Dr. Julia Gabhart, MD, FAAP, IBCLC
Secretary
Julia is board certified in Pediatric Hospital Medicine and general Pediatrics and a Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). The majority of her professional time is spent caring for families and babies at Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center.
As a pediatric hospital medicine specialist and Sacramento-area native, her days are dedicated to Sacramento babies getting their best shot at gold-standard nutrition and advancing prenatal education regarding the importance of human milk.
With a passion for quality-improvement and research founded in her medical training and time on faculty at Stanford University, Julia now publishes and presents internationally on advancing prenatal education and improving breastfeeding success. She leads and co-created a monthly Web-based prenatal education forum for Kaiser Permanente, ThriveBABY!
Dr. Diana White, PhD, LMFT, LPCC
Treasurer
Diana has a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development and a Master’s degree in Psychology. She is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). Diana received certification in Infant-Preschooler Mental Health from Aliant University and is a Leadership Fellow with the Sierra Health Foundation.
Diana has worked in the mental health field for over 30 years and has taught Trauma Treatment and Community Mental Health at Alliant University. Diana previously served on the board of the Infant Development Association (River Valley Chapter). Currently, Diana is President of the Association of Behavioral Health Contractors for Sacramento County and is the Chief Operations Officer for Turning Point Community Programs, a Non-Profit Community Based Organization that provides behavioral health services in 10 California Counties.
Don Button
Webmaster / social media / marketing
Don manages the design and content of the HumanMilkConnection.org website, social media accounts, branding, and marketing. He is a tenured professor of Design & Digital Media at Sacramento City College, where he teaches graphic design, user interface and Web design, digital imaging and illustration, and portfolio development. In his 35 years of publication design and art direction, his work has been featured in Print and How magazines, 40 newspapers, and he has received over two dozen individual and group awards for editorial and marketing design, photography, and journalism.
Contact Don with any questions or problems with the website or accessibility issues.