Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is proud to congratulate Shenell Ford, who serves as a Mayoral Aide, on being selected to participate in the first year of the Vital Village Networks National Birth Justice Fellowship Program.
Vital Village Networks at Boston Medical Center announced this week, the inaugural cohort of the National Birth Justice Fellowship, an 18-month leadership program advancing birth equity across the United States. Supported by funding from Wagner Foundation and guided by a National Advisory Committee, the fellowship unites 11 community leaders who are committed to dismantling systemic inequities in maternal and infant health while fostering sustainable change.
Springfield’s own Shenell Ford is one of the actively engaged changemakers selected for this opportunity.
Mayor Sarno states, “Congratulations, Shenell! Though, I am not surprised that your hard work and advocacy is being recognized. Shenell has been working and advocating in this space for many years and does a wonderful job supporting parents with their breastfeeding and lactation needs with an outpouring of heartfelt support, information and education. Ms. Ford, is a very smart, passionate and talented young woman who cares deeply for our Springfield community. This is a great opportunity and I am looking forward to seeing the impact of Shenell’s work with Vital Villages and the National Birth Justice Fellowship Program. It truly ‘takes a village’ to help raise a family and Shenell’s ongoing work in our community, along with the Maternal Child Health Commission and our HHS Commissioner Helen Caulton Harris, helps to empower, educate and increase awareness to enhance the public health of all our residents, especially for the mothers and soon-to-be moms out there. Continued success and God Bless.”
In addition to her role as a Mayoral Aide, Ms. Shenell Ford is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and founder of Heart2Heartbeat Lactation & Wellness, a community based lactation practice. Shenell also serves as the co-chair for city’s Maternal Child Health Commission through the Department of Health & Human Services.
Shenell continues to lead lactation advocacy efforts in Springfield including annual National Breastfeeding Month, Black Breastfeeding Week, Semana de la Lactancia Latina, and Black Maternal Health Week celebrations. She is an inspired and fiercely passionate advocate for prenatal and lactating families. Shenell is committed to increasing the diversity of and equitable access to perinatal education and support in her community and beyond.
The Vital Village Networks fellowship is designed to strengthen community power and collaboration across sectors. Through learning sessions, convenings, and mentorship, fellows will deepen their expertise in participatory research, data storytelling, and advocacy. A key feature of the fellowship is its unique dual focus on individualized project support and collective action, ensuring fellows can address local challenges while contributing to national progress. Each fellow will advance a critical birth justice initiative within their community, tackling issues such as expanding culturally affirming birthing services, reimagining care models, and centering historically marginalized birthing families in system redesigns. These innovations are centering community leadership to create a sustainable impact.
Shenell Ford states, “For such a time as this. Wholeheartedly grateful & deeply humbled to be part of this inaugural cohort! We are uniquely poised and divinely designed for this moment...for this movement; challenging systemic inequities, affirming the dignity of all birthing and infant feeding families, and unapologetically advancing birth equity and justice in our communities and beyond. Heartfelt thank you to Vital Village and the Wagner Foundation for this amazing opportunity, and to Mayor Sarno and our community for the continued support of my efforts to increase access for our families in Springfield. I’m blessed to serve and so proud to represent my city, the Commonwealth and New England!”
As a Mayoral Aide, Shenell Ford is involved in a broad range of day-to-day operations and activities. She is a liaison to residents, elected officials, local businesses, community groups and organizations, and state and federal agencies. She also represents the Mayor in public forums. Ford holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health from Temple University and is also in the midst of Childbirth Educator certification. She is member of the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition Board of Directors, member of the US Breastfeeding Committee CRASH Committee, and Steering Committee member of Birth Equity and Justice Massachusetts (BEJMA).
