NICU Health & Equity Summit
2026 NICU Health & Equity Summit
Saul's Light’s annual NICU Health & Equity Summit is a daylong event held at Manning Family Children's Hospital in New Orleans. Each year focuses on a NICU theme, featuring community panels, informative speakers, and opportunities to connect with others in the field!
This year’s NICU Summit theme is Discharge Begins on Day 1 and will be on Thursday, September 17, 2026, 8:00am - 4:00pm, and Worley Hall at Manning Family Children’s Hospital.
We are excited to welcome Dr. Vincent C. Smith, MD, MPH, as our Keynote Speaker
Looking to connect more with other summit participants? Join us on Sep 16, the evening before the summit, at Urban South Brewery from 5-7 pm for our NICU Summit Happy Hour! We will be providing snacks and drink tickets.
2026 Keynote Speaker
Dr. Vincent C. Smith, MD, MPH
Dr. Vincent C. Smith, MD, MPH is Division Chief of Newborn Medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine.
Dr. Smith is a graduate of Texas A&M University, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Harvard School of Public Health. He trained in pediatrics at Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center in the Boston Combined Pediatric Residency Program.
He then completed a fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine through the Harvard wide program, a collaboration of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston Children's Hospital.
He also completed a fellowship in health services research at Boston Children's Hospital. He is an active member of the Massachusetts Medical Society and Society for Pediatric Research. Dr. Smith served as the medical director for the American Academy of Pediatrics' Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Program from 2015-2024.
He is also a former member of the National Perinatal Association and the Fenway Community Health Boards of Directors. In addition to parental NICU discharge readiness, his professional interests also include families affected by substance use and medical care for LGBTQIA+-headed families.
We are looking forward to Dr. Smith’s address and are excited to have him join us for the 2026 NICU Health & Equity Summit.
2026 Speakers
Bree Anderson is a nationally recognized social impact leader, maternal and infant health advocate, community health strategist, and Founder and Executive Director of A’sani Heartbeat Foundation. A former co-founder of Daughters Beyond Incarceration, Bree’s work is rooted in transforming lived experience into lasting systems change, with a focus on maternal and infant health, reproductive justice, family support, policy, and social justice. As a mother of micropreemie twins, Bree experienced both the heartbreak of losing her daughter A’sani in the NICU and the resilience of watching her son A’sir survive 148 days of hospitalization. She transformed that profound experience into a lifelong commitment to ensuring families navigating prematurity, NICU care, infant loss, and maternal health challenges are never left to navigate those experiences alone. Through advocacy, community organizing, storytelling, policy engagement, and cross-sector collaboration, Bree has helped elevate family voices and advance maternal and infant health efforts across Louisiana. Her leadership has received national recognition and media attention, including coverage by The New York Times, Forbes Next 1000, BBC, BET, as well as recognition through Forbes 30 Under 30. Today, Bree continues to build programs, partnerships, and movements that place families at the center of change.
Lindsey Albarado is a NICU mother, community volunteer, and passionate advocate for families navigating the uncertainty and complexity of a prolonged NICU stay. Her commitment to this work is deeply personal: her son, Ryder, spent 145 days in the NICU, an experience that shaped her understanding of the resilience, resources, and community support families need throughout hospitalization and beyond. A devoted wife to her husband, Todd, and mother to McKinney and Ryder, Lindsey remains deeply engaged in her church, schools, and community, including service with Delivering Hope NOLA and several youth and community organizations. Drawing from both lived experience and years of service, Lindsey brings an authentic parent voice to conversations surrounding NICU care, family advocacy, and the importance of ensuring families feel seen, informed, and supported throughout their journey.
The Honorable Freddie King III is a 2002 graduate of Archbishop Shaw High School and a 2006 graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, where he earned a degree in political science, became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and was a four-year football letterman, including serving on the team that brought football back to SLU in 2003. He went on to earn his law degree from Southern University Law Center in 2010 and established The King Law Firm, L.L.C. His career in public service has also included work with the New Orleans City Council and as an Orleans Parish Public Defender.
Councilmember King currently represents District C on the New Orleans City Council, where he serves on several standing and advisory committees and chairs the Community Development Committee. From the Bywater to the Cutoff, he is committed to listening directly to residents, families, and business owners and advancing solutions that improve quality of life for New Orleanians.
A dedicated community advocate and servant leader, Councilmember King supports numerous initiatives benefiting children, families, seniors, law enforcement, and young people throughout New Orleans. He is involved with organizations including the Silverback Society, Algiers Economic Development Foundation, and Heroes of New Orleans. A resident and small-business owner in District C, he maintains deep personal and professional roots in the community he serves. Council member King is married to CaSandra Marie King, and together they are the proud parents of five children and also a NICU family as well.
Rebecca Decker is an experienced neonatal intensive care nurse who has dedicated the past 28 years to caring for the most vulnerable patients and supporting their families at Ochsner Health in New Orleans. For the last six years, she has served as the NICU Discharge Coordinator at Ochsner Baptist, a regional Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and referral center that cares for infants from across Louisiana and Mississippi.
In her role, Rebecca oversees discharge readiness for patients and families throughout the unit's 67-bed NICU, ensuring they are equipped with the education, resources, and support needed for a safe and successful transition home. She works closely with families and an extensive multidisciplinary team to coordinate care and ensure safe, effective transitions from the hospital to home. Passionate about family-centered care, Rebecca meets families where they are, tailoring education and discharge planning to address their unique needs, cultural backgrounds, and circumstances.
Rebecca holds multiple professional certifications, including Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing Certification (RNC-NIC), Certified Breastfeeding Counselor (CBC), CPR Instructor, and Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).
Drawing on her clinical background and care coordination experience, Rebecca is committed to advancing best practices in discharge planning and care transitions. She is honored to share insights and participate in discussions focused on improving outcomes for patients and families across the continuum of care.
Cristina Perez Edmunds is an accomplished musician, singer, songwriter and actress, who performs regularly in the New Orleans area. Her entertainment career took off after graduating from Loyola’s Music Therapy Program in 2009, where she established herself at the World War II Museum’s Stage Door Canteen.
She has performed regularly as a Victory Belle, and most recently served as Creative Director and Star of “Carmen Miranda: Samba in Technicolor.” She has two children, Oscar and Arabella, whom she adores. Oscar was born with a chromosomal deletion, which impacts many areas of his life and health.
Through her journey into motherhood, Cristina has also found herself at the center of advocating for Disability Rights. She has spoken on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. with the Little Lobbyists, and has worked alongside her husband, Chris, to make long lasting changes to her own community right here in New Orleans. She is excited to work with Saul’s Light and their families in any way she can.
April Aguillard has diverse work experience across various industries. April is currently working at Sana as a Senior Customer Success Manager and previously held the role of Customer Success Manager at the same company.
Prior to Sana, they worked at Gusto as a Licensed Benefits Advisor, Renewals Advisor, a Qualification Specialist, and a Renewal Specialist. Before their time at Gusto, April was an Epic Credentialed Trainer at LCMC Health. April also served as a Community Outreach Intern at the Greater New Orleans Breastfeeding Awareness Coalition, a Rehabilitation Aide at Children's Hospital New Orleans, and a Jr. Journalism Analyst at VSolvit. A
pril has experience as a Lab Assistant in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Tulane University and as a Maternal Child Health Department Intern at Touro Infirmary.
Shelby Latino is the host of FOX 8's NOLA Now, weekdays at 11 a.m., and co-host of the FOX 8 Morning Edition, weekdays at 10 a.m.
Known for her many years as a meteorologist for the FOX 8 Morning Edition, Shelby is talking about a lot more than the weather these days! Through engaging interviews with chefs, artists, musicians, and more, she enjoys highlighting the rich culture of southeast Louisiana in her expanded role as an anchor and host of FOX 8's newest shows. She also incorporates her own hobbies of baking, cooking, exercising, crafting, and mom-ing into the shows. True to her origins, you can still catch her forecasts at the end of the NOLA Now show each weekday.
Born and raised in Covington, Louisiana, she fell in love with the dynamic weather patterns of Southeast Louisiana. She remembers watching TV weather forecasts, dreaming of one day working for the "Weather Authority" herself. Shelby graduated from Fontainebleau High School, and attended Mississippi State University to earn her degree in Professional Meteorology. Gaining expertise out of market from Mississippi to California and beyond, she was drawn back home to the great state of Louisiana. In 2015, she realized her childhood dream by joining the FOX 8 Weather Team as the morning meteorologist. Shelby dedicated years and passion to giving an accurate forecast across Southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast—wanting to help folks prepare for inclement weather or simply plan their day.
After getting married in 2015, she and her husband Kyle were blessed with daughters two years apart, Jenna and Martha. A couple years later, the incredible surprise of spontaneous triplets brought the family more daughters: Elaine, Mabel, and Ruth. After a brief leave from television to focus on her family of seven, Shelby has returned to her FOX 8 family and is filled with more energy and experience than ever.
Shelby is still a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (#759), a distinction that requires certain coursework, experience, a written exam, and a peer review of her work. She is a member of the American Meteorological Society, and she has won first place awards for her work through the Associated Press and Broadcast Education Association.
Melanie Richardson, MSW, LMSW is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of TrainingGrounds, a New Orleans-based nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that families with young children have the knowledge, resources, relationships, and support needed to help their children thrive.
Under Melanie’s leadership, TrainingGrounds has more than 50,000 contacts with children and caregivers through the We PLAY Centers, We CONNECT Family Resource navigation services, parenting education, developmental screenings, and other initiatives focused on infant and family well-being. Her work centers on strengthening families, reducing barriers to resources and care, and building stronger connections among families, healthcare providers, early childhood systems, and community resources.
Melanie is actively engaged in efforts advancing early childhood development, infant and family mental health, father engagement, parent leadership, and systems change. She serves on the Promise Venture Studio Early Childhood Leaders of Color Network Steering Committee, the New Orleans Early Education Network Steering Committee, and the Louisiana Children’s Cabinet Early Childhood Infant Mental Health Subcommittee.
She is an alumna of the Early Childhood Policy Leadership Institute, the Volunteers of America Futures Fund Community Health Incubator, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Leadership Network and a current member of Kellogg's Global Fellows Network.
Melanie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Shelby Wynne, MHA, is a public health leader dedicated to strengthening systems of care and building healthier communities for women, children, and families across Greater New Orleans. She serves as Program Manager for Family Connects New Orleans at the New Orleans Health & Human Services Department, where she leads the city’s universal, evidence-based postpartum nurse home visiting initiative and works across healthcare systems and community partners to expand access to care, resources, and support for families during the critical weeks following birth.
Shelby also serves as President of the Junior League of New Orleans, leading more than 1,700 women in advancing civic leadership, volunteerism, and community impact. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Public Health at Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, with a focus on maternal and child health and policy. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute.
Born and raised in South Louisiana, she found her calling in social work through a lifelong passion for serving others and strengthening communities.
With a Master’s degree in Social Work, Jamie began her career in one of the most emotionally intense places imaginable: the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She walked alongside families during some of the most challenging moments of their lives, providing emotional support, guiding difficult end-of-life decisions, explaining complex diagnoses, coordinating with funeral services, and celebrating life-changing reunions. Jamie was more than a social worker; she was a steady presence, a compassionate guide, and an advocate for every parent and baby she served.
Jamie consistently went beyond the bedside, connecting families to vital community resources, ensuring they had everything they needed to thrive at home, and preparing them not only for the season they were in, but for the one ahead.
While balancing her roles as a mother, wife, and dedicated professional, Jamie took her passion further by becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). With advanced credentials and years of hands-on experience, she opened her own private practice with a mission to uplift and empower individuals and families across Louisiana.
Today, Jamie is certified in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, demonstrating her ongoing commitment to supporting women and families through every stage of their journey, from pregnancy and postpartum to parenting and beyond. A Board-Approved Clinical Social Worker, qualified to provide supervision and guidance to other social workers as they grow in their professional careers.
With empathy and expertise, Jamie Mayberry Johnson remains dedicated to making a meaningful difference for individuals and families.