About Us

As the Principal Investigator (PI) of MORE WIC!, Laura is responsible for overall leadership and administration of the program. She is a professor in the Department of International Health's Center for Human Nutrition and has over 35 years of research experience in maternal and child nutrition in the US, Canada and Latin America. She has conducted research with WIC populations on nutrition, infant feeding, and breastfeeding promotion, and served on the 2002 NASEM committee evaluating dietary risk criteria for WIC. She was the co-PI of the USDA/FNS HPRIL project that supported local agencies in the implementation and evaluation of innovations to increase child retention in WIC.

Susan is a co-investigator on the MORE WIC! project. She is an Associate Practice Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is the director of Johns Hopkins WIC Program. She is a specialist in maternal and child nutrition, and has extensive experience with WIC implementation, evaluation methods, quality improvement research techniques, and providing technical assistance to state and local WIC agencies. She was a co-investigator for the HPRIL project where she provided technical assistance to sub-grantees on evaluation.

Elizabeth is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Indigenous Health, supporting implementation of the Family Spirit Home Visiting model nationally and internationally. Elizabeth has more than 25 years of experience developing and managing maternal, infant and early childhood programs, as well as contributing to tribal, state and national policy development efforts.  She has experience in program piloting and evaluation, and population-based surveillance projects using vital record, PRAMS and BRFS data. She completed a Master of Public Health at the University of Michigan.

Michelle is a Research Associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed her doctorate in public health at the Bloomberg School in 2024, with a dissertation focused on tribally-administered WIC programs and Indigenous health equity. As the Project Manager for MORE WIC!, Michelle works closely with the Principal Investigator to coordinate project activities and serves as the main point of contact regarding overall administration of MORE WIC!

With over a decade of experience in the health and human services sector, Caiti works to increase access to public nutrition programs so that families have the resources they need to thrive. Much of her work has focused on breaking down silos between WIC, SNAP, and Medicaid through cross-program data matching, outreach, and streamlined enrollment, and she has co-authored a toolkit on this subject with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. In her role with MORE WIC!, Caiti leads technical assistance with participating State agencies to help them achieve their project goals. 

Jeneé is a Pennsylvania licensed attorney, with over a decade of experience in legal research, policy development, and regulatory compliance. In her previous role at Benefits Data Trust Jeneé was a subject matter expert on benefits law and state benefit agency data sharing for targeted outreach to bridge enrollment gaps. She is passionate about exploring innovative ways policy can be used to improve benefits access. Jeneé holds a Bachelor of Science from Northwest Missouri State University and a Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law.

Bridget Straughan provides technical assistance as part of the MORE WIC! Program, helping WIC State agencies shape and implement strategies to connect more eligible individuals to WIC. She has over a decade of experience in the social services sector, working at the intersection of government and community partnerships, policy, and program management to help make public benefits systems more equitable and dignity-affirming. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Haverford College and has a Master's in Public Administration with a concentration in Urban & Social Policy from Columbia University. 

Georgia is originally from Leeds, England. After completing a PhD in Food Policy from City University of London, Georgia joined the National WIC Association in 2015 as the Research and Evaluation Manager. She is currently serving as President and CEO of NWA and has over 15 years working in policy-driven food access on the local and national levels in both the US and UK. In 2022 Georgia completed a certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. She is passionate about connecting the dots between research, policy, programming, operations, and governance to advance mission-driven work. She is committed to ensuring all people have equitable access to nutritious food. Georgia lives in Washington DC with her husband, 6-year-old daughter, and their spaniel.

Chloe is a Registered Dietitian with over a decade of experience in public health research, programs, and community-based practice. She is responsible for managing the National WIC Association’s activities related to WIC program innovation and technological advancements to improve the participant experience. Prior to joining NWA, she worked at the Maryland WIC State Office on outreach strategy and partnerships with healthcare providers and community partners.  She also worked as a nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins WIC program in Baltimore where she provided high-risk nutrition counseling to participants. Chloe holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University in International Relations, Community Health and Spanish, and a Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.