Meet the BirthSwell Team
Jeanette McCulloch, BirthSwell Lead Strategist
Jeanette McCulloch brings together strategic communications skills with practical experience providing birth and breastfeeding services and a proven record of maternal/infant health advocacy.
Jeanette worked for more than a decade on health policy and other issues though public interest and public relations campaigns. As an account supervisor with Valerie Denney Communications, she oversaw communications strategies for local Chicago-based community organizations, statewide legislative and PR campaigns, and national advocacy efforts. Her primary issue areas included low-income access to health care, environmental justice, criminal justice and grassroots community organizing.
Since the birth of her two children, both born with midwives, Jeanette has focused her efforts on supporting families in the childbearing year. In addition to role at BirthSwell, she is an IBCLC and serves on the board of Citizens for Midwifery.
Jeanette has led numerous trainings and message development sessions for nonprofit organizations, including birth advocacy efforts. She has co-published (with Amber McCann) in the Journal of Human Lactation on the topic of establishing an online and social media presence for your IBCLC practice, and co-authored abstracts and posters for the APHA and ACOG on birth consumers’ use of social media and communications needs. She blogs on birth and lactation research, use of social media, and consumer activism.
She lives in Ithaca, New York with her partner Tanya and two children. When she’s not engaging with the BirthSwell community, she unplugs with her family and enjoys hiking the gorges and kayaking the waters of the Fingerlakes.
Bridget Caruso, Senior Project Manager
Bridget is an operations and program management professional with more than 15 years of experience supporting maternal, infant, and young child nutrition programs across Africa and Asia. Her work has focused on improving nutrition during the critical first 1,000 days—from pregnancy through a child's second birthday—as well as supporting broader global health initiatives funded by the Global Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and USAID.
With a Master's degree in Global Health, CPH and PMD Pro certifications, Bridget combines strong program management expertise with a deep understanding of evidence-based nutrition interventions. She specializes in translating strategy into implementation, strengthening operations, and helping teams deliver measurable results.
Outside of work, Bridget enjoys spending time with her husband and children, reading, and practicing Pilates. She also supports the March of Dimes in memory of her daughter, Gianna.
Amisha Grasty, Project Manager
Amisha Grasty brings many years of experience in project management, general administration, technical support, and digital marketing to BirthSwell, and loves supporting their mission to advance birth and breastfeeding advocacy worldwide. It is a cause that is true to her heart as she struggled finding acceptance and support in the workforce while nursing her son. Amisha works with BirthSwell in several capacities, including project management, graphic design, social media and blog post updates, video editing, and digital advertising to name a few. In her free time, she enjoys continuing education, reading, and spending time with family.
Amisha has an AAS in Healthcare Administration from the University of Phoenix, 8 professional IT certifications from CompTIA and CIW, and a certification in Digital Marketing from Hubspot Academy.
Diya Craft, Graphic Design & Digital Media Specialist
With several years of public relations experience, Diya is excited to bring her love of PR and Marketing to the BirthSwell team through graphic design and social media. She's passionate about marketing and is very eager to dive into your project.
In her daily life, Diya likes to create art through music, writing, and enjoys bike rides at sunset. Diya earned her BA in Public Relations at University of North Texas.
Denice Cox, Graphic Design & Digital Media Specialist
Denice Cox brings several years of experience in graphic design and digital communications to BirthSwell, and loves supporting their mission to advance birth and breastfeeding advocacy worldwide. Denice works with BirthSwell in a variety of capacities, including graphic and website design, social media management, email communications, and more! In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, and doing yoga.
Denice has a BA in Psychology from Yale University and a certificate in Graphic Design from Pasadena City College.
Aysia Platte, Social Media Copywriter
A credentialed Montessori guide, Certified Full-Spectrum Doula, Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, and more, Aysia brings over a decade of experience assisting growing families via her expertise in perinatal support and early childhood education. She currently serves as the founder and executive director of Tend, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization providing wraparound support to young children and their caregivers.
BirthSwell gratefully relies on Aysia’s unique ability to keep her finger on the pulse of happenings in the world of birth and lactation, as she crafts timely and compelling social media copy tailored to our clients’ unique visions. As a disabled person, Aysia brings a passion and expertise for understanding all types of disability and a special focus on neurodivergence. Aysia serves a key role as an inclusion and belonging adviser at BirthSwell, helping us meet our goal of listening to and amplifying diverse perspectives.
Laura Ulrich, Science Writer
Laura brings more than 25 years of journalism experience to her role at BirthSwell, spanning community newspaper and national magazine work as well as online platforms, scientific journal editing, and book editing.
Following the births of her two children, Laura fell in love with the magic of birth and lactation, becoming first a La Leche League leader and then an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Working at BirthSwell provides the unprecedented opportunity to merge her professional skill set and background as a journalist with her passion for birth, lactation, and parenting, in the critical service of advocating for a world where all birthing people and children can thrive.
Laura’s role at BirthSwell includes translating the science of birth and lactation via diverse media, from blogs and social media posts to course descriptions and flyers, all with the goal supporting each of our clients’ unique education and advocacy goals. In addition to her role at BirthSwell, she serves as an editor for Birth: Issues in Perinatal Health. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University.
Laura lives with her two sons in Trumansburg, New York (USA), where she deeply enjoys supporting their passions of baseball and music. In her spare time, she loves hiking, running, strength training, reading fiction, and drinking (all the) coffee.
Gillian Knightley, Media Communications Specialist
Gillian has worked with BirthSwell for over a decade, providing expertise in graphic design, content creation, administration, and brand development. Her passion for health equity and racial justice, along with intercultural competence and communication skills, allow her to work thoughtfully alongside clients and colleagues from all walks of life, ensuring every project is handled with the care, intentionality, and cultural reverence it deserves.
Outside of work, Gillian loves to travel, read, write, and cook. She holds a BA in Ethnomusicology and Anthropology from the University of Vermont.
BirthSwell Collaborators
Adriana Lozada - Strategic Graphic Design
As both a birth professional and graphic designer, Adriana brings a deep knowledge of your target audience to every project. As a result she crafts logos and visuals that connect and communicate while saving time and budget. Adriana provides design concepts for websites, visuals, print materials, and other design projects. You can see her design work at International Lactation Consultant Association, in the overhaul of the BirthSwell logo and iconography, and on her own birth services website.
Amber McCann, IBCLC - Strategy, Project Management, and Execution
BirthSwell regularly collaborates with Amber McCann, IBCLC. Amber is a nationally recognized expert on communicating with families during the childbearing year and brings critical strategy, project management, and execution skills. She also is a key influencer in the lactation world and brings a powerful network that helps expand the reach of our work. Amber is currently taking a medical leave. We support her in her healing journey and looking forward to collaborating with on future projects.
About co-founder Hillary Boucher
Hillary Boucher is the much-beloved co-founder of BirthSwell. Her creativity, love for social media as an organizing tool, and commitment to birthing and breastfeeding families helped make our organization what it is today. Hillary has since moved on to The Community Roundtable, where, in her role as Director of Networks, she facilitates a peer network of online community managers. She consults with BirthSwell on an as-needed basis. Those of us at BirthSwell who live in Ithaca are always happy to run into her at the Farmers Market or the local food co-op.