RESOLVE Board Members

Dr. Braverman is a Clinical Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. Dr. Braverman is the Associate Director for the Educational Core for OB/Gyn. She is a health psychologist with a specialty in medical health management, infertility counseling, and third-party reproduction issues. She received her M.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Braverman has lectured internationally on treatment issues and reproductive medicine before medical and patient audiences. Dr. Braverman has conducted research and published numerous articles in medical journals about the psychological aspects of infertility, attitudes of parents of children born with the use of ART, issues involved in the decision to end treatment, and psychological issues involved in using third-party donors.

Dr. Braverman received the 2021 Suheil J. Muasher, M.D., Distinguished Service Award from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the 2018 Advocacy Award from the Family Equality Council and Path2Parenthood, and the Timothy Jeffries Memorial Award from the American Psychological Association for outstanding contributions as a health psychologist in 2011. She is the past president of the North American Society for Psychosocial Obstetrics and Gynecology and past chairperson of the Mental Health Professional Group of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).

Lee Rubin Collins is known for her advocacy to keep fertility treatment accessible and legal. A former big-firm litigator, Lee joined the Board of RESOLVE in 2002. Soon, threats to reproductive medicine began to materialize, first from the President’s Council on Bioethics, and then from the “embryo-personhood” movement. Lee mobilized with RESOLVE and grassroots volunteers in states around the country to successfully repel these threats. She also co-wrote the bill to expand Massachusetts infertility insurance that became law in 2010; served as Chair of RESOLVE’s Board of Directors; and twice chaired RESOLVE’s Washington, D.C. Advocacy Day.

Lee served on the Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine for two terms, 2014-2019. In 2019, she was elected to ASRM’s Board of Directors as a member-at-large. Since completing her term in 2022, she has remained involved in ASRM’s work to promote research integrity. She has also served on the boards of the New England Fertility Society, RESOLVE of the Bay State, and The Howard and Georgeanna Jones Foundation in Virginia. She has published papers, has given talks — including a TEDx talk, “Infertility and Politics” — and has received awards, including RESOLVE’s Hope Award for Advocacy. In 2014, she was honored to be the recipient of its Barbara Eck Founder’s Award.

She began her career at Ropes & Gray in Boston, becoming one of the firm’s first women litigation partners and having attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After a lengthy battle with secondary infertility, Lee decided to leave law and devote her energies to infertility awareness, equity, and policy change.

Dr. Jason S. Griffith is a reproductive endocrinologist and serves as the practice director for Houston Fertility Institute. Dr. Griffith has been an active participant in RESOLVE’s legislative efforts, attending Advocacy Day events and working on Capitol Hill with pharmaceutical companies and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine to advance the group’s legislative agenda. He was recently recognized for these efforts by being awarded the ArnoldP. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Hope Award for Advocacy by RESOLVE in 2015. He is passionate about improving access to quality reproductive health care and patient choice in fertility treatment.

Dr. Griffith earned his undergraduate degree from Texas A&M University. Upon graduation, he received his commission in the United States Army Medical Specialists Corps. He served six years as an army officer with assignments in Washington, D.C., and overseas. After completion of his military service, he enrolled in medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He stayed on to complete a residency in obstetrics and gynecology, twice winning the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award. He continued fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility before moving home to Houston and joining his current practice. Dr. Griffith was elected to the RESOLVE Board of Directors in 2016.

Dr. Elizabeth Grill is a clinical psychologist at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and is Associate Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Medicine, and Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. She is also an Assistant Attending Psychologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Grill is experienced as a counseling psychologist and medical researcher with a special focus on the emotional aspects of infertility, IVF treatment, third party reproduction, oncofertility, fertility preservation, and sexual dysfunction. She also has significant experience in all aspects of oocyte donation, including donor and recipient evaluation and treatment issues. She served as Chair of the Mental Health Professional Group and was elected to the Content Review Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine for her second term. Dr. Grill sits on several professional boards, is an editorial reviewer for Fertility and Sterility and Journal of Andrology, is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, has lectured worldwide to patient and medical audiences and has participated in media interviews related to the emotional aspects of reproductive medicine. Dr. Grill joined the Board in 2016.

Kevin Hagan currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Thrive Impact. His expertise is in organizational strategy and planning, leadership and governance, change management and organizational transformation, and crisis management and messaging.

Having served as CEO of the American Diabetes Association and President & CEO of Feed the Children, he has a unique understanding of the pressures that nonprofits face and the need for innovation in the nonprofit sector. Hagan has also served in other leadership roles throughout his career, including: Chief Operating Officer of Good360, Head of Public Affairs and Communications for US Foods, and multiple national level management roles at the United States Postal Service.

Kevin’s education includes a master’s degree in International Affairs from American University in Washington, D.C., and undergraduate degrees in Political Science, History and German from Mercer University in Georgia. During his nonprofit CEO tenure, he also completed executive education in Nonprofit Management at Harvard Business School. Kevin was elected to the RESOLVE Board of Directors in September 2018.

With her law office in the Denver metro area, Judith has represented clients in Assisted Reproductive Technology law and the complex issues related to family formation since 2010.

Caring for infants, children and their parents has always been the focus of her dual professional careers. Prior to and while attending law school Judith worked as a Pediatric ICU nurse, a Pediatric and Adolescent Oncology nurse, and a Level IV NICU nurse at several children’s hospitals. For many years she continued to work on weekends in a Level IV NICU while maintaining a busy law practice.

Having experienced infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss, Judith was able to have a family through assisted reproduction and with a surrogate carrying her second child. Finding her surrogacy experience to be life-changing, she changed the focus of her law practice from medical negligence and massive tort litigation to Assisted Reproductive Technology and Family Formation Law.

With empathy and insight into the formidable issues of loss and emotional pain those struggling with infertility face, Judith feels passionate about representing her clients and advocating on their behalf. She has worked with ART colleagues, RESOLVE and Colorado state representatives and senators drafting and passing ART legislation in Colorado since 2019 including The Colorado Building Families Act, requiring large market insurers controlled by the state of Colorado to cover fertility treatment and fertility preservation; the Unconsented Use of Donor Gametes in Fertility Treatment; and most recently, the Confirmatory Adoption Statute affirming parentage by adoption for those individuals who do not give birth but intend to be a parent when a child is conceived by assisted reproduction. Judith initiated and co-drafted the Colorado Surrogacy Agreement Act which puts protections in place for all parties to surrogacy agreements including protecting parentage in gestational and genetic surrogacy arrangements.

While infertility initiated an arduous journey for Judith and her husband to have a family, infertility also compelled Judith to serve others who struggle.

Dr. Isiah Harris is the interim Medical Director of Spring Fertility Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale, California and he is the Director of the Center for Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Recurrent Implantation Failure at Spring Fertility.

Dr. Harris received his medical degree from University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, and his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Brigham and Women’s/Massachusetts General Hospital program in Boston. He completed a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship at University of Colorado, Denver, where he simultaneously achieved a Masters in Clinical Sciences degree for his research on the subjects of diet, obesity and fertility.

At a national level, Dr. Harris is currently also serving as Co-Chair of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) Private Practice committee and is also a board member of the Society of Reproductive Surgeons (SRS).

In addition to his clinical practice at Spring Fertility, Dr. Harris is responsible for numerous educational programs within his practice and continues to provide resident and patient education through regular Grand Rounds appearances and other lecture series. He has multiple publications and presentations in the field of infertility and Reproductive Technologies. He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Harris joined the Board of Directors in 2022.

Dr. Jody Madeira is Professor of Law and Louis F. Neizer Faculty Fellow at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana, where she co-directs the Center for Law, Culture & Society and serves as Bioethics Liaison for the Indiana Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute. She is an expert on qualitative and mixed-methods research, and her research focuses on the intersection of law, communication, and medicine, prioritizing assisted reproductive technology, bioethics, substance use, and firearm violence. She is the author of Taking Baby Steps: How Patients and Fertility Clinics Collaborate in Conception (University of California Press, 2018) and Killing McVeigh: The Death Penalty and the Myth of Closure (New York University Press, 2012).

After personally experiencing unexplained infertility, Jody shifted her research to focus on emotions and treatment decision making in reproductive medicine. Her current research assesses the design, implementation, and evaluation of multimedia informed consent technologies, assessing the personal and legal impact of fertility fraud cases, and advocating for laws that improve patient experience and safety. Her research has appeared in leading legal and peer-reviewed publications such as Fertility & Sterility.

Jody holds a Ph.D. from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania; a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Science in Sociolinguistics from Georgetown University. Jody was elected to the RESOLVE Board of Directors in 2019.

E-Beth has integrated her business acumen, and her firsthand experience with infertility, as a grassroots advocate for community awareness and legislative change benefiting individuals and couples facing infertility. Since 2016, she has championed the need for insurance coverage, appearing before the Arizona Legislature committee hearings and meeting with legislative members.

Her Infertility advocacy extends to hosting a RESOLVE monthly support group for others experiencing infertility, providing a powerful voice through RESOLVE’s Advocacy Day, and co-chairing the DIY Walk of Hope Arizona. She received RESOLVE’s Hope Award for Service in 2021.

E-Beth is an accounting professional who holds a BS in Business Administration and an MBA.

Nichelle is a force that shines in the communication arena as a culturally competent journalist, political communications professional, digital content creator, and engagement strategist. She’s a respected leader with a strong desire of empowering people to share their stories. Nichelle was seven years old when she decided to become a journalist. She began her news career immediately after college and worked in various television markets since 2002. The Temple University graduate eventually transitioned into politics after leading a broadcast career for 15 years. Some of her favorite assignments include WHYY’s television documentary on the 1968 Wilmington riots, the Delaware Historical Society’s Covid Chronicles, as well as the “Impact of Joe Biden’s Political Career,” on Whip Count, a podcast hosted by the Delaware House Democratic Caucus.

Nichelle now likes to exercise her creativity with the House Majority Caucus in the First State. Obsessed with using her skills to connect people who have been traditionally divided by race, wealth or education, Nichelle has dedicated a great deal of her time to independent television projects, community service work and an array of civic engagement initiatives. She relies heavily on her journalism skills to help national and local organizations. Nichelle has served on the board of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Delaware, the Delaware Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., and the Christina Cultural Arts Center. She is currently a committed board member who enjoys working with RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, and is a founding member of the RESOLVE Inclusion Council.

However, her work doesn’t stop there. Empowering women also hits really close to Nichelle’s heart. In fact, her own fertility journey led to the creation and launch of “Her Normal,” an entertainment website designed to be a source of encouragement for women. Its mission is to uplift women in the race against their biological clocks, and those pressured to achieve a certain level of success in a wide range of areas. It addresses self-care, relationships, infertility as well as explores the impact of societal norms.

When Nichelle’s not busy, you can find the Philadelphia native, traveling the world with her husband and encouraging anyone she comes in contact with to “aim for the stars!” Through her faith in God, hard work, and strong support system; Nichelle is living proof that dreams do come true.

Dwight P. Ryan is a seasoned CEO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) possessing extensive financial, accounting, and operational experience within the healthcare and technology sector. Working with early stage start-ups in addition to Fortune 500 companies, Dwight has a wide-ranging background in the infertility sector. As the former CFO of the publicly-traded infertility services company IntegraMed America and Women’s Integrated Network, Dwight was also the Chief Operating Officer of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey and currently serves as the COO of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York, which is one of the leading ART facilities in the country.

Continuing his foray into the advancement of the fertility field, Dwight developed a revolutionary infertility case management company to streamline patient care and contain medical and pharmaceutical costs for leading healthcare insurance companies. He also established MedTech For Solutions, a unique collaborative company with extensive, broad-based experience in the Assisted Reproductive Technology field, building cutting edge ART practices and laboratories throughout the United States. Most recently establishing the industry leading Andrology and Embryology Training Institute, Ovatools, to meet the growing needs of IVF laboratories. Dwight previously served on the RESOLVE Board of Directors from 2005-2012. Dwight was re-elected to the RESOLVE Board of Directors in September 2018.

Pam Schumann an entrepreneur and healthcare executive. She has turned her passion for consumer-driven women’s health into a consulting business, helping her clients create modern, effortless experiences for patients. Previously, Pam served as President of Growth Strategy and Ancillary Businesses for IntegraMed Fertility, the largest network of fertility practices in North America where she founded their Attain Fertility division – the destination for IVF patients who are looking to pay for IVF treatment the smartest way possible.

A former patient who was once faced with the overwhelming costs of treatment herself, Pam decided to do something about it. She has since dedicated her career to helping to remove the financial barriers that prevent so many patients from achieving success with fertility treatment.

Pam brings with her a 20-year track record of building and expanding profitable business partnerships with physician practices as well as a long-standing kinship with fellow members of the RESOLVE community. Pam was elected to the RESOLVE Board of Directors in September 2018.

Halle Tecco, MBA, MPH is a mom through IVF, and passionate about improving the patient experience. She is an investor/advisor in fertility companies KindBody, Conceive, Alife, Tia, and Poppyseed Health. Previously, she was the founder of Natalist (acquired by Everly Health) and Rock Health, and was an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School.

Halle is a Board Director at the International African American Museum and on the Harvard Medical School Department of Biomedical Informatics Advisory Council. She is also the host of The Heart of Healthcare Podcast.

Halle received her MBA from Harvard Business School and her MPH from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in Women's and Reproductive Health.

Jeff Travers joined the Cancer Support Community in 2015, leading a team that manages the organization’s finances, HR, technology, and operations, while supporting CSC’s Finance Committee and Board of Directors. Jeff joined CSC after many years working with local and national nonprofit organizations.

Most recently, Jeff was a director and a member of the senior leadership team at Fight For Children, which supports education reform efforts in local schools. During his eight years at Fight For Children, Jeff worked on various projects and initiatives, including managing the organization’s multi-million dollar annual fundraiser, twice redesigning its website, leading its strategic planning process, and supporting the launch of several major programmatic initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Jeff was the associate executive director at Whitman-Walker Clinic (now Whitman-Walker Health) in Washington, DC. Over nine years at the Clinic, Jeff played a variety of roles, including managing the organization’s fundraising team, running the organization’s operations, and developing its real estate portfolio, including two of its medical facilities. Jeff also founded and ran a small business providing management support to more than a dozen local and national nonprofit organizations.

Jeff is an active volunteer in community-based and civic organizations. He is currently serving as the Chair of the DC Healthy Youth and Schools Commission, a position to which he was appointed by the Mayor of DC. He has also served as a board member and chair of two local nonprofit organizations, Adoptions Together and the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative. He served for several years as the Treasurer of the Logan Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission, an elected position which advises DC government agencies on matters of concern to citizens.

Jeff has a BA in History, with a minor in Fine Arts, from Georgetown University and an MBA, with a concentration on leadership, from the George Washington University. He lives in Washington, DC with his two school-aged children, Neil and Emma, whom he adopted at birth.

Tanika Gray Valbrun is an award-winning Journalist and Non-profit leader. After her personal struggles with uterine fibroids, Tanika’s desire to support herself and other women inspired her to create The White Dress Project, a non-profit organization on a mission of to raise global awareness about the uterine fibroid epidemic through education, research, community, and advocacy.

By sharing her personal story, Tanika has encouraged thousands of women across the world to speak up, be their own best health advocate and no longer suffer in silence. As such, The White Dress Project is made up of women with impactful fibroid journeys, who are uniquely positioned to educate, empower, and support those who are managing life with fibroids.

As the founder of The White Dress Project, Tanika has successfully worked with doctors, health advocates and elected officials in multiple states to get legislation passed declaring July as “Fibroids Awareness Month.” Recognized as a thought leader and patient advocate for uterine health, she has also spoken at various events domestically and internationally.

Tanika’s thought leadership has led to many partnerships between The White Dress Project, universities, consumer brand, medical industry, and policy makers to amplify awareness and education about uterine treatment options. Tanika has also partnered with physicians in South Africa and Nigeria to amplify patient advocacy specifically as it relates to uterine fibroids.

Additionally, working with national health advocates, doctors and Tony-award winning actress, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Tanika produced a stellar movie screening of the Oprah Winfrey produced and Emmy-nominated, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The event highlighted the life of a medical icon, Henrietta Lacks, and brought together community members to amplify the importance of uterine health awareness.  

In addition to encouraging women to be their own health advocates, Tanika works as a Senior Content Producer for CNN where she has been awarded three coveted Peabody Awards for her contributions in journalism. Tanika works closely with CNN’s 1200 media affiliates and manages multiple projects including national and international newsgathering, and demonstrating strong editorial and legal judgment through investigating, pitching and developing stories to serve all of CNN’s and HLN’s platforms. She is the recipient of Georgia Trend’s and Atlanta Business Chronicle’s "40 under 40" Awards.

Tanika holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism from Florida International University and University of Maryland with a Certification in Radio and Television and Women’s Entrepreneurship from Cornell University.

Dr. Widra is the Medical Director of Shady Grove Fertility Reproductive Science Center in Metropolitan Washington, DC, Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA and the Associate Director of the Combined Federal Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility – a post-graduate training program for future leaders in this sub-specialty operated through the NIH, Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Shady Grove Fertility.

Dr. Widra received his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and his residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. He completed a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship at The George Washington University. Dr. Widra is currently Professor and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University.

At a national level, Dr. Widra served as Chair of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) Practice committee and member of the ASRM Practice committee from 2009-2015, and currently serves as SART Treasurer.

In addition to his clinical practice at Shady Grove Dr. Widra supervises the extensive research activities and academic ventures of the practice. He has numerous publications and presentation in the field of infertility and Reproductive Technologies. He is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and a fellow of the American Academy of Wilderness Medicine. Dr. Widra joined the Board of Directors in 2016.