Meet the ROSE Team

Andrea Serano, MPH, CLC, IBCLC, CHES, holds a Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University and a Bachelor of Science in Maternal Child Health with a concentration in Human Lactation from Union Institute and University. Her dedication to breastfeeding advocacy is rooted in a deep commitment to addressing maternal and infant health disparities, particularly within communities of color. She champions breastfeeding as a vital, evidence-based strategy to reduce infant mortality and combat the inequities that disproportionately affect African American families.

Ms. Serano currently serves as the Executive Director of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), where she leads the development and implementation of local and national strategies to advance maternal and infant health. In addition to her leadership at ROSE, she serves as Vice-Chair of the Maternal Child Health Section of the Georgia Public Health Association. She has also held board positions with both the Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition and the United States Breastfeeding Committee.

Complementing her policy and advocacy work, Ms. Serano has provided direct clinical support as a bedside lactation consultant in two Baby-Friendly designated hospitals in the Metro Atlanta area.

Kimarie Bugg, DNP, FAAN, IBCLC, is a co-founder and the current Development Director of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE), a nonprofit corporation developed in 2011, to address breastfeeding inequities and disparities in the African American community.

Prior to ROSE, Dr. Bugg's nursing career consisted of appointments with Emory University, School of Medicine, as a nurse practitioner (NP), in private practice pediatrics as a NP, for the state of Georgia as a perinatal nurse consultant, as a (private) perinatal educator, a hospital nurse administrator, as a bedside breastfeeding consultant, and as both a special care and pediatric emergency clinic staff nurse.

Kimarie was a board member of the United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) and faculty for CHAMPS (communities and hospital's advancing maternal practices) a Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. She also provided training for WIC Breastfeeding administrative staff and Peer Counselors nationally.

Dr. Bugg completed a Community Health Leadership Program, within the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine that stressed best practices to provide global health equity and eliminate health disparities, through action-oriented projects. Mrs. Bugg is married to Dr. George W. Bugg Jr., a neonatologist, and they are the parents of five adult children and one grandchild.

Mary Nicholson Jackson has been a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) since 2006, and has worked in the lactation community for over 35 years. Mary is a co-founder of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE), and has served as the Community Engagement Director since its founding in 2011. Mary has worked at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, GA. for 20+ years on the lactation team, as part of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Mary has extensive leadership with several of Georgia's breastfeeding organizations, such as the Georgia Task Force for Breastfeeding, Georgia Breastfeeding Coalition, GA's Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies (HMHB) Coalition Lactation Program, Georgia's Hospitals Baby Friendly Initiatives, and DeKalb County, GA's Health Department's Faith Based Initiatives. Mrs. Jackson has worked on many local, state and national committees to decrease health disparities for the most vulnerable populations. She and her wonderful husband are the parents of three awesome adults and she has "mothered" many other awesome adults.

Paula Bugg-Wrenn, MD, is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE).

Dr. Bugg-Wrenn has been integral to ROSE since its beginnings, bringing both institutional memory and visionary leadership to the organization. Her commitment to maternal and infant health equity is matched by her dedication to fostering a collaborative, supportive workplace, balancing the demands of her burgeoning career with her roles as wife and mother.

Dr. Bugg-Wrenn oversees the day-to-day operations of ROSE and ROBE, works to strengthen the internal, employee-centered systems, and leads ROSE's research agenda. She also serves as our medical evaluator, ensuring that our programs remain grounded in the latest evidence and clinical best practices.

Educational & Professional Background:

• University of Georgia, B.S. (2013)
• Meharry Medical College, M.D. (2020)
• Wellstar Health System/ Wellstar Douglas Medical Center, Residency in Family Medicine (2020-2023)

Adiliah (Uh-dee-luh) Smith serves as ROSE's Community Transformer Coordinator, helping to oversee the organization's signature training program.

Adiliah is a proud alumna of Alabama State University, where she earned degrees in biology & secondary education, with a minor in mathematics. She began her career in secondary education as a classroom teacher, and shifted to maternal health a decade later. She is the owner of Village Maternal Services in Montgomery, Alabama, where she serves as a maternal health consultant, doula, and lactation specialist.

Her work is noted across many local organizations. She is also the creator of the support group Mama’s Village MGM, a space centering the maternal experiences of Black women across Alabama’s river region and black belt, over 500 women strong. Among her efforts she has organized Montgomery’s “Community Mommy Shower” to connect new and expectant mothers to resources and providers to improve maternal health outcomes.

In 2022, Adiliah was inducted into Alabama State University's “50 under 50,” an honor given to alumni making impacts in their careers and community. She has also been named as one of Montgomery Advertisers “People to Watch” for doing exceptional work in the community. She has served as a member of the Breastfeeding Task Force at Baptist Medical Center South, the Governor’s Initiative Breastfeeding Work Group with the Alabama Department of Public Health and The Wellness Coalition’s REACH Advisory Committee.

Adiliah also serves with the Gift of Life Foundation’s Community Action Network, and is a member of the Doula Organization of North America International (DONA) and Childbirth & Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA).

George Bugg, Jr., MD, MPH, is a (retired) neonatologist who formerly served as the chief of the neonatology service at Grady Memorial Hospital, and as the neonatal director of the Emory Regional Perinatal Center. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (BA), Meharry Medical College (MD), and Emory University (MPH).

Dr. Bugg is a charter member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM), and was trained in lactation management at Wellstart International.  He is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He and his wife, Dr. Kimarie Bugg, are the proud parents of five children and one grandchild.

Israel "Izzy" Route, MA, is an entrepreneur, educator, coach, lifetime learner and philanthropist. Most importantly a father. He seeks to serve his community and those of others by advocating for the overall health and wellness of families. With his passion to assist in enriching the lives of others, he was led to Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE) to be an advocate in maternal, child and family health. While serving with ROSE/ROBE, he has been trained as a Perinatal Patient Navigator, Holistic Doula, Community Health Worker, and ROBE Community Transformer, amongst other things, to further his knowledge and effectiveness serving families.

His journey with ROBE began alongside his father, and with the desire to find innovative ways to connect fathers seeking community, and connect them with other male support/ father serving organizations. He values the work of building partnerships that increase the effectiveness and positive impact of fatherhood and healthier maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Mr. Route takes pride in being able to educate, equip, and empower men seeking resources to better themselves, to take care of their family, and to advocate for their community. 

Caleb X. Bugg, PhD, is the Development Director for Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE), ROSE’s fatherhood and male-serving arm.

Caleb seeks to discover and implement quantitative methods in the areas of operations and human resource management to improve efficiency and marketing strength. It is his desire to serve community-based nonprofits as a career, utilizing his training in Operations Research (OR), a highly specified area of the management sciences. Caleb analyzes program design, implementation, and evaluation strategy.

He is a 2017 graduate of Morehouse College with a B.S. in Mathematics, and a 2022 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a M.S. and PhD in Operations Research. 

Jayronn Damons is a 26-year-old father, proud and grateful to be able to raise a 8 year-old daughter who inspires him every day. Born and raised in Atlanta, he’s the youngest and only boy of 5. For Jayronn, family means everything, and is the foundation that drives his purpose and passion. He’s also always had a deep love for music; it’s more than just sound—it’s a language, an outlet, and a way to connect.

These same community connections are what drives him to be a proud advocate for Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE), serving the youth and men in his community. He’s committed to being a positive influence, offering support, guidance, and real conversations that help people see their worth and reach their fullest potential. Whether through mentorship, music, or simply showing up, he believes in leading with love, listening with intent, and moving with purpose.

G. Wesley Bugg, JD, serves as ROSE's Legal Advisor, and is a 2016 graduate of the University of Miami’s School of Law (JD, LLM), and a 2013 graduate of Emory University (BA). He is a co-founder and former director of Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere, a program of ROSE focuses on fatherhood, increasing breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in communities of color, and decreasing Black infant mortality rates.

Atty. Bugg's current interests include legal compliance and business development, especially for startups and small nonprofits where these tasks are often expensive and difficult. He also serves as a private defense attorney.

Courtnie Carter is an experienced breastfeeding support person, former WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, and former Centering Pregnancy coordinator and facilitator. She also serves on the Maternal TeleHealth Access Project’s Lived Experience Advisory Group, was a panelist on the Maternal Health Learning and Innovation Center Skills Institute and has also been a featured guest on Birth While Black: Giving Birth in COVID-19 – A Black Mother’s Journey Podcast.

Courtnie Carter has spent the last 15+ years promoting and protecting breastfeeding, and supporting mothers on their breastfeeding journeys, in her local communities. Courtnie Carter is driven by her love for all things pregnancy and mother/baby. She is committed to increasing the initiation and duration rates amongst breastfeeding mothers of color. As well as also being a voice and source of support for mothers, like her who currently deal with or have dealt with perinatal and postpartum depression and anxiety. Courtnie Carter is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, with a BA in Communications Mass Media and a Psychology Minor.

Mia Burrell, BS, Financial Manager, joined Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE) in 2013. Mia Holds a BS in Information Technology and Organizational Management from Tennessee State University.

Mia set up and implemented the financial software for Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere. She Provides financial reports and interprets financial information for the organization and recommends needed action steps. The goal is to enable the company's leaders to make sound business decisions and meet the company's objectives while also maintaining the financial health of the organization. Mia is a liaison with auditors to ensure appropriate monitoring of company finances are maintained. Mrs. Burrell is a wife and mother of 4 of which were all breastfed all a minimum of 12 months each. Mia believes that breastmilk is the best milk for babies.

Jade Harris, MPH, joined Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE) in 2020 as the Executive Assistant to the Development Director and Co-Founder, Dr. Kimarie Bugg.

Jade's MPH is in Health Policy and Management from Kent State University. Mrs. Harris is married to Andre Harris and is the mother of four children. Her experience as a mother has heightened her passion for breastfeeding, as she has observed distinct challenges and rewards with each child. Currently, Mrs. Harris is a student at Mercer University, pursuing a degree in medicine. 

Ayanna Smith, MPH, IBCLC, joined Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE) in 2024 as the Administrative Associate to the Interim CEO. Ayanna holds a MPH in Maternal, Child and Family Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).

Ayanna is passionate about minimizing the prevalence of breastfeeding disparities in communities of color. She works to improve health outcomes through breastfeeding, and reduce the stigma associated with the practice. In addition, Ayanna is a Public Health Researcher, with a specific focus on sexual and reproductive health. Her overarching goal is to bridge the gap between research and clinical practice to foster a well-rounded, integrated healthcare environment.

From Urban Metric Consultants: Kimberley Broomfield-Massey, PhD, is an experienced evaluator and researcher specializing in participatory methods, quantitative and qualitative research, and facilitation. 

Dr. Broomfield-Massey completed her doctoral work in community psychology focused on program evaluation at Georgia State University. She is passionate about youth development, and perinatal and child health, and strives to empower BIPOC populations to promote health equity.

Kimberley founded Urban Metrics Consultants in 2010 to bridge the gap between the community and academia. For over two decades, her unique approach to evaluation has dismantled hierarchy, disrupted traditional exchanges of power, and fostered bidirectional relationships that fuel true impact. 

Dr. Broomfield-Massey serves as ROSE's Community Research and Evaluation Specialist.

Carl L. Route, Jr., CLC, was the Executive Director of Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE). He began his journey with ROBE as a Community Transformer and Wisdom Council member in 2019. He was a scholarship recipient with Morehouse School of Medicine’s Satcher Leadership Institute's Community Health Leadership Program in 2020. He was a Community Activist, Criminal Justice Reformer, Responsible Fatherhood Advocate/Ally/Author (1991 - present), & Advisory Council member with Community Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, Inc. (2017 - 2019). He was a proud member as of former President Barack Obama's initiative, My Brother's Keeper Task Force, and an an Ambassador with the Russell Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (2015 - 2026).

Other service, memberships, and accomplishments:

Founder of Young Fathers of Metro Atlanta, Inc. (2016). A Certified Responsible Fatherhood & Family Life Coach with the National Partnership for Community Leadership (2010 - present). Featured on Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)with host Lisa Ling, on "Our America" segment titled "Incarceration Generation" (2011). Lead Facilitator of an Access and Visitationpilot program for fathers on Child Supporting Georgia's largest transition center, a potential model for programs to be facilitated at all 13 of the state's transitional centers (2009 - 2011).