Celebrating Mothers Brunch 2026

Join us on Saturday, May 9, 2026, 10:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. 
at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel in Center City!

Celebrating Mothers Brunch, sponsored by J&L Building Materials, Inc., brings together MCC's community of friends, donors, and partners to honor leaders in maternal and child health and raise vital funds for MCC.

Celebrating Mothers Brunch 2026 will be hosted by 6abc's Tamala Edwards and feature honorees: 

Sara M. Lomax
President and CEO of WURD Radio, Pennsylvania's only African-American owned talk radio station

Dr. Arline T. Geronimus
Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education at the University of Michigan,
Research professor at the University of Michigan's Population Studies Center
Author of Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life on the Body in an Unjust World

Meet Our Honorees

Celebrating Mothers Brunch 2026 Co-Chairs 

Kaitlyn Barnett
The Christopher M. Barnett Family Foundation; MCC External Affairs Committee

Stefanie Christmas
Executive Culture Strategist; MCC Board of Directors

Nasheed Coleman
Founder, A Place for Ummi, Maternity Care & Family Services; MCC Doula Network 

Meet Our Event Co-Chairs

Celebrating Mothers Brunch 2026 Theme: Resilience

At MCC, Resilience is woven into the fabric of our mission, vision, and everyday work. In the face of systemic inequities, MCC's capacity to endure, thrive, and provide ongoing, robust networks and high-quality services has not and will never waver.  This year's theme affirms our deeply held commitment to our communities, while honoring the profound resilience that families display every day and our belief in empowering parents as catalysts for change. 

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By entering an event or program of Maternity Care Coalition, you are entering an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. Your entry to the event constitutes your consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded and to the release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction of any and all recorded media of your appearance, voice, and name for any purpose whatsoever in perpetuity in connection with the Maternity Care Coalition and its initiatives, including, but not limited to, use on websites, in social media, news, and advertising.  

Should you not wish to be photographed or recorded on video at this event, please notify a Maternity Care Coalition at [email protected].

Kaitlyn Barnett

Kaitlyn Barnett is a founding board member of The Christopher M. Barnett Family Foundation, a family-run organization dedicated to helping individuals and communities thrive in a more equitable world. A graduate of Temple University's College of Public Health, she is currently pursuing a dual master's degree in social work and public health with a concentration in health policy and management. Guided by her belief in micro social work and the principle of "think globally, act locally," Miss Barnett works across the Foundation's five pillars: housing insecurity, food insecurity, developmental disabilities, underprivileged children, and women's empowerment. Miss Barnett currently splits her time between Philadelphia, PA, and Fort Lauderdale, FL, and remains dedicated to uplifting both communities.

Stefanie Christmas

"To me, resilience means showing up and choosing to keep trying again and again. Resilience doesn't mean doing it all alone or getting it right every time. It means growing stronger together and building community as the way forward."

Stefanie is an executive culture strategist and Presidential Leadership Scholar with 15+ years of experience aligning business strategy, people systems, and organizational transformation across healthcare, consulting, and education. She most recently served as Global Head of Inclusion & Impact at Inizio, where she led cross-functional transformation and governance alignment for a global life sciences workforce of 9,000+ employees. Stefanie brings prior leadership experience from Vynamic and Accenture, where she launched a $1.56M consulting service focused on culture transformation and advised Fortune 500 clients on organizational design, leadership development, and  workforce strategy. She began her career in education through Teach for America and DC Public Schools, grounding her leadership in clarity, empathy, and real-world impact. A trusted advisor to senior executives and boards, Stefanie specializes in navigating complexity, aligning enterprise priorities, and helping organizations operationalize purpose. She currently serves on the boards of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Prison Society, and Maternity Care Coalition.  

Nasheed Coleman

"Resilience is the strength to rise when the world expects you to break, the courage to build what you once needed and the belief that every setback is an opportunity to grow into a stronger version of yourself. "

Nasheed Coleman is a Social Worker and the Co-Founder and CEO of A Place for Ummi Maternity Care and Family Services. Inspired by her own experiences giving birth to two children prematurely, Nasheed is committed to advancing Black maternal health and supporting families in need. As the mother of a child with a physical disability, she also advocates for parents with disabilities to access the care and respect they deserve. Her social work background allows her to connect families with vital resources and provide holistic support. Through A Place for Ummi, she oƯers free doula services, childbirth 
education, parenting and safe sleep classes, lactation support, infant CPR training, and essential items to low-income families. Her work ensures that mothers, fathers, and caregivers are empowered, supported, and equipped with the tools to thrive.