About The Board
The Moms Mental Health Initiative Board of Directors works hand-in-hand with the staff of Moms Mental Health Initiative to pursue the mission of the organization: helping moms and birthing people navigate perinatal mental health conditions through peer support, resource brokering and information sharing.
Board of Directors
This dedicated team of volunteer leaders ensures Moms Mental Health Initiative can continue to work toward our vision: every mom and birthing person in Southeast Wisconsin receives the perinatal mental healthcare they need.
Treasurer
Alissa Begin
Alissa Begin is a Premier Practice Consultant, Senior Manager, Field Marketing at Northwestern Mutual. She started with Northwestern Mutual in the fall of 2020, providing strategic marketing consulting to Private Client Group firm’s through out the country. Prior to joining Northwestern Mutual she was a Director of Client Services for GMR Marketing for 9+ years. Alissa moved to Milwaukee from Minneapolis, MN where she started her career as a Human Resources professional. She received her Master of Arts, in Human Resources and Organizational Leadership from the University of St. Thomas. Alissa is an active member in the Mental Health Community of Southeastern Wisconsin, serving on the Board of Directors as Co-Chair of Moms Mental Health Initiative, Milwaukee.
Vice President
Sarah Boston
Sarah Boston is the CEO of a financial planning and investment firm in Indianapolis, IN. As a financial planner and business owner, she understands the impact of perinatal mental health on families and communities. As a mother, she is deeply dedicated to supporting women through transitional phases of life. Sarah has supported the initiatives of MMHI from its inception, having volunteered each year at the Summer Social. Both of Sarah’s adult sons work in her financial planning practice and in her spare time she grows many vegetables and hangs out with her best doggies, Franco and Louis.
Secretary
Megan Nazaret
Megan Nazaret, Board Member-at-Large, is a fierce advocate for perinatal mental health. She lives in Mequon with her husband, her two sons, Adrian and Wilbur, and her bearded dragon, Orangie. Megan takes care of her mental health through medication, therapy, Pilates, volunteering, and reading. She is passionate about reducing the stigma that surrounds mental illness and helping people feel less alone in their struggles. Megan chairs the Summer Social Committee. Contact: megan@mmhimke.org
President & Executive Director
Sarah Ornst Bloomquist
Some call her the Fairy Godmother of perinatal mental health, but we just call her Sarah. Sarah Ornst Bloomquist has walked alongside hundreds of struggling moms on the path to feeling better. As Executive Director and Co-Founder, she’s the heart of the organization, which she helped build after struggling to find adequate help for postpartum depression and anxiety following her son’s birth.
Sarah transformed her professional experience as a life coach, child advocacy program coordinator and family support specialist for perinatal couples into an organization dedicated to supporting moms navigating perinatal mental health conditions. Sarah is a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) and is perinatal mental health certified (PMH-C). As an leader, advocate and speaker, Sarah brings lived experience to her work breaking down barriers to effective treatment and helping moms find hope in the process. As MMHI's leader Sarah sits on the Wisconsin Maternal Health Task Force, The Periscope Project Advisory Committee, the Multicultural Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative, MKE Elevate and provides technical assistance to help tribal and local health departments improve their PMH screening protocols.
Born and raised in the greater Milwaukee area, Sarah is a cheesehead at heart, but spent many treasured years in Indiana. She’s proud mom to two, enjoys playing soccer, hanging out with friends and neighbors, and taking her rescue dogs for hikes.