Person Role: Staff

Kari Ricard is a dedicated leader in Population Health Management and Health Equity, with a specialized focus on improving health outcomes for marginalized communities. A passionate advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Kari leads initiatives that foster inclusive healthcare practices. She champions the need for culturally competent care, works to reduce stigma, and promotes policies sensitive to the diverse identities within the communities that make up Colorado.

Her commitment to equity extends to her role as a founding board member of San Luis Valley Pride, where she promotes visibility, support, and equality for marginalized populations.

Kari holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor’s in Science, along with certifications in Lean Six Sigma and Project Management from Colorado State University.

Outside of work, Kari is a travel enthusiast, constantly exploring new destinations to broaden her perspective. She is also a passionate Dungeon Master, crafting immersive tabletop role-playing adventures for others to enjoy.

Alina Kraynak serves as a Clinical Quality Improvement Advisor at the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative. She is dedicated to advancing equitable perinatal and quality care for families and future generations. Alina has a strong background in nursing and public health leadership, particularly in the areas of critical care, community health, substance use, and perinatal health. Her prior experience includes a role at the Minnesota Department of Health, where she supervised statewide Women’s Health programming, capacity building through diverse funding to embolden state programming. She also coordinated the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

Alina earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Advanced Population Health, focusing on addressing barriers in care coordination for patients with substance use disorders in collaboration with Medicaid providers in Chicago, IL. She holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Ball State University.

Outside of her clinical and public health roles, Alina enjoys spending time outdoors with her dog, traveling, and volunteering.

Karli Swenson is the Clinical Education and Publication Lead at the Colorado Perinatal Care Quality Collaborative. Karli received her PhD in Physiology from the University of Colorado School of Medicine where she studied fetal development, and her Masters in Maternal and Child Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health where she studied perinatal substance use disorders. Karli developed and leads the Breaking Stigma: Compassionate Care for Substance Use training that is available for obstetric and neonatal staff across Colorado. Karli additionally manages CPCQC’s publication efforts.

Tyler, a passionate creator and communicator, leads the communication and community engagement efforts at CPCQC. Tyler manages communications and marketing for all of our programs across the state. She uses her skills to effectively engage with diverse audiences and tell meaningful stories from first-hand experiences.

During her time pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. Tyler showcased her spirit and teamwork as an NCAA cheerleader and honed her organizational skills as the publicity coordinator for United Black Government. These experiences, coupled with her dedication to community service, have shaped her multifaceted approach to her work. Tyler’s journey also includes impactful roles at the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, where she championed a language access plan for equitable healthcare. In addition to her professional achievements, Tyler is passionate about health literacy and has championed a language access plan for equitable healthcare. 

She enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening, volunteering, and is a voracious reader. Recently, Tyler has embraced the role of motherhood, further enriching her life with this new chapter.

Amber believes that the health of the world begins with high-quality and equitable reproductive healthcare. She works as a Certified Nurse Midwife, providing comprehensive reproductive health care in her community. In addition to her clinical role, she has served as a midwifery educator in the clinical, classroom and simulation settings. As a global health visiting professor, she supported the launch of the first graduate-level midwifery program in Northern Uganda.

Amber’s doctoral work was focused on bridging the gap between mental health and perinatal care through quality improvement. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing from Frontier Nursing University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Duke University.

As a quality improvement coach at CPCQC, she supports activities related to evidence-based, data-driven, continuous quality improvement projects in maternal and infant health across the state.

Kylie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specializing in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). As the Director of Integrated Behavioral Health and Continuum of Care, she weaves together her clinical, policy, and evaluation experience to advance equitable outcomes for birthing people and their families. She has experience leading collective impact initiatives, social sector program evaluations, public policy efforts, and community-based participatory research. 

As a clinician, Kylie has worked alongside survivors of human trafficking, families facing deportation, birthing people navigating substance use disorders, caregiver/infant dyads, and more. She is trained in Internal Family Systems, Advanced Experiential-Dynamic Psychotherapy, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, and attachment theory in addition to a variety of other clinical approaches. 

Kylie has a Masters in Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University and Bachelors of Arts in International Relations with a concentration in Latin American Politics from The College of William and Mary. She is passionate about intersectional, trauma-informed, and equity-driven approaches to systems-level change.

With over 13 years of dedicated experience in nursing, Ashlie has built a robust career focused on the perinatal population, whom she has supported through a variety of roles within the hospital, including administration, leadership, and bedside nursing.

As a Postpartum RN, Ashlie has cultivated a passion for education, guiding patients through the complexities of their perinatal experiences. Her empathetic approach and deep understanding of this unique journey empowers her to provide exceptional support and care to new families.

Ashlie is an advocate for continuous improvement in healthcare settings. She has successfully implemented process enhancements across various units, prioritizing patient care, nurse satisfaction, and operational efficiency. Her dedication to fostering a positive environment contributes to the overall well-being of both patients and staff.

Ashlie earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from Colorado State University before pursuing her Bachelor’s in Nursing from the Denver College of Nursing, where she graduated magna cum laude.

In her free time, Ashlie co-leads a school based community garden and enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids.

Roxann Edelmon has 24 years of maternal-child nursing experience and 12 years of nursing leadership. She started her obstetrical career as a Labor and Delivery RN, transitioning into a clinical educator and then into system clinical education leadership for a multi-state health care system. She most recently was the operational Nursing Director for Women’s and Children’s Services supporting the health system’s facilities in Northern Colorado. She received her BSN from the University of Northern Colorado while playing Division II Women’s Tennis. She received her Master’s of Education in Human Resources with an emphasis in Organizational Performance and Change from Colorado State University. She is certified in Inpatient Obstetrics and Electronic Fetal Monitoring. She is passionate about supporting best practices in helping build our Colorado families. Roxann and her husband of 19 years live in Northern Colorado with 2 teenagers.

Sydney works closely with Colorado hospitals that are a part of our clinical quality improvement programming, including SOAR, CO AIM: SUD, and MOMs+, to assist in implementing evidence-based initiatives to enhance the lives of people in this state.

Sydney’s interest in pregnancy, postpartum, and perinatal health began with her research in college on the intersection between culture and birth. After working in the vaccination rollout and AmeriCorps, she earned a Master of Public Health from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health with a certificate in Maternal and Child Health. 

Working at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia provided Sydney with experience in care coordination, in-hospital research, and supporting individuals in labor through her volunteer work. She supported the Georgia Doula Project, wrote her thesis on doula experiences in rural Georgia, and worked on the Minding the Gap, a maternal health study at Grady Memorial Hospital. Before working at Grady Hospital, she worked at a local homeless shelter where she met a woman who had never received prenatal care because she was afraid the hospital would take away her child. This account inspired Sydney to action to ensure that no one is afraid to seek the care they deserve in order to live a happy, safe, and healthy life.  

Sydney holds a Bachelor of Arts from Wake Forest University and a Master’s in Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
Beyond her passion for patient-centered care, Sydney enjoys cycling, tending to her plants, baking for friends and family, and reading.

Casey Canright brings extensive experience managing all stages of pre- and post-award grants across federal, state, local, and philanthropic funding sources to CPCQC. Specializing in grant reporting, objective management, and the timely drawdown of grant expenses, Casey ensures funding processes are efficient and impactful.

Throughout her career, Casey has supported nonprofits by managing a full scope of development work, including bequests, planned giving, community engagement, and donations. She has developed and implemented policies and procedures for managing community contributions and grant management, created a comprehensive development handbook, and produced annual reports to strengthen organizational transparency and engagement.

Casey’s work is driven by a commitment to streamline granting efforts, reflect the needs of the community served, and ensure clear, accessible communication at every stage of the process.

She holds a Master’s degree in Nonfiction Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a Bachelor’s degree in Writing from The Evergreen State College. Outside of work, she enjoys writing, reading, cooking, and practicing yoga.

As the Program Manager of Clinical Quality Improvement at CPCQC, Sarah is responsible for leading the implementation of evidence-based practices to improve the quality of care for pregnant and postpartum individuals and their infants. She has a strong background in maternal health, having previously worked at the Indiana State Department of Health as the Maternal Health Administrator overseeing Title V funded perinatal programs.

Sarah’s significant career highlights include leading the implementation of Eat, Sleep, Console to better care for pregnant and postpartum people and their infants at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, IN, and bringing the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) to Indiana and recruiting 90% of delivering hospitals to implement patient safety bundles.

In addition to her professional achievements, Sarah is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) and a member of the Society for Public Health Educators (SOPHE). In her free time, she enjoys adventuring with her dog Ruby June, practicing yoga, and hot air ballooning.

Katie leads strategy related to CPCQC’s role in clinical and quality improvement programming across the state. This involves overseeing CPCQC’s clinical QI programs, including the SOAR, CO AIM:SUD, and MOMs+ programs, leading technology and data initiatives to support hospital engagement with CPCQC, and ensuring CPCQC programs complement statewide needs, priorities, health policy, and value-based payment initiatives. 

Prior to joining CPCQC, Katie’s career focused on maternal mortality prevention, clinical quality improvement, and reproductive health access, including work with Dr. Neel Shah on the Delivery Decisions Initiative and TeamBirth program at Ariadne Labs, and on the evaluation of Texas’ implementation of the AIM obstetric hemorrhage bundle. For six years, she also hosted a biweekly podcast focused on intersectional feminism and reproductive health, rights, and justice.

Katie Breen earned her Master of Public Health from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health with a concentration in Maternal-Child Health. She completed a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned the honors of Top Graduate in Marketing and delivered the commencement address of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. She has received training and certifications in healthcare quality improvement, electronic medical record interoperability, health literacy, economic evaluation, and reproductive justice.

Katie currently serves on the Executive Committee of the National Network of Perinatal Quality Collaboratives, and as the Director of Communications and Technology for March for Moms, a nationally-focused maternal health nonprofit. She served on the Colorado Maternal Mortality Review Committee in 2022-2023.

Katie enjoys spending time with her dog and husband, traveling, reading, and advocating for the right of all people to determine if, when, and how to build their families.

Aly serves as a program manager for our Integrated Behavioral Health Care team, supporting our IMPACT BH program and the Colorado Maternal Mental Health Collaborative. Advancing health equity and emphasizing the voices of community members has always been at the forefront of her work and fueled her passion in maternal and child health.

Aly’s background is deeply rooted in mental and behavioral health with a keen interest in public health’s impact on an individual’s overall wellbeing. She previously worked in the Office of Research at Denver Health as a research associate supporting various programs; most recently School Based Health Centers, LGBTQ+ Health Services, and HPV Vaccinations. 

Aly earned double master’s degrees at the same time as becoming a mom. She gave birth to her son in her second year of grad school, and shortly after graduation, she delivered her second child, a daughter. 

Aly holds a Master of Public Health, with a concentration in Community and Behavioral Health, as well as a Master of Social Work, with a concentration in Health and Wellness from the University of Colorado and University of Denver, respectively. Aly earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the California State University of Los Angeles.
In her spare time, Aly enjoys spending quality time with her family, preferably outdoors at parks and on hikes. She has two toddlers, Eiden and Ember, and two bulldogs, Taz and Porkchop. Before motherhood, you could find Aly singing karaoke, traveling, and backpacking.

Sarah is a behavioral scientist with extensive experience in both academic and applied mixed-methods research. She earned her PhD in social psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Miami University of Ohio. Inspired by her mother, who left a beloved law career to become a full-time parent, Sarah’s research has focused on understanding and reshaping the stereotypes, systems, and structures that can hinder people from achieving their dreams.

After transitioning from academia, Sarah worked at CU Boulder’s Office of Data Analytics, where she collected, analyzed, and shared survey data on student well-being and outcomes. She then joined Guild Education, where she focused on the educational journeys of working adults, using surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather nuanced insights. In both roles, she shared findings with stakeholders and provided recommendations on how to improve services for students.

At CPCQC, Sarah is excited to apply her skills to the pressing issue of maternal and infant health outcomes. She looks forward to wrangling data into actionable insights that promote the health and well-being of birthing people and infants.

Sarah volunteers for Moms Demand Action and enjoys dabbling in painting and piano. She loves exploring Colorado’s great outdoors

Rebecca has more than 20 years of experience leading strategic efforts across complex systems, advancing impact and resources through philanthropic, private enterprise, and government partnerships, and advocating for change through policy and community leadership. She came to CPCQC from her own consulting firm, Summit View Strategies, where she worked with clients to expand mental health screening and access to care during pregnancy and postpartum for the ZOMA Foundation, test a mental health care strategy for SonderMind, and steer the 2022-2023 Maternal and Infant Health Initiative of the National Governors Association. Prior to starting her firm, Rebecca built extensive experience across the healthcare and social determinants of health spectrum, including guiding US health related foreign assistance at the White House Office of Management and Budget, stemming global infectious diseases through the U.S. State Department, increasing access to dental care for low income people and assessing housing policy during the Great Recession through the Pew Charitable Trusts, and evaluating the capacity of the primary care workforce in Colorado at the Colorado Health Institute.

Rebecca holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Iowa State University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.