Maternal Mental Health NOW (MMHN) is pleased to announce Amber Sheikh as the newly elected Governing Council chair.

San Pedro, CA – Maternal Mental Health NOW (MMHN) is pleased to announce Amber Sheikh as the newly elected Governing Council chair. Sheikh has served the Governing Council since 2020, bringing over 17 years of experience in providing strategic counsel and assistance to nonprofit organizations.

Sheikh is the chief impact officer (and owner) at Sheikh/Impact (formerly Thurlow/Associates), where she and her incredible team expand the organizational capacity of nonprofits committed to solving the toughest issues facing California’s communities. Sheikh and her team primarily focus on fundraising, external relations and organizational development.

MMHN is poised for growth as it transitions into an independent 501(c)(3) organization (previously under the fiscal sponsorship of Community Partners). Sheikh’s extensive experience and leadership make her an ideal person to guide the organization through this complex process.

“I am incredibly proud of the strides we’ve made in addressing perinatal mental health over the last 16 years,” said Sheikh. She recognizes the need for comprehensive perinatal mental health support because of her own personal experience with anxiety during pregnancy.“I was fortunate enough to be connected to MMHN through my provider, and I immediately recognized they were filling a critical gap in perinatal support. MMHN enables healthy and happy development for the infant and whole family.”

“We are thrilled to work closely with Amber over the next few years as we transition to the next phase of our organizational development,” said Kelly O’Connor, MMHN Executive Director. “Amber has been incredibly generous, sharing her personal story to reduce stigma associated with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and has been our advocate for legislative change in Sacramento. We are excited to leverage her knowledge and connections in the philanthropic space to amplify our impact on Los Angeles’ growing families in the near future.”

About Maternal Mental Health NOW

Maternal Mental Health NOW’s mission is to remove barriers to the prevention, identification and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in Los Angeles County. The organization offers training and capacity building to health care, mental health care and social service providers serving Los Angeles County’s birthing people. 

MMHN recently launched SANA SANA, a peer support program helping pregnant and postpartum persons deal with the highs and lows of their experience. SANA SANA provides pregnant and postpartum persons with an empathetic ear, support groups and systems navigation.

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