Executive Director- RaShaunda Lugrand (Indego) – is the founding visionary of The InTune Mother Project. A wife of 10 years and mother of three male children, which were all birthed at home. Rashaunda is focused on assisting women and families, with having safe, intuitive, and positive birth outcomes. She supports the tradition of undisturbed childbirth and offers a therapeutic approach to community centered childbirth. RaShaunda is a Master Cosmetologist, Certified Holistic Doula, Certified SMP Community Birth Sista, Certified Holistic Childbirth Educator, Neurolinguistic Practitioner, INNATE Postpartum Provider, and self-apprenticed researcher, with strong observation on the impact of racial inequalities in perinatal health care. She has 19 plus years of experience as an independent contractor and wellness consultant. Her mission is to shift the culture of the way women, families, and practitioners see themselves in the community of perinatal support services.
Operations Director- Melvin Lugrand (Mel) – is the co-founder of The InTune Mother Project. He is a husband of 10 years, dedicated father, and homebirth mavrick. Melvin is founder of The MELS Project (Men of Extraordinary Leadership), which is focused on expanding the male presence in childbirth among all men, yet his passion is in raising the frequency of how African American men, are viewed in their role as the father figure. Melvin holds his BA in Business Management and a Certificate in Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence. He is a Certified Fatherhood Coach and Mentor. His expertise in customer relations spans over 20 plus years. His mission is to help men recognize the power of their own voices in the world of perinatal health and child wellness.
Director of Education (Volunteer)- Yemarishet Melissa Macharia (Yemaya) – is a Yale School of Nursing graduate, and nationally Certified Nurse Midwife. Yemarishet is a wife of 10 years and mother of 7 children. She has certifications in Neonatal Resuscitation, Perinatal Yoga, and Dancing Through Pregnancy. She is also a Trained Centering Pregnancy Instructor as well. As Directory of Education, Yemarishet has over 25 years in the field of birth work. She has a strong background in women’s health, research, Human Design, and holistic centered wellness. As a Partner of The InTune Mother Project, Yemarishet holds true to the legacy of community centered education and perinatal support services as a dedicated volunteer.
Director of Client Communications – Jessica Reed (JahSet) – Jessica Nicole Reed, better known as JahSet, has a Nursing background of over 6 years and 13 years of healthcare experience combined. After returning to the states from Kenya at the end of 2015, she then became trained and certified under 4 honorable women of Birthwork within the next year. As Director of Client Communications and Lead InTune Mother Consultant, JahSet’s services include Yoni Steaming, Breast Care Therapy, Perinatal Support, Postpartum Care, Newborn Care/Safety Education, Breastfeeding Coaching, Nutritional Guidance, Emotional Support and more. Additionally, as an Herbal Artist, she creates custom herb blends for Signature Nourishment Tea, Yoni and Penile Steams, Hair Tea, and Herbal Bath under her organization — Black Fruit International LLC. JahSet is a proud partner of The TIM Center, upholding the vision of impacting people of color within the childbearing community while living the motto: “Healing Others While Healing Ourselves.”
Director of Support Services – De’Shaun Thornton (D.T) – is co-host of the One mic, one Voice show. De’Shaun grew up in Oklahoma City, Ok. Mr. Thornton obtain a Bachelors in Sociology and a Bachelors in Psychology from St. Gregory’s University, where the University recognized him with their “Champion of Character Award”. De’Shaun furthered his education at Langston University, receiving a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling, and now services his community as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the Oklahoma City area. De’Shaun has spent the extent of his career working with youth and their families developing programs that empower them to overcome the many challenges they face, as well think critically about the circumstances of our societies. De’Shaun has been privileged to give keynote addresses to many High schools and Universities in the Oklahoma area, and noted as one of its “Emerging Leaders”. De’Shaun has been able to make significant impact on the individuals that he has been blessed to encounter, and continues to uphold the values of moral character, leadership, and community.
Programs Coordinator – Shatia Owsley-Humphrey (Tee) – is a trained birth and postpartum doula and works with families to develop birth plans that express their ultimate birth experience. Shatia resides in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and son. Shatia recently completed her graduate program, with a Masters of Science: Health Promotion & Community Health Education. Her focus is particularly among women of color. Respected and enthusiastic professional with over 10 years of training and program management experience in health education, human service and IT. Highly skilled at relationship building with clients, organizations and teams; exceptional presenting and, interpersonal communication skills. Adept at assessing needs, generating options, and implementing solutions in collaboration with clients and stakeholders. Dedicated reproductive and maternal health education practitioner. Proven expertise in establishing rapport and building trust with clients from a variety of backgrounds to meet the needs of families and the community.
Community Outreach Director – Elizabeth Hawkins (Beth)- is the Founder and Executive Director of African American Art & Cultural Society (AAACS), a non-profit organization. AAACS is a non-profit organization dedicated to fusing the African and American Cultures. AAACS seeks to bridge the division of the two cultures by engaging children and parents in African and American fused fine arts such as: dance (African and American), drumming, costuming and others. Elizabeth is also the CEO/President of Michigan Consortium of Businesses (MICoB). This is a for-profit organization that has existed for more than 60 years. MICoB’s mission is to secure stable and appropriate housing for low-income families. MICoB achieves this mission by contributing to societal justice through community involvement. She is also a breast cancer conqueror. After conquering breast cancer, she embarked on another arduous journey and joined the millions of supporters and advocates in the battle against breast cancer. When Elizabeth is not advocating for social change and evolution, she is seeking new ways to encourage others to become prominent social advocates in their own communities.
Director of Environmental Impact – Obalaye Macharia – was born in projects of Cincinnati Ohio. At a very young age, Obalaye began to observe nature and his quest towards environmental activism. After graduating high school illiterate, he learned to read as an adult while living in Seattle, where his environmental education began. Today, he is an independent movie producer, a writer, spoken word artist, promoter, community organizer, political activist, and most recently, a farmer. He has had a myriad of jobs, ranging from construction, working with youth, political consulting, to being a server at a restaurant. Those experiences left him with a variety of skills and a love for working with others. Obalaye is excited about his new career as an Ag-professional and food producer. It is his belief that he was born for the purpose of evolving his family and his community through environmental impact. Creating a new cultural consciousness, by building a new age community network. This is at the top of his list of priorities, as he hopes his work contributes to the Primal Continuum of Human Development. He now resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with his wife and 7 children. Together as a Partner of The InTune Mother Project he plans on instituting an Ag-Enterprise in the urban/rural community of Oklahoma City (Forest Park) area, by instituting an Urban Ag movement to teach low-income families how to grow their own food in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.
Community-Based Workforce Innovation Program 