Board Member

Naomi Beckley

Naomi Beckley is a law student at Cornell Law School and Board Member of Safe Mothers Initiative (SMI). Ms. Beckley’s interest in maternal health and social justice is rooted in her academic and advocacy experiences at Yale University, where she focused her studies on Global Affairs and Education courses. As an active member of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, she supported research concerning the rights of incarcerated mothers and helped coordinate a campaign to provide menstrual products to thousands of incarcerated women. Her undergraduate work exposed her to the ways that policy, institutions, and unequal access to resources shape outcomes for underserved communities. These experiences strengthened her interest in reproductive health, equity, and the role of policy and advocacy in addressing gaps in care. Ms. Beckley seeks to use her multidisciplinary perspective on how institutions, legal frameworks, and access to resources can influence the wellbeing of individuals and communities to support SMI in addressing maternal mental health in Sierra Leone. She is particularly interested in using her legal and policy training to support SMI’s long-term advocacy and research while drawing on her experience in community-informed initiatives to help strengthen relationships between women, healthcare providers, and community organizations. Her goal is to help SMI develop sustainable approaches to reducing stigma and improving access to postpartum mental health resources. Ms. Beckley is currently pursuing her J.D. at Cornell Law School. She previously earned her Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in Global Affairs, with a Certificate in Education Studies. She is, and has been involved in, numerous education and social justice initiatives aimed at improving the local communities she has inhabited.