Linn Benton Lincoln Breastfeeding Coalition

We are: an alliance of medical and community members that support breastfeeding 

Our Mission: The Breastfeeding Coalition of Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties is a regional collaborative that empowers and educates our community to support families in reaching their breastfeeding goals. Together we are working toward increasing access to lactation resources, improving knowledge of best practices, and enhancing a supportive work and social environment.

Our Vision: A culture that recognizes breastfeeding as the optimum for health and wellbeing.

Linn Benton Lincoln Breastfeeding Coalition Board Members

Leah Brunson BS, IBCLC

Leah Brunson is the Linn County WIC program Coordinator and is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She has been at WIC serving families since 1998. Leah is passionate about her work consulting with clients using motivational interviewing strategies to help parents set and meet their goals. In her down time, now that she has adult children, Leah enjoys yoga, gardening, hiking, and exploring Oregon with her husband and two German Shorthair dogs Molly and Mia.

Shelby Sayer-Cameron-WIC Peer Counselor

Shelby believes in the power of support and education in motivating and empowering families to make their own best feeding choices for their children. She strives to help mothers build a stronger foundation for child lifelong health by supporting breastfeeding past the first year. She supported families as a birth doula for several years and currently as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor for Linn County’s WIC program. Shelby is attending PSU’s Human Lactation Program to add to her bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education, and ultimately wants to obtain her IBCLC. Her hobbies include running, dancing, reading, coaching track, combing the coast, and keeping up with her toddler and son’s sports.

Betty Larson, RN, IBCLC

Betty has been a pediatric nurse since 1980, with a background in neonatal ICU and general office pediatrics. Betty has loved supporting young families and developed an interest in lactation later in her career. She became an IBCLC in 2010 and is serving families through Albany General Hospital Women’s Center and Mid-Valley Children’s clinic. Betty is passionate about encouraging new mothers in their feeding journey. “Its the best job ever!” In her free time she enjoys being outside biking, swimming, hanging out with her dogs and enjoying family and friends. She is also an avid knitter

Juana Lopez-Gonzales-WIC Bilingual Nutrition Educator

Juana is passionate about empowering mothers and families through their breastfeeding journey providing support and guidance. She has supported families as a breastfeeding peer counselor for three years and understands the challenges and triumphs of breastfeeding and celebrates every little milestone with the families. Her hobbies include going to the gym, walking outdoors, dancing, listening to music, and managing her children’s soccer games.

Lea Lipscomb IBCLC, CHW

Lea Lipscomb is a Lactation Consultant and Community Health Worker with two decades of experience working with prenatal and postpartum families, with a focus on marginalized populations. She works for Linn County WIC as the Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Coordinator for Linn/Lincoln/Klamath and soon Benton Counties. She worked as an IBCLC in Multnomah County for 15 years, at WIC and most recently with DOJ Parole/Probation, with justice-involved pregnant and postpartum parents. 

Lea loves to spend her free time volunteering to the causes nearest to her heart, and to build a more equitable home and world. As past President of Oregon Washington Lactation Association, she hosted both Nils Bergman and Kathleen Kendall-Tackett as educational speakers. As VP and Outreach Coordinator of Nursing Mothers Counsel, she developed bi-lingual and multicultural classes extending class offerings from 2 to 84, annually. She offered free education and lactation services at the Village Midwife, a birthing center in Portland that provided free holistic prenatal, birthing and postpartum care to uninsured and indigent families. She spent several months working at the border with asylum seeking families, teaching infant feeding in crisis situations and providing meals, shelter, transportation and other support when able. 

At the moment, Lea is straddling two homes. She spends the weekends in Portland with her husband and teen son, while he finishes High School. She lives and works in Albany during the week with her college age child who is attending OSU. They have two dogs and 6 chickens