HOPE MA Coalition

Building a Statewide System of Support

The HOPE MA Coalition aims to create lasting systemic change for FGM/C prevention, healing, and community empowerment in Massachusetts. Following the signing of Bill H4606, “An Act Relative to the Penalties for the Crime of Female Genital Mutilation,” into law by Governor Charlie Baker on August 6, 2020, and the subsequent grants from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, we are building a coordinated statewide system through cross-sector collaboration.

This system establishes survivor-led, culturally sensitive support networks embedded within existing community structures to address female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).

Meet Our Team

Prevention and Healing

Trauma-informed care and systemic change

Our comprehensive approach seeks to improve health outcomes for survivors through accessible, trauma-informed care while preventing future cases by shifting societal norms toward bodily autonomy and gender equity. This vision will unite healthcare, social services, law enforcement, and community organizations in a cohesive response framework that addresses both immediate needs and long-term systemic change throughout Massachusetts.

Our Team

Olivia Harris

Sahiyo
MA Community Training & Technical Assistance Coordinator

I am a learning and development specialist with expertise in training strategy, program management, and instructional design – serving the non-profit and higher education sectors. I bring experience in community-based education, trauma-informed care, and culturally responsive pedagogy across domestic violence, youth work, and community engagement. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Human Services & Political Science and Master’s in Learning Experience Design & Technology from Northeastern University. In my role as Sahiyo’s Massachusetts Community Training & Technical Assistance Coordinator, I apply my systems thinking and adult learning knowledge to support learning interventions and project coordination. I maintain strong ties to community organizations throughout Massachusetts and am energized by opportunities to design learning experiences that transform how people grow, contribute, and advance social justice in their communities. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, trying out new restaurants and recipes, and staying active.

Mariya Taher

Sahiyo
Executive Director & Cofounder

I’m a social activist with 15 years of experience working to end gender-based violence through teaching, research, policy, program creation, and direct service. I started my career at domestic violence organizations like Asian Women’s Shelter and W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Jane Doe Inc., and Saheli. In 2015, I cofounded Sahiyo, a leading global organization dedicated to empowering Asian and other communities to end female genital cutting (FGC). I’ve been instrumental in bringing attention to FGM/C in the U.S., serving on the steering committee for the U.S. End FGM/C Network, successfully advocating for FGC-related policies in several states, including Massachusetts, and acting as an expert consultant for the 2021 Department of Justice – Office of Victims of Crime’s “Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting” technical assistance project. Leading and guiding the MA HOPE project is super important to me because I’m a survivor of FGM/C, and I understand how underrecognized and underresourced FGM/C support services are in the U.S. My leadership in the nonprofit world was recognized in 2023 when I received a Women of Worth award from L’Oreal Paris USA, honoring me as one of the top ten female nonprofit leaders. I also love to write and have had articles and stories published in NPR’s Code Switch, HuffPost, Ms. Magazine, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The San Francisco Examiner, and more. I have an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University, a Master of Social Work from San Francisco State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. You can follow me on LinkedIn.

Caitlin LeMay

The U.S. End FGM/C Network
Executive Director

I am a social worker and systems change advocate with over 15 years of experience in the gender-based violence movement. With a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work and experience providing therapy to survivors of gender-based violence, I remain grounded in the importance of survivor-centered advocacy and programming, particularly through violence prevention. I particularly enjoy thinking creatively on ways to engage communities in prevention work and identifying out-of-the-box strategies to broaden the conversation on gender-based violence prevention. In 2023, I received the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation Advocacy Award for my advocacy on the issue of FGM/C. As a Licensed Certified Social Worker and resident of Massachusetts, and someone who has worked for gender-based violence organizations across the Commonwealth, I am excited to merge my knowledge of FGM/C, my clinical background, and systems change expertise to my home state. In my spare time, you will often find me on local trails, drinking tea, or playing board games with my child! To learn more, you can visit my LinkedIn profile here.

Kaitlin Mitchell

The U.S. End FGM/C Network
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator

I am a knowledgeable and passionate public health professional with a strong background in advocacy and health policy. My work focuses on advancing the rights of women and adolescent girls, with an emphasis on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence. With over eight years of experience, I have worked at the state, national, and global levels within UN agencies, non-profit organizations, research institutes, and healthcare settings. Previously, I served as a consultant at UNAIDS, where I co-created and launched #BeTeamWomen, a global advocacy initiative dedicated to gender and racial equality. This initiative mobilized women activists and advocates to foster connections, align agendas, and amplify actions across diverse sectors for greater accountability. Currently, I am a consultant for the WHO-UNFPA Learning by Sharing Portal (LSP), where I promote access to comprehensive SRHR as part of broader strategies and policies aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Given my background in health policy and my interest in health disparities, I am particularly enthusiastic about advocating for equitable policies that support the establishment of a comprehensive system of care for the prevention of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and support for survivors in Massachusetts. When I am not working, I enjoy exploring new coffee shops, adding books to my Amazon cart, traveling to new places, and chasing after my 4-year-old son.

Isatou Jeng

The U.S. End FGM/C Network
Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator

I hold a BSc in Political Science and am currently pursuing a Master’s in Social Justice and Human Rights. With over fifteen years of experience advocating against FGM/C and other forms of gender-based violence, I serve as the Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator at the U.S. End FGM/C Network and as a Fundraising Consultant with AmiKha Consulting, supporting social justice nonprofits and Global South NGOs. This project deeply resonates with me because it aligns with my lifelong commitment to advancing social justice and supporting community efforts to end FGM/C. As a survivor, I bring both lived experience and professional expertise, ensuring that advocacy efforts remain rooted in dignity, empathy, and community empowerment. Outside of my advocacy work, I find joy in storytelling and mentoring young women to become community changemakers. Learn more about my work on LinkedIn

Domenica Perrone

Collaborative in Health Equity at UMass Chan
Director of Community Engagement and Outreach

Domenica Perrone is a community engagement practitioner, youth worker, researcher, and public health advocate. She is the Director for Community Engagement and Outreach for UMass Chan Medical School’s Collaborative in Health Equity. Previously she was also the Director of Community Engagement and Volunteering at Clark University from 2022-2024. From December 2019 through March 2022, she worked as a Project Manager for the Commissioner of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the City of Worcester. Previous to her role in HHS, she worked as Program Evaluator and Program Coordinator at the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University. She has also worked as a Research Assistant for the Collaborative for Youth and Community Justice at Clark University. She holds a Masters in Community Development and Planning and an MBA from Clark University and Bachelors of Arts from Emerson College. Domenica serves on the board for Worcester Community Action Council, the Community Advisory Board for the Latino Education Institute, and has served on the Leadership Council and as Chair for the Diversity Committee of the Women’s Initiative of Central MA. Domenica was the 2024 Coalition for Healthy Greater Worcester’s Health Equity Award, the 2021 recipient for Central Mass Housing Alliance’s Judy Brown-Cahill award and has also been recognized by the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty, Pulse Magazine’s People to Watch, and Worcester Magazine’s Women to Watch. As a Latina and immigrant with lived experience, Domenica has a passion in advocating for health equity and social justice. She is committed to working with Worcester organizations, leaders, advocates, and youth toward these goals.

Crista Johnson-Agbakwu

Collaborative in Health Equity at UMass Chan
Executive Director

Dr. Crista Johnson-Agbakwu, an Obstetrician/Gynecologist, is the inaugural Executive Director of the Collaborative in Health Equity at the University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health. She is also a Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and a Professor in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, Population & Quantitative Health Sciences. Her efforts will seek to center health equity throughout all aspects of clinical care, research, education, and community engagement; leveraging institution-spanning, community-wide, and global assets which foster and sustain community embeddedness and trust while nurturing the recruitment, retention, and promotion of underrepresented minorities in medicine (URiM) across trainees, faculty, staff, and leadership. Her vision is for UMass Chan Medical School to become the premier academic institution nationally and globally in advancing health equity for vulnerable, underserved, and historically marginalized communities.

From 2008 – 2023, Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu was the Founding Director of the Refugee Women’s Health Clinic (RWHC) at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, AZ, and the Director of the Office of Refugee Health in the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center at Arizona State University. Her research focused on investigating strategies to advance sexual and reproductive health equity for women of color, including migrant women, with the aim of improving health care access and utilization, sexual and reproductive health education, counseling, community engagement, as well as enhance health care provider cultural competency.

The RWHC was the first of its kind in the state of Arizona and has been nationally recognized as an innovative best practice model of care wherein she has spearheaded a unique patient-centered medical home for migrant families. Exponential growth beyond women’s services, has led to the care of over 16,000 patients across Women’s Health, Pediatrics, Internal and Family Medicine, hailing from 68 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, South-East Asia, and the Middle East and speaking over 71 languages.

She has led a federally funded effort to improve health care services, community engagement and provider cultural competency on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), gender-based violence, and has provided consultative expertise to the CDC and WHO on refugee women’s health and FGM/C.

Dr. Johnson-Agbakwu has garnered numerous awards including most recently: the 2022 APGO Humanism in Teaching Award, the 2022 Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award presented by the Arnold P. Gold Foundation on behalf of the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Phoenix, the 2022 Lisa C Bruch Woman of the Year Award by the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Program in Human Sexuality Inaugural 50 Distinguished Sexual and Gender Health Revolutionaries Award, the 2021 ISSWSH Humanitarian Service Award, and the 2018 ACOG CREOG National Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Education.

Samantha Doxsey

Collaborative in Health Equity at UMass Chan
Program Coordinator

Sammie is a Program Coordinator for the Collaborative in Health Equity at UMass Chan Medical School, where she provides administrative support and website management. Sammie graduated from Clark University with a degree in Screen Studies and joined UMass Chan in the summer of 2023. Prior to her current role, she worked in RNA Therapeutics and Diversity and Inclusion, where she supported the RNA Therapeutics Symposia (RNATx2023 and RNATx2024) and contributed to website support, photography, and video production.

Sammie has a passion for visual arts and is committed to using visual arts as an agent for advancing health equity. She is particularly passionate about creating websites that are accessible and resourceful to the local community, ensuring that information and opportunities are inclusive and widely available.

Her professional and personal experiences are guided by a commitment to advocacy and care. As a Health Advocate, Caretaker, and Transracial Vietnamese Adoptee, Sammie brings a unique perspective to health equity work.