Shalese Clay

Program Manager
Cradle Kansas City
Every Baby to 1

Shalese grew up in Kansas City Missouri, graduating high school from Hickman Mills. She is continuing her education, working on her bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in nonprofit management. Shalese is constantly advocating for Maternal and Infant Health issues, and her sole focus for the past six years has been on advancing the health of women of color. As a Project Manager for Cradle KC and Every Baby to 1, Shalese works alongside Mariah Chrans engaging families, making space for families to share experiences with decision-makers, and working with health leads to educate parents on the importance of reproductive health and safe sleep. She is also the Project Manager for the Community Action Board (CAB). Formerly, as a single mother, she experienced health disparities and quickly realized that she had to make change not just for herself but for her community. She hopes to continue to eliminate health disparities for Black families and continue educating Black and Brown families on maternal health issues, helping babies make it past 1 to have a whole lifetime of good health and happiness. Along with these, she would like to continue to support the efforts in the state to educate people on COVID-19 and vaccinations. Shalese has worked her way up in her career, helping combat maternal health issues in her community and becoming a voice to end health disparities. She is currently married with four children.