Breaking Down the Silos
Join us Thursday, November 5, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 am
Event Overview
Creating workplaces where new and expectant parents feel supported, safe, and valued requires collaboration across sectors. Breaking Down the Silos: Maternal Mental Health in the Workplace brings together leaders in business, law, healthcare, and community advocacy to explore how organizations can better respond to the mental health needs of mothers and birthing people.
This morning event features a dynamic expert panel including legal, business, and mental health professionals who will unpack the policies, cultural norms, and systemic barriers that shape the workplace experience for pregnant and postpartum employees. Panelists will share actionable strategies for employers, HR teams, and community partners seeking to build environments that promote psychological safety, flexibility, and equitable support.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage with poster presentations highlighting new insights and emerging research across intersectional areas impacting maternal mental health in professional settings—ranging from racial disparities and trauma‑informed care to workplace accommodations, leadership practices, and the lived experiences of working mothers.
The event concludes with dedicated networking time, offering space for professionals across industries to connect, share ideas, and build collaborative relationships aimed at strengthening workplace wellbeing for new parents.
All participants will walk away with actionable information and strategies.
Together, we can break down silos, elevate maternal mental health, and create workplaces where every parent can thrive.
Register to Attend
Join us for Breaking Down the Silos, a morning of learning, connection, and collaboration focused on creating workplaces where new and expectant parents feel supported, safe, and valued. Registration includes access to an expert panel featuring leaders in business, law, healthcare, and mental health, poster presentations showcasing emerging research and perspectives, and dedicated networking opportunities. Choose the registration option that best fits your needs, including individual participant tickets, discounted tickets for MMHI partners, organizational information tables, and event sponsorship opportunities. All participants will leave with actionable information and strategies to help strengthen maternal mental health and workplace wellbeing.
Register now!Meet Our Speakers
Claire Whetter, PhD, NCC
Assistant Professor Mt. Mary University
Claire Whetter, PhD, LPC, NCC is an assistant professor in the Professional Counseling program at Mount Mary University. She received her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Mount Mary University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Wisconsin. She is trained as a mental health counselor and her clinical focus areas include perinatal mental health, mood disorders, and interpersonal trauma. Her current research focuses on perinatal mental health, life satisfaction, social support, and sense of belonging in higher education settings.
Katie Arnold, OT, CLT
Assistant Professor St. Catherine University
Katie is a registered Occupational Therapist and full-time associate professor for St. Catherine's University - OTA Online program. Katie has a Post-Professional Doctorate Degree from Mount Mary University and an OT Master of Science Degree from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. Her OT clinical work experience includes acute care, subacute care, SNF care, outpatient orthopedic therapy services, and industrial rehabilitation. Katie also has experience in healthcare management and leadership and is passionate about mentoring OTA students to lead and influence. Her scholarly work is two-fold, as she focuses her scholarship and research endeavours around (1) leadership promotion and (2) advancing care for the perinatal loss population.
Kat K. Richards
CX & Product Strategy Professional, Founder, Badass Mamas
I’m Kat, a strategist, connector, and unapologetic truth-teller who thrives at navigating life’s intersections: career ambition, motherhood, identity, and personal growth.
I’ve built a career solving complex problems head-on, but becoming a mother challenged me in ways no plan could prepare me for. I believe in creating spaces where women can be fully themselves, ambitious and vulnerable, messy and brilliant, without having to hide parts of who they are.
Meredith Baciak
Wellness Coordinator & QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Facilitator, Miron Construction
A dynamic leader with solid Corporate Wellness management and education experience, Meredith has a passion for motivating individuals within companies to be the best they can be. By applying her exercise and sports management background, her love of workplace culture and her passion for positivity and people, she is highly motivated to lead others and help them become the best possible version of themselves in a real and relatable way. With a contagious personality that can build relationships and work with people of all levels, she helps all employees become engaged with their individual, overall well-being in order to help them thrive in the workplace and beyond.
Chris Donahoe
Employment Attorney, Hawks Quindel
Christine Donahoe is a Shareholder at Hawks Quindel where she represents workers facing violations of their constitutional rights, discrimination, and sexual harassment, and employees who just need an advocate to help them leave a bad job on their own terms. She specializes in discrimination against women, trans and non-binary people, pregnant people, nursing parents, and people suffering from pregnancy and childbirth related medical and mental health conditions. Chris has spent her career fighting for the underdog to disrupt unjust systems that entrench poverty and discrimination. She has two young kids, a supportive partner, and a cat who is less supportive.