Staff

Megan Higdon, MPH, Co-Director

Megan Higdon (she/her) co-directs the National Coalition for Sexual Health and oversees sexual and reproductive health work within the organization. With over 14 years of experience in her field, Megan’s work has largely focused on directing program evaluations examining the accessibility and quality of sexual and reproductive care. She is also experienced in directing strategic initiatives and quality improvement for family planning and sexual health organizations. Megan holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Susan Gilbert, MPA, Co-Director

Susan Gilbert, a consultant to Altarum, also serves as co-director of NCSH. Susan leads NCSH’s Communications Action Group, pioneered a new sexual health definition and the “Five Action Steps to Good Sexual Health,” and directs media outreach. Susan creates health communication campaigns and coalitions in the U.S. and internationally to promote sexual health, HIV prevention, and family planning. Previously, Susan served as a health communications consultant to Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, Population Services International, WomenHeart, and other NGOs. Prior to living and working in Africa for eight years, she was Senior Vice President at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide. Susan holds a Master of Public Administration, with an emphasis in Public Health, from UMass/Amherst and a BA from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Krissy Leahy, MPH, Project Manager

Krissy Leahy, MPH (she/her) is the Sexual and Reproductive Health Project Manager for NCSH and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Coalition. She has over 10 years of experience in the field of reproductive health and justice. Her leadership and goals in coalitions and community-based projects have always been focused on eliminating health inequities impacting Black women, girls and gender expansive people. Krissy is committed to improving equitable access to non-judgmental, inclusive care and health services for everyone.

Julia Fantacone, MPP, PMP, Policy Action Group Facilitator

For over 13 years, Julia has leveraged her educational background in public administration, social policy, public health, and project management to lead interdisciplinary teams supporting research, technical assistance, and capacity building projects for a broad array of federal and state agencies and community-based organizations. Julia is charged with leading NCSH’s Policy Action Group to develop and promote inclusive, empowering, and effective evidence, tools, and resources to advance sexual health policy in the United States. Julia holds a master’s degree in public policy from American University and a graduate certificate in public health from the George Washington University. She is a project management professional certified by the Project Management Institute.

Nathalie Canadas, Senior Health Communications Specialist

Nathalie Canadas serves as the Senior Health Communications Specialist at NCSH, with over a decade of expertise in strategic communications, project management, and content development. With a strong commitment to addressing health disparities and promoting health equity, Nathalie is passionate about shaping impactful communications strategies and designing awareness campaigns. She is dedicated to tackling minority health issues, utilizing her skills to develop engaging tools and resources. A proud alumna of the University of Maryland, College Park, Nathalie combines academic knowledge with practical experience to drive positive change in the field of health communications.

Lauren Mitchell, MPH, Communications Analyst

Lauren is the Communications Analyst for NCSH. She has over 5 years of public health experience in creating audience-specific health communications and education for providers, researchers, and the public. She is passionate about creating effective, engaging public health messaging. At NCSH, she creates lighthearted, educational social media graphics. She also assists with the Communications Action Group and any other communications needs the coalition has. She received her Masters of Public Health from Vanderbilt University, with a concentration in public health communications and informatics.  

Laura O'Bar, Communications Analyst

Laura is a Communications Analyst at NCSH. She has over 13 years of communications experience with background in health literacy, community building, customer/member relations, and chronic disease management. In her role at NCSH, she uses her unique background to help grow organizational impact through website management, social media, writing, editing, graphics creation, and contributing to the Sexual Health Policy Pulse. She is passionate about encouraging more communication around sex both on a national level and in our daily lives.