2022 Movement Maker Volunteer Service Award

The winner of the 2022 Movement Maker Volunteer Leadership Award is Skye Wheeler.

Skye works tirelessly in her position as Co-Chair of the Mom and Baby Action Network’s (M-BAN) Environmental Justice Working Group, which she’s helped grow into a powerful group to move policy, systems and solutions forward.

She mobilizes volunteers to take action on behalf of moms and babies by raising awareness, providing support and always offering context to make the work meaningful. Skye is a powerful voice and networker and often relied upon by elected officials as a key expert, including in drafting of the Momnibus legislation package.

Skye is a Senior Researcher in the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch. Her leadership with M-BAN, relationship building, volunteer engagement and collaboration are truly inspiring, and she has made March of Dimes an active player in the environmental justice movement.

Skye Wheeler is Co-Chair of the Mom and Baby Action Network’s (M-BAN) Environmental Justice Working Group. M-BAN is a national action-oriented coalition of cross-sector partners leading broad changes in policy, research, funding and systems to address inequities in maternal and infant health.

Skye has helped grow a handful of interested stakeholders into a powerful group of individuals, organizations and academics to move solutions forward. She mobilizes volunteers to take action on behalf of moms and babies by raising awareness of the issues, providing support and always offering context to make the work meaningful.

As Co-Chair of the M-BAN Environmental Justice Working Group, Skye brings together nonprofits, professional organizations and businesses to exchange knowledge and inspire action. In April 2021, she wrote and led a sign-on letter to President Biden around the topic of “Climate Crisis and Maternal Health.” Her collaborative spirit is showcased in how quickly she was able to get signatures from dozens of large organizations.

Skye is a Senior Researcher in the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch and has written nearly a dozen statements on the ways the climate crisis shapes maternal and infant health outcomes. She’s a powerful and effective networker with years spent developing D.C. relationships. Representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois relied upon her for guidance on a drafted bill that was part of the larger Momnibus package. Now Skye has connected M-BAN to efforts related to a Plastics Treaty to help guide global policy with national implications around environmental health that directly affect maternal and infant health. It is Skye’s incredible networking and strategic partnership skills that bring high level stakeholders together, and keep March of Dimes at the forefront of this important work.

Congratulations, Skye Wheeler—winner of the 2022 Movement Maker Volunteer Leadership Award!