Dakota Staren is a policy associate at NASHP on the Child and Family Health team. In her role, she supports state policy work related to strengthening perinatal systems of care, improving maternal health outcomes, addressing maternal health disparities, and increasing access to contraceptive care. Prior to joining NASHP, Dakota led the perinatal mental health policy strategy at Children's National Hospital, where she worked to improve access to mental health services for pregnant and postpartum individuals in the District of Columbia. Dakota has also held roles at Altarum and George Washington University, where she led research focused on access to maternal and contraceptive care. Dakota holds a BS in public health from the University of Arizona and a MPH from the George Washington University, Milken School of Public Health.