Dr. Kimarie Bugg Helps Black Mothers Reach Their Breastfeeding Goals

Let me tell you about Dr. Kimarie Bugg.

There’s a nurse who was told, in effect, that this work wasn’t for her — and then went out and became one of the first African American lactation consultants in the country, and helped build a national organization so that no Black mother would have to breastfeed without support. Her name is Dr. Kimarie Bugg, and she’s a co-founder of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere.

The Work

Dr. Bugg is the Co-Founder and Development Director of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), a nonprofit she helped launch in 2011 to take on breastfeeding disparities in the African American community. ROSE trains peer counselors and community “transformers,” partners with hospitals and health systems, and pushes the simple truth that breastfeeding support is a health-equity issue, not a lifestyle choice.

She is widely credited as the first African American International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) — a credential that opened a door very few Black women had walked through before her.

Her nursing career ran through Emory University School of Medicine, private-practice pediatrics, the state of Georgia as a perinatal nurse consultant, hospital administration, and the bedside as a breastfeeding consultant. She’s trained WIC staff and peer counselors across the country, and she’s a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

The Roots

Dr. Bugg’s career has been centered in Georgia, where she built her clinical and advocacy work across hospitals, state programs, and community organizations. She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice and built her reputation one family at a time — at the bedside, in the clinic, and in the policy rooms where the disparities get made and unmade.

In 2025, ROSE announced a leadership transition: after years leading the organization as Executive Director, Dr. Bugg moved into the Development Director role, with Andrea Serano stepping in as Executive Director. The mission didn’t change — the baton did.

Why You Should Know Her

Here’s why Dr. Kimarie Bugg matters: for decades, Black mothers have been given the lowest breastfeeding rates in the country — not because they didn’t want to, but because the support system wasn’t built for them. Dr. Bugg spent a career building it anyway.

She didn’t just open the door for herself. She held it open for the thousands who came after.

Quick facts:

• Co-Founder & Development Director, Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE)
• Widely credited as the first African American IBCLC
• DNP, FAAN, IBCLC — nurse, educator, lactation leader
• Former board member, United States Breastfeeding Committee
• ROSE founded 2011 · headquartered in Lithonia/Atlanta, Georgia

Photo courtesy of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) / breastfeedingrose.org