QI-TRACS PROJECT ASSISTANT

Dera Williams, LCE

As a young, single mother who faced challenges breastfeeding her first daughter, Dera has grounded her career in the belief that everyone – no matter their education or circumstances – deserves support to successfully reach their goals. 

After a decade as a WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, Dera now channels her passion and expertise as Coffective’s QI-TRACS Project Assistant. She provides administrative support for the QI-TRACS initiative and helps coordinate the warm referral network, a formalized hospital discharge process co-created with community-based organizations that wraps families in a circle of support throughout their birth and breastfeeding journeys.

Dera especially enjoys site visits and witnessing the convergence of Hospital-Community Task Force participants around the shared goal of reducing racial disparities in maternal and child health outcomes. Their collaborative spirit and shared commitment to empowering families fuel her enthusiasm for the work she does at Coffective.

Outside of Coffective, Dera is a Lactation Counselor and Educator (LCE) and full spectrum doula. She embraces the opportunity to help families achieve their unique goals, offering tailored support and personalized connections to relevant public health and community-based resources. Dera also leads the Black Mothers Breastfeeding Social, a WIC-based support group that provides encouragement and social connection for families interested in breastfeeding.

Dera is deeply rooted in her community and family. She and her partner nurture a loving, blended home in southeast Michigan with their four children and dog, Bruno. Dera especially enjoys playing board games, gardening, and attending local church events.