Rebecca Mannel is an IBCLC, director of the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Resource Center and a clinical professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Campus. She leads several statewide projects, including the Oklahoma Breastfeeding Hotline, professional trainings, Becoming Baby-Friendly in Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank. Ms. Mannel developed and managed the hospital-wide lactation service for 15 years at OU Medical Center. Her 2006 JHL article on Staffing for Hospital Lactation Programs: Recommendations from a Tertiary Teaching Hospital, led to the development of national staffing guidelines for hospital lactation programs. She also founded the Oklahoma Mothers’ Milk Bank and serves as its Executive Director.

Ms. Mannel has served as president of ILCA and HMBANA and chair of IBLCE. Most recently, Ms. Mannel was awarded $550,000/year in new grants to support rural birthing hospitals to implement the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and donor milk programs, expansion of the Hotline to include free access to lactation telehealth and development of an innovative breastfeeding app to streamline access to resources.