As a Flint, Michigan native, in response to the water crisis, Afton Shavers transitioned her nonprofit management career into Public Health to be a part of the recovery efforts of her community. Since that time, she has exclusively worked on projects that seek to establish resiliency in communities after stress and trauma, mitigate the Social Determinates of Health (SDoH), reduce health disparities, and cultivate equity.

Afton’s education credentials include a Master of Public Administration degree from the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/Law and Public Policy from Purdue University. Rounding out her education, Afton is a June 2023 graduate of the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University where she completed her Master of Public Health degree with a major in Urban Health and a minor in Maternal and Child Health.

Aside from her education, Afton has over a decade of nonprofit, leadership, and project management experience building and establishing Public Health interventions. Prior to joining Birth Detroit, Afton served as the Grants Manager for the Office of Equity and Minority Health (OEMH) inside the Race Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) Office at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Afton prides herself on being a dedicated community servant and maintains a public service commitment to addressing health disparities and improving community health outcomes. 

Afton’s combination of personal and work experience has afforded her the opportunity to be involved in investigating health trends and building infrastructure while cultivating partnerships for collaboration alongside trusted change leaders, influencers, and allies at the forefront of the continued efforts to center equity, elevate community voice, and mitigate the impact of SDoH on racial and ethnic minorities and rural communities.