Meet the Board

President: Adebola “Bola” Olarewaju, PhD, MS, CPNP
Bola completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Southern California, master’s degree in nursing at UCSF, and recently graduated from UC Davis with a PhD in Nursing Science & Health Care Leadership. During her doctoral program she served as a teaching assistant to nurse practitioner and physician assistant students, was a class representative, was secretary of the Graduate Health Professions Council, and was a Global Education for All Fellow. Bola has been a pediatric nurse practitioner for 7 years and currently works as a nurse practitioner in the department of Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery at UC Davis Health specializing in critical airways, cleft and craniofacial anomalies. She hopes to advance nursing practice through scholarship and leadership at home and abroad.

President Elect: Haleigh Lunas, DNP, CPNP, IBCLC
Haleigh obtained her Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington and her Master's degree in Nursing from University of Colorado College of Nursing in Denver. She has experience working in primary care pediatrics and is a member of the NAPNAP Breastfeeding SIG.

Continuing Education Chair: Mary Gallagher, MSN, MPH, CPNP-PC

Mary is an assistant clinical professor at the UC Davis School of Nursing where she divides her time between providing patient care at the Sacramento Native American Health Center, leading classroom instruction, and mentoring for School of Nursing students. Previously, Mary worked in community health settings in the San Fernando Valley where she started a Reach Out and Read program to promote literacy and school readiness. She also served as a preceptor for CSU- Los Angles NP program. Mary earned her MSN from Yale University and both a Master of Public Health and Bachelor of Science in Human Development from UC Davis. She is currently enrolled in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at UCSF. Mary also works with both the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) and is currently the Chair of NAPNAP’s National Conference Planning Committee and Secretary of the Adolescent Health Care Special Interest Group. Additionally, she is a member of the American Public Health Association and the California Association for Nurse Practitioners.

Health Policy: Robyn Huey Lao, DNP, CPNP-AC, MSN, BSN
Robyn is originally from the Bay Area and has been an NP for 11 years. She received her Masters in Nursing from UCSF in the Pediatric Acute Care NP program and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in Healthcare Leadership from USF.  She was a Pediatric ICU (PICU) nurse at UCSF and started a PICU/transport NP program at UCSF as part of her doctoral project.  She has been practicing in pediatric surgery for 9 years. She helped launch the pediatric general surgery program at Shriners Northern California, and helped UCD become one of the first Level 1 Children’s Surgery Centers verified by the American College of Surgery.  She was a past president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)- San Francisco chapter, and is excited to help start a chapter in Sacramento.

Membership Chair: Melissa De La Mora, PNP-BC, MSN, CLE
Melissa grew up in Placerville, graduated from UC Berkeley, and then obtained her Masters in Nursing from Yale in 2010. In 2017, she became a Certified Lactation Educator. Her professional career has included both pediatric primary care and hospitalist positions. She was the first Nurse Practitioner to provide newborn care at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley. Through UCSF School of Nursing, she has precepted many pediatric nurse practitioner students, lectured, and taught a seminar course. After moving to Sacramento, she began working at Mercy San Juan Hospital where she primarily cares for newborns. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed working with new parents, collaborating with clinicians of all backgrounds, and mentoring and teaching future nurse practitioners.