Candi Cornelius is from the Oneida and Menominee Nations of Wisconsin. She has lived on the Oneida reservation all her life with her three grown daughters.  Candi received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from UW Eau Claire and her Masters in Nursing from Bellin College.

Candi has been working for the Oneida Community Health Center as the Prenatal Care Coordinator for twelve years.  Her role is to support and educate Native American pregnant women along with ensuring they have access to all needed services during and after pregnancy to improve birth outcomes. Candi also offers childbirth education sessions to the Oneida community three times a year along with providing lactation support as a certified lactation counselor. Most recently, Candi completed the full spectrum doula training to enhance the care provided.

For the past few years Candi has the opportunity to increase awareness of the dire need to improve Native American Maternal Health through presentations and advocacy work. Candi is passionate about finding solutions or change in practice to protect the lives of the precious life givers/women.  

As a Biologist, Beverly seeks to apply her knowledge in efforts that bridge that gap between the biomedical community and the public. Having navigated a variety of clinical laboratory, academic research, outreach and allied health care positions, she is excited to share her expertise in supporting the next generation of STEM and clinical health care workers. Beverly has given over 15 keynote talks and is a sought-after speaker on a variety of topics ranging from effective DEI strategies to biology and health equity to STEM education.

Academically Beverly holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Marquette University, graduate training in Sustainability Leadership and Social Innovation from Edgewood College and is completing her Master of Science in Reproductive Endocrinology Physiology at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Through the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Wisconsin National Primate Center, Beverly is investigating Anti-Mullerian Hormone’s role in inhibiting meiotic progression in the follicles of human and non-human primates with polycystic ovary syndrome. She has been a guest lecturer for medical students as well as physician assistant students teaching biology and the epigenetics of race.

Professionally Beverly, was part of a small team-built UW Health’s first workforce development department where they designed and implemented programs to prepare and train people in a variety of health care careers. At the UW Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, she functions as a strategist who designs and implements projects and programs that diversify pathways to STEM and healthcare and works closely with senior leaders across the UW System.

Originally from Milwaukee, WI, a first generation college student, Beverly has overcome many seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This has motivated her to lift as she climbs. Beverly has been supporting undergraduates since 2005 starting as the advisor of the National Pan-Hellenic Council shifting to the role of advisor for the UW-Madison chapter of AHANA- MAPs Pre-Health Society which she has held since 2016. Her efforts have led to several URiM undergraduates successfully matriculating into medical and pharmacy school, STEM graduate programs and Master of Public Health.

 Beverly served on the executive board as the secretary of Operation Fresh Start from 2017 until Jan 2023, an organization that helps young people complete their high school diploma and secure employment. Her community engagement includes work with restorative justice efforts for young people, community health education, and served on the Dane County Food Council looking to create policy recommendations to reduce food waste and increase equity and access for underserved populations.

Beverly is part of the founding design team and current administrative director of UW Madison School of Medicine and Public Health’s primer k-15 outreach program, The Ladder, resulting in her 2018 Wisconsin Women in Government Rising Star Award.

She is the recipient of the Honored Instructor Award from UW Madison, Issac Coggs Award from the Beta Omicron Chapter Kappa Alpha Psi, the 2017 Outstanding Woman of Color Award for UW-Madison and the 2019 Whole Hearted Service Award from the Gamma Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. She is the 2022 recipient of the Wilbert C. Jordan Research Forum Poster Presentation Contest for Translational Sciences, Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) 2022 for her work: PCOS research model inform biological understanding of developmental origins contributing to maternal morbidities and the 2023 Excellence in Premedical Education Award from the Student National Medical Association.