When Nikkie Kent isn’t taking care of her two children, both under the age of five, she is an innovator in the airport customer service experience industry trying to create an easier world for on-the-go-mothers who sometimes don’t have a private, clean, comfortable and dedicated place to pump milk or breastfeed their baby.
Kent is the executive vice president for Mamava where she is a voice and a leader for mothers on-the-go. Kent’s personal experience of being a traveling, working mom helped contribute to the Mamava mobile app that helps mothers find a dedicated lactation space. The app not only finds the Mamava pod but helps to unlock it and the smart platform designed for a personalized experience, supportive content and a way to provide feedback.
Kent and her team have a mission to transform the culture around breastfeeding, making it more accessible for every mother regardless of her circumstances.
“Traveling with a baby or just after having a baby is difficult and every on-the-go mother should have a choice, or option, of a private place to go to breastfeed or to pump breast milk,” Kent said. “A place that is clean, comfortable and accessible. It is not OK to sit on the floor of bathroom to make food for your baby.”
Kent and her team give airports an easy, flexible solution to provide dedicated space for breastfeeding moms. Mamava’s free-standing lactation suite was the first of its kind, meeting a need for both airports and passengers. Through her leadership, she has supported the efforts of Mamava’s entry into 53 airports, airline partnerships and mass transit environments. This work is not only impacting traveling passengers but for employees as well.
Kent was an advocate to the legislative endorsement for the Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (FAM Act), which Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced and got passed to ensure better accommodations in large and medium size airports.
“I want to change the paradigm for the next generation of moms so that they do not have to have the same experience that I had. Having a baby is hard enough, their breastfeeding journey should be supported and celebrated,” Kent said.
