ROBE Team

George Bugg, Jr., MD, MPH, is a retired neonatologist who formerly served as the chief of the neonatology service at Grady Memorial Hospital and the neonatal director of the Emory Regional Perinatal Center. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (BA), Meharry Medical College (MD), and Emory University (MPH). He is a charter member of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine and was trained in lactation management at Wellstart International.  He is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He and his wife, Kimarie Bugg, are the proud parents of five children and one grandchild.

Israel Route is an entrepreneur, educator, coach, lifetime learner and philanthropist. Most importantly a father. He seeks to serve his community and those of others by advocating for the overall health and wellness of families. With his passion to assist in enriching the lives of others, he was led to Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE) to be an advocate in maternal, child and family health. While serving with ROSE/ROBE, he has been trained as a Perinatal Patient Navigator, Holistic Doula, Community Health Worker, and ROBE Community Transformer, amongst other things, to further his knowledge and effectiveness serving families.

His journey with ROBE began alongside his father, and with the desire to find innovative ways to connect fathers seeking community, and connect them with other male support/ father serving organizations. He values the work of building partnerships that increase the effectiveness and positive impact of fatherhood and healthier maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Mr. Route takes pride in being able to educate, equip, and empower men seeking resources to better themselves, to take care of their family, and to advocate for their community. 

Jayronn Damons is a 26-year-old father, proud and grateful to be able to raise a 8 year-old daughter who inspires him every day. Born and raised in Atlanta, he’s the youngest and only boy of 5. For Jayronn, family means everything, and is the foundation that drives his purpose and passion. He’s also always had a deep love for music; it’s more than just sound—it’s a language, an outlet, and a way to connect.

These same community connections are what drives him to be a proud advocate for Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE), serving the youth and men in his community. He’s committed to being a positive influence, offering support, guidance, and real conversations that help people see their worth and reach their fullest potential. Whether through mentorship, music, or simply showing up, he believes in leading with love, listening with intent, and moving with purpose.

Caleb seeks to discover and implement quantitative methods in the areas of operations and human resource management, to improve efficiency and marketing strength. It is his desire to serve community-based nonprofits as a career, utilizing his training in Operations Research (OR), a highly specified area of the management sciences. He analyzes program design, implementation, and evaluation strategy. He is a 2017 graduate of Morehouse College with a B.S. in Mathematics, and a 2022 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a M.S. and PhD in OR. 

G. Wesley Bugg serves as ROSE/ROBE’s Legal Advisor, and is a 2016 graduate of the University of Miami’s School of Law (JD, LLM), and 2013 graduate of Emory University (BA). He is a former director of Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (2014-2019).

He is deputy director of Court Vision International Inc., a nonprofit that promotes youth advocacy and conflict resolution. His current interests include legal compliance and business development, especially for startups and small nonprofits where these tasks are often expensive and difficult. He also serves as a private defense attorney.

Kimarie Bugg, DNP, FAAN, IBCLC, is the co-founder and former President & Chief Institutional Officer (CIO) of Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere, Inc. (ROSE), a nonprofit corporation developed in 2011, to address breastfeeding inequities and disparities in the African American community.

Dr. Bugg previously worked for Emory University, School of Medicine, as a nurse practitioner (NP), and in private practice pediatrics as an NP. Additionally, she’s served as a perinatal nurse consultant for the state of Georgia, a national perinatal educator, a hospital nurse administrator, on a special care nursery staff, as a bedside breastfeeding consultant, and as a pediatric emergency clinic staff nurse. Mrs. Bugg is married to Dr. George W. Bugg Jr., a retired neonatologist, and they are the parents of five adult children and one grandchild.

Carl Route, CLC, served as the long time (2019-2026) Executive Director of Reaching Our Brothers Everywhere (ROBE), and was a Responsible Fatherhood & Family Life Coach, Community Transformer, Wisdom Council Member, and Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC). Employing skills learned from several decades of responsible fatherhood work, Bro. Route engaged men in numerous spaces to advocate for better maternal and infant outcomes where they live.