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Lauren Abrams has been a midwife in New York City for 28 years. As Director of Midwifery at Mount Sinai Hospital from 2013-2019, she implemented CenteringPregnancy and expanded the practice to include attending VBACs. She has precepted students throughout her career and twice received the ACNM Outstanding Preceptor Award. As a volunteer with Saving Mothers, she provided workshops to midwives in rural Guatemala and medical students in Kenya. On the national level, she served on the board of the Midwifery Business Network and on the ACNM Awards Committee. With NYC Midwives, she served as secretary and on the nominating, scholarship, and membership committees. Back in full-time clinical practice, she works with high-risk patients as part of an innovative collaborative practice model.

• As Director of Midwifery at Mount Sinai Hospital, implemented CenteringPregnancy and expanded the practice to include attending VBACs
• Two-time recipient of the ACNM Outstanding Preceptor Award
• Domestic and international volunteer work: Midwifery Business Network board member; ACNM Awards Committee member; NYC Midwives secretary, nominating committee chair, member of scholarship and membership committees; midwifery educator in Guatemala

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Molly Altman (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing. She has been a nurse-midwife since 2005 and has practiced across the United States and abroad in multiple contexts. In addition to teaching in the nurse-midwifery DNP program, she holds a program of research focused on respectful care during pregnancy and birth for marginalized communities, specifically in partnership with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. She has contributed to and supported anti-racism and anti-oppression work within the UW School of Nursing, ACNM, and the midwifery and birthworker communities.

• Incoming program director of the University of Washington’s nurse-midwifery DNP track
• Leads research around respectful care in pregnancy and birth with marginalized communities
• Supports multiple anti-racism efforts within the UW School of Nursing, ACNM, and the midwifery and birthworker communities

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Elizabeth Arnold-Leahy has been in clinical practice in New York City for 35 years. As Director of the St. Vincent’s Hospital Midwifery Service for over 20 years, Betsy designed an institutional practice where community-based, hospital-based, and private practice midwives functioned in a collegial setting. She has been a chapter chair on multiple local and state committees, lectured in Japan, and is currently employed in a midwife-operated private practice in Brooklyn, NY. One of the first midwives in the US to earn a doctorate in midwifery, her project focused on her passion for occiput posterior labor and its effects on practitioners and birthing people.

• 35 years as a hands-on midwife and service director in a situation that supported community- and hospital-based midwives in a collegial setting while being an active member of her profession.
• One of the first midwives to have a doctorate in midwifery (her chosen profession) in the USA. Continues to work for the profession of midwifery.
• Persistent Occiput Posterior Specialist. Call anytime for help. 917–604–7717.

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Susanrachel Condon is in private practice in the Hudson Valley, providing primary care and home-based perinatal services. On the board of her state affiliate, Dr. Condon served as Regional Representative and Program Committee Chair. She was also a member of the Home Birth Integration Initiative of New York. Currently, she serves on the national ACNM Home Birth & Birth Center Committee. Dr. Condon has been a preceptor for midwifery and nursing programs. She was in the first cohort for the Doctorate in Midwifery from Jefferson University, researching obstetric violence, respectful care, and promoting midwives as role models for collaborative decision making.

• Promotes midwifery excellence, autonomy, and collaboration across disciplines through leadership in professional organizations
• Actively engages in innovative research and academia
• Passionate about high quality midwifery education, as demonstrated by service as a clinical preceptor

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During her 29-year midwifery career, Kim Baraona started and directed the first midwifery service at Georgia Kaiser Permanente and has provided full-scope midwifery care in a variety of clinical settings. As the ACNM Georgia Affiliate’s political chairperson, she was intricately involved in the 12-year campaign for APRN prescriptive authority. Currently, she is an assistant professor at Frontier Nursing University, where she led the adaptation of team-based learning from a face-to-face classroom oriented active teaching strategy to an innovative online delivery and assisted in the development of the university’s Shared Governance model. Students have honored her twice with ACNM’s Excellence in Teaching Award.

• Started and directed Georgia Kaiser Permanente’s first midwifery practice
• ACNM Georgia Affiliate’s political chairperson providing critical assistance in passing APRN prescriptive authority
• Innovative Frontier Nursing University faculty awarded ACNM’s Teaching Excellence Award twice

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Donna Barisich began her long nursing career in 1974 after graduating from William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ with a BSN. With a passion for obstetrics and women’s health, she worked in labor and delivery, postpartum, outpatient OB/GYN, and childbirth education over the next 20 years. In 1997, she graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master of Science and a midwifery certificate. She practiced full-scope midwifery over the next 20 years before retiring from clinical practice in December 2017. Donna is currently a Clinical Faculty at Frontier Nursing University. She serves as Vice President in the Arizona ACNM Affiliate and is a member of the national Affiliate Development and Support Committee and the Continuing Education Committee for ACNM.

• Practiced full scope midwifery for 20 years
• Mentored and precepted students and new midwives for most of her career
• Serves as VP in the AZ ACNM Affiliate and member of the national Affiliate Development and Support and Continuing Education Committees

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Julie Blumenfeld first worked in health care as a Peace Corps volunteer. A midwife since 1998, she is dedicated to clinical practice in Trenton, NJ as well as to serving the community and the profession. She has started numerous programs to support Latinx pregnant people, including a Spanish-language community doula program. She serves on the NJ Midwifery Liaison Committee and Maternal Mortality Review Committee. She is an adjunct instructor in midwifery at Rutgers University. Julie is active in ACNM, serving as the President of their NJ Affiliate, Secretary of the State Government Affairs Committee (SGAC), and Chair of the SGAC Preceptor Sub-Committee.

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Carolyn Bottone-Post has advanced women’s health concerns since certification in 1987. She is an assistant professor at the School of Nursing, University of Northern Colorado, teaching, precepting, and developing women’s health simulations for family nurse practitioner students. She was a founding member of her ACNM chapter, secretary for five years, and co-chair for two. Formerly a member of AWHONN’s VTE scientific advisory panel she now serves as an Affiliate Board member-at-large. Her work with Project C.U.R.E.’s medical advisory committee aims to improve women’s sexual and reproductive health in resource limited countries. No longer taking call, she enjoys a part-time gyn-only clinic.

• International work to promote women’s sexual and reproductive health
• Servant leadership activities in the profession to empower clients, colleagues, and students to develop personal and professional resilience and promote excellence in their lives
• Activities to advance women’s and children’s health initiatives through membership in teams promoting maternal/child safety and health promotion locally and internationally

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Suzanne Carrington has been a nurse-midwife for over thirty years, practicing midwifery in multiple settings. She is Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing at the University of Colorado. For her efforts educating future nurse-midwives, she received an Outstanding Preceptor Award at the ACNM Annual Meeting in 2015, and an Excellence in Teaching Award at the ACNM Annual Meeting in 2019. Another passion of Suzanne’s is international women’s health. She has travelled to Guatemala to teach indigenous Mayan traditional birth attendants in the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage and developed an international course in Nepal for nurse-midwifery students.

• Over thirty years of practicing nurse-midwifery, from inner city health centers to academic medical centers
• International work on women’s health, including serving on ACNM’s Global Health Committee’s Division of Education, teaching indigenous Mayan birth attendants in Guatemala, and developing a student midwifery experience in Nepal
• Passion for midwifery education, being awarded ACNM’s Outstanding Preceptor Award and Excellence in Teaching Award

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Newly certified to practice in 1987, Linda Church became the first Director of Nurse-Midwifery Services at a free-standing birthing center. Her passion to create better women’s health care services, and to educate other professionals to do likewise, continued throughout 28 years of clinical practice as a midwifery clinical preceptor for nursing, midwifery, and medical students. She served as founding president of the California Nurse-Midwives Association (CNMA) and as Region VI Representative to the ACNM Board of Directors. She has presented numerous times at women’s health conferences and received the ACNM 1993 Region VU Award for Excellence for her legislative efforts.

• Region VI Representative to the ACNM Board of Directors, 1996-1999
• Founding President of the CNMA, 1993-1995
• First Director of Midwifery Services at the Family Birth Center in Upland California, 1987-1991

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Emma Clark is a Senior Maternal Health Advisor at the United States Agency for International Development. She is faculty in Georgetown University’s midwifery program and maintains full-scope practice at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). She previously worked in humanitarian response in countries including Iraq, Haiti, Somalia, and South Sudan. She was a Fulbright Fellow and a Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Fellow. She is chair of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition’s Maternal Health Supplies Caucus and ACNM’s Division of Global Engagement Networking Committee. She is currently pursuing a PhD at Vanderbilt University, studying how to improve the quality of care provided by midwives globally.

• Senior Maternal Health Adviser at United States Agency for International Development
• Chair of the Maternal Health Supplies Caucus in the global Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition and ACNM's Networking Committee in the Division of Global Engagement
• Advocate for creation of the District of Columbia's Maternal Mortality Review Committee

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Lee Clay has been practicing midwifery for over 38 years. She was on the faculty of the nurse-midwifery educational program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (now Rutgers) and worked and precepted students at New Jersey's first hospital-based private nurse-midwifery practice. During the last two decades, she has been the senior midwife in a large OB/GYN practice. For over ten years, Ms. Clay was an associate editor of the JNM/JMWH and editor of the Media Reviews column. She wrote several editorials and articles for the Journal. Ms. Clay served on the ACNM Nominating Committee, was Vice-President of the NJ Affiliate, served on the Midwifery Liaison Committee to the NJ Board of Medical Examiners (BOME), and was chairperson for NJ Peer Reviews. She has provided women's health care on medical mission trips and leads a women's health group for Covenant House NJ.

• Midwife for over 38 years in private practice, hospital clinics, and faculty at UMDNJ (now Rutgers)
• Former Associate Editor and Media Reviews Editor of the JNM/JMWH; authored several editorials and articles for JNM/JMWH
• Served on the ACNM Nominating Committee and the first Midwifery Liaison Committee to NJ BOME, Chaired NJ Peer Review Committee, Former Vice President of the NJ Affiliate

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Susanna Cohen is a full-scope midwife, innovative educator, and implementation scientist. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Utah, founder of the LIFT Simulation Design Lab, and co-founder of PRONTO International. Through global interprofessional partnerships she facilitates simulation learning, team communication, and systems thinking to promote evidenced-based and person-centered maternity. She co-designed the PartoPants™ birth simulator which has been used in over 20 countries. As a midwifery educator, she has served as a program director, classroom teacher and clinical preceptor. She received the 2016 Excellence in Innovation Award and the 2017 Hayden Vanguard Award from the International Nursing Association for. Clinical Simulation and Learning (INACSL).

• Leader in global simulation learning, co-creator of the PartoPantsTM (a hybrid birth simulator) and curriculum, and co-founder of the non-profit PRONTO International
• 4 years as a midwifery educator (program director, clinical preceptor, didactic and simulation teacher)
• Full-scope midwife and implementation scientist

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Lastascia Coleman (she/her) is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Iowa. She was appointed by ACNM to work on the Heart Disease and Pregnancy Task Force. She is the founding chair of the Black Women’s Maternal Health Collective, a local organization addressing outcomes for Black birthing people. She is a co-investigator on a HRSA MHI grant, initiating a CNM education program in Iowa. She is working on projects with the Iowa Department of Public Health to address systemic issues within midwifery-led care. She is completing her board terms with the Emma Goldman Clinic and with the ACNM Iowa Affiliate.

• Selected to work with the executive leadership team in her health system to develop strategies to address inequities among patients
• Founding member and current chair of the Black Women's Maternal Health Collective, a local organization addressing disparate outcomes for Black birthing people in Iowa on multiple levels
• The first nurse-midwife to be invited to be a committee member for Iowa Maternal Mortality Review Committee

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Joan Combellick has worked as a midwife with underserved populations for over 20 years. She holds a master’s degree in global public health and a PhD in nursing from New York University. Her funded doctoral research investigated the impact of hospitalization versus home birth on the neonate's microbiome. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Advanced Women's Health at the VA, where she investigated the relationship between trauma and reproductive health. She will continue to serve as a consultant on maternal outcomes at the VA. She currently works as a lecturer at the Yale School of Nursing.

• Longstanding commitment to providing full-scope midwifery care to underserved populations and advocating for the rights of individuals seeking asylum in the United States.
• Dedicated to research that improves and informs clinical practice, especially in advancing the midwifery model of care and supporting individuals who have experienced trauma.
• Passionate about expanding the impact and influence of nurses and midwives through teaching, scholarship, and community service.

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Elizabeth Cook has delivered over 2,400 babies. She has been Program Director for one of the largest birth centers and launched a Faculty Midwife Service for midwives to educate OBGYN residents. She is the ACNM liaison for the Global Covid Perinatal Taskforce. She is a member of the ACNM Professional Liability Committee and Home and Birth Center Section. She has served on the Missouri Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review Board. She was on the ACNM and ARDMS Working Group to develop a sonographic certification process for midwives. She is a recipient of the APGO Excellence in Teaching Award. She is an expert witness. She has done humanitarian work in Cameroon, Mexico, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.

• Program Director for one of the largest birth centers and launched a Faculty Midwife Service for midwives to educate OBGYN residents
• Treasurer of the ACNM Missouri Affiliate and has served on the Missouri Pregnancy-Associated Maternal Mortality Review Board.
• Member of the ACNM Professional Liability Committee and Home and Birth Center Section and ACNM liaison for the Global Covid Perinatal Taskforce

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Jeanann Sousou Coppola is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rutgers University School of Nursing – Camden (SNC) and a certified nurse-midwife at Virtual Voorhees OB Triage in New Jersey. With more than 18 years’ experience as a CNM and 14 years as a certified nurse educator, she earned the Distinguished Nursing Alumni Award from Rutgers in 2018 for teaching, scholarship, and clinical excellence. Dr. Coppola’s research interest lies in human trafficking (HT) awareness. She has researched, published, and presented nationally on recognizing and responding to HT victimization. She is a Faculty Fellow of the Walter Rand Institute for her research and dissemination.

1. Leadership: Jeanann has served as chair on several Rutgers SNC faculty committees, including course coordinator for the undergraduate maternal child health course, which she oversees, collaborates, and coordinates course development, and plans and implements for students to meet course objectives.
2. Mentorship: Jeanann has served as both a clinical preceptor and DNP chair for graduate advanced practice nursing students by providing professional guidance and support and contributing to the development of the next generation of nursing leaders.
3. Human trafficking awareness: Jeanann’s research interest is in HT awareness among healthcare professionals and has been actively involved in researching, publishing, and disseminating research through local and national presentations. She serves as a member of the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT) healthcare committee and chair of the healthcare committee membership/recruitment committee in expanding our membership.

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Barbara Davenport’s 36-year midwifery career includes starting midwifery practices, helping to launch a free-standing birth center, and currently leading a team to bring a midwifery education program to South Carolina. She is treasurer of the ACNM SC Affiliate and has been active in ACNM in several roles. She has led teams to organize three tristate midwifery conferences and several community birth expos. She is active as a pro-life advocate and has engaged in research regarding gestational weight gain and VBAC waterbirth. Over the years, she has mentored numerous students, and functioned as Centering coordinator for her practice in Greenville, SC.

• Led a team to develop a full scope midwifery practice in a multispecialty clinic in Minnesota and midwife owned private practice in Ohio
• Organized an affiliate team to bring a midwifery education program to South Carolina
• Planned several birth expos to help networking and birth education in the community and helped organize midwifery educational conferences

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Melissa Davis has been a midwife for over 15 years and is the Clinical Practice Director for the Vanderbilt Midwives Melrose & Mt. Juliet locations. In this role she leads over 20 midwives, serves on local and state committees for perinatal health improvement, and has received honors for her rapid and innovative clinical response during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, teaching in their midwifery and DNP programs. She has precepted over 30 midwifery students and has chaired four DNP perinatal health projects.

• Clinical Director of the Vanderbilt Midwives Melrose & Mt. Juliet for five years, and has increased access to mental health services by implementation of a novel interprofessional model
• Published four articles in peer-reviewed journals, presented 11 times at national conferences, and lead grand rounds at two medical centers
• Precepted over 30 midwifery students, provided more than 60 nurse-midwifery students with clinical placements, and chaired four DNP perinatal health projects

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Stephanie DeVane-Johnson is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt School of Nursing. She has been a CNM for 23 years, working in North Carolina and Tennessee in both private practice and academic institutions. Her passion is for research on and improvement of breastfeeding and health disparities in the African American/Black community. She has written and published in multiple peer reviewed journals on the impact cultural and socio-historical influences have on African American infant feeding decisions. This highlights the emerging problem impacting some contemporary African American/Black mothers. Dr. DeVane-Johnson has presented nationally and internationally and is involved in disseminating Black health-related information with the community and media.

• Full-scope midwifery for 18 years, providing care for over 2,000 families of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as precepting numerous midwifery students
• First Black midwife in the Triangle, NC area to have hospital privileges; provided care at three different hospitals
• Her research on historical factors influencing African American mothers’ decision to breastfeed was the first of its kind published in a peer-reviewed journal

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Meghan Eagen-Torkko is assistant professor and interim director of nursing at the University of Washington Bothell. She began working in abortion care in 1997, and ever since has focused on sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH), with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ patient care. Her research focuses on the ways in which power affects SRH outcomes, and she practices in the Family Planning Program at Public Health Seattle-King County. She serves in multiple leadership roles including on the Board of Directors for Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health, the ACNM Ethics Committee, and the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program.

• Essential contributions to overturning Washington State’s physician-only abortion law
• Research trajectory focused on the intersections of power and SRH outcomes
• Extensive national board and committee service

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Simon Adriane Ellis is a full-scope midwife with a long history of activism for social and racial justice. As a new midwife, Simon launched a gender health program providing care to transgender and non-binary people living in underserved areas. They are an Associate Editor for JMWH and have published numerous book chapters and journal articles. Recognition for their scholarship has included the JMWH Mary Ann Shah Award. Simon has served as a clinical preceptor and lecturer and was awarded the University of Washington School of Nursing 2019 Midwifery Preceptor of the Year. They have served ACNM as a member of the Gender Equity Task Force.

• Developed and implemented a gender health program to provide safe, affordable, and local gender affirming care to transgender and non-binary people living in underserved areas where this service was not previously available.
• Published six peer-reviewed journal articles and six book chapters to date. Of articles published in JMWH, one received the Mary Ann Shah Award for Original Research, one was an Editor’s Choice featured article, and one ranked #3 in the Journal’s top downloaded articles during the year of publication. Book publications have included chapters in the core midwifery textbooks Varney’s Midwifery and Gynecologic Health Care.
• 20+ year history of activism for social justice, racial justice, reproductive justice, and LGBTQ health. Ten years of heartbreak and resilience in the face of significant transphobia within the midwifery profession.

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Jessica Ellis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s College of Nursing and serves as the Nurse-Midwifery Program Co-Director. She has been a midwife for 10 years and is currently in full-scope practice with BirthCare HealthCare. Her research includes clinical outcomes for childbearing women choosing waterbirth in an academic medical center and the influences of maternal BMI on induction of labor. She serves as the chair of ACNM’s Clinical Standard and Documents Committee. She is the president of the Utah Affiliate and past secretary for the Georgia Affiliate.

• Service to ACNM as member of the Division of Research, chair of the Clinical Standards & Documents Committee, president of Utah Affiliate, and past secretary of Georgia Affiliate
• Program director (interim) for the University of Utah's Nurse-midwifery program
• Dissemination of scholarly works including waterbirth outcomes in an academic medical center and influences of maternal obesity on the induction of labor

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Elise Erickson is an assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University and an NIH-funded scientist. Her research broadly addresses the physiology of parturition and the intersection between the social environment and perinatal health by using epigenetic methods. She has published seven studies on oxytocin and postpartum health. She also mentors several DNP and PhD students, teaches perinatal physiology, and is active in the faculty practice. Finally, Dr. Erickson has advocated for and organized within the ACNM Oregon Affiliate a scholarship designated for midwifery students of color to help reduce barriers to diversification of the midwifery profession.

• Built a research program examining the relationship between adverse social environments, epigenetic aging, and perinatal health/maternal morbidity among other studies relevant to midwifery care and practice
• Constructed and taught core curriculum in perinatal physiology for DNP students
• Advocated for and organized scholarship supporting midwifery students of color

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Melicia Escobar (she/her) is the Clinical Faculty Director at Georgetown University (GU) where she is a 2021 Gender+ Justice Initiative Fellow. She is passionate about developing robust and inclusive curricula that illuminate solutions to achieve health equity and cultivate antiracist practices. She chairs the ACNM Bylaws Committee and is Treasures of the ACNM Pennsylvania Affiliate. Her clinical practice has included homebirth, birth center, and hospital-based midwifery since 2007. She is a reviewer and author published in peer-reviewed journals and widely utilized midwifery/women’s health texts. She is a student in GU’s DNP Program with a focus on ethical organizational leadership.

• ACNM Bylaws Committee Chair
• Treasurer of ACNM Pennsylvania Affiliate
• Curricular innovations in health equity and antiracism

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Christina Felten began her midwifery career after five years as a Naval Nurse Corps Officer. She has over a decade of experience in full-scope midwifery care. In 2007, she became the first midwife to gain prescription privileges in Pennsylvania. Committed to clinical excellence and patient-centered care, she serves as clinical and adjunct faculty for several universities. She piloted a postpartum webinar support group and developed several initiatives to combat perinatal mental health and mood disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tina is active in ACNM at the local, state, and national levels, serving on the ACNM National Marketing Committee, Pennsylvania’s ACNM Executive Board, as well as PSI & AWHONN.

• Dedicated to advancing the profession of midwifery
• Service to women, especially in improving perinatal mental health
• Committed to clinical excellence and education

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As a pioneering, activist midwife, Kate Finn upholds the universality of the midwifery profession through multiple educational pathways. Combining a degree in nutrition and three-year certificate in midwifery, Kate was the first US-educated, traditional, direct-entry midwife to challenge licensed midwife equivalency in New York. Kate is licensed as both a CM and a CPM. As the owner of a full-scope practice, Kate held admitting privileges, offering clients choice of home, alongside birth center or hospital birth. Kate innovated the New York State Association of Licensed Midwives (NYSALM) Home Birth Integration Initiative, achieving system change through development of client-centered professional midwifery guidelines and assisting hospitals to implement policies for receiving transfers from community births.

• Pioneer, unifying professional midwifery in the US:

• First US-educated, traditional, direct-entry midwife (DEM) to challenge New York licensed midwife equivalency, becoming a CM, prepared for full-scope practice and prescriptive authority, 1998. First such DEM to access university for completion of MS at Philadelphia University, 2000. First traditionally educated DEM in the US to achieve independent hospital admitting privileges, 2000.

• Innovator as Inaugural Chair, NYSALM: Quality Committee and Home Birth Integration Initiative of New York, via three steps:

• Theory: Quality Safety Bundle for Planned Home Birth
• Midwifery Practice: Community Birth in NY: NYSALM Guidelines for Best Practice, 2020
• Collaboration: Regional Perinatal Centers policies for receiving community birth transfers

• Activist Midwife:
• Leader in passage of the NY Midwifery Modernization Act, removing requirement for physician supervision and written practice agreement, 2010
• Coordinated daily lobbying activities with consumer group called “Free Our Midwives”
• Authored 10 one-page briefs faxed from NYSALM to legislators in final weeks

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Brooke Flinders is Chair and Associate Professor of Nursing at Miami University in Ohio. For the past 15 years, she has dedicated her time to serving as a nurse educator and nurse leader. Flinders was primary author and Co-PI of a $2.1 million Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010-2015), which served over 1,600 teens across southwestern Ohio using an innovate service-learning model. Her most recent research and publications are on TPP program topics, fidelity in evidence-based program replication, and high-impact collaborative teaching-learning structures.

• Primary author/Co-PI of a $2.1 million TPP grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which served over 1,600 teens across southwestern Ohio
• Research interests include TPP program findings, fidelity in evidence-based program replication, and scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL)
• Published a co-edited volume of New Directions for Teaching and Learning: Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Collaborative Structures (Bernstein & Flinders, 2016)

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Diane Folk currently practices as a midwife laborist. Over her 27-year career, she has provided care to both low- and high-risk clients from rural hospitals to academic tertiary referral centers. She introduced midwifery care in an underserved rural county in northern New York, where it flourished into a strong midwifery presence there today. Dr. Folk has published, as well as presented, on hypertension in pregnancy and is a peer reviewer for the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. Dr. Folk was a professor at Vanderbilt University and is passionate about teaching the next generation of midwives.

• Introduced midwifery care, with subsequent expansion of midwifery services, in a rural county in New York State
• Over 24 years precepting midwifery, nursing, nurse practitioner, and medical students as well as family practice and OB/GYN resident
• Former full-time faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing in the nurse-midwifery program

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Gwendolyn Foster has dedicated over 31 years supporting women with over 20 years in nurse-midwifery in civilian/military settings. She is a Colonel in the United States Air Force serving as the Commander (CEO) of David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base, CA. She leads 7 Squadrons (departments) responsible in providing Trusted health care to 276 thousand DOD/VA eligible beneficiaries. Regardless of her role, her passion remains mentorship and advocating for women in every aspect of their lives. As an ACNM volunteer, Gwendolyn serves on the ACNM Nominating Committee and is President-elect of the Uniformed Services Affiliate. She is also a doctoral Public Health student working to address health disparities across the spectrum of Women’s Health and barriers to promoting women into senior leadership roles.

• In leadership, I shaped practice to improve treatment and patient care that greatly impacted the delivery of services to women provided by APRNs
• As a practitioner, I instituted goal oriented, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines that boosted access to Women’s Health by over 20%.
• Through research, my initiatives impacted national policy in women’s health, group prenatal care in the military setting, women’s health while deployed in austere locations and sexual assault care.

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Mary Franklin is the program director at Case Western Reserve University. She was one of the founding CNMs in the first midwifery practice in Akron, Ohio. Dr. Franklin has received local awards as well as the Clinical Star Award and Excellence in Teaching award from ACNM. Dr. Franklin has served ACNM as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health and as secretary and co-chair for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of ACNM. She has precepted midwifery students for 35 years. Dr. Franklin has expertise in gynecology, menopause, and bone health.

• One of the founding CNMs in the first midwifery practice in Akron, Ohio
• Program Director at Case Western Reserve University
• 5 years precepting midwifery students

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Kimberly Garcia is a bilingual associate professor at the University of Utah (UU). She has been director of the CNM & WHNP programs at UU and Case Western Reserve University. She is a site visitor for the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education and Communications Director for ACNM’s Midwives of Color Committee. The ACNM gave Dr. Garcia a Distinguished Service Award for her pioneering work as the first and only CNM in Appalachia and for her research with Guatemalan lay midwives. Dr. Garcia has presented her research at multiple conferences and published her work in several journals.

• ACNM Distinguished Service Award for Pioneering Work in Guatemala and Appalachia
• Past director of CNM & WHNP programs at University of Utah and Case Western Reserve University
• Communications Director for ACNM’s Midwives of Color Committee

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Tamara Joy Gardner has been a full-scope midwife in Albuquerque, NM with the University of New Mexico Midwives since 2011. She is passionate about applying a trauma-informed perspective to the intersections of racism and perinatal, reproductive, and mental health while supporting the wellbeing of birthing people and their families. She is the co-creator of the University of New Mexico Hospital Volunteer Birth Companion Program, a birth justice-focused doula training and volunteer program aimed at providing respectful, compassionate, and non-judgmental care to improve birth experiences and reduce health disparities in maternity care. She is co-leader of the New Mexico chapter of Midwives of Color and ACNM NM Affiliate BIPOC Board Member at Large. She has presented nationally on the importance of bringing cultural diversity to midwifery and has helped increase the number of BIPOC midwives through education and mentorship. She obtained her Post Graduate Certificate as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in April 2021 and has completed training in Perinatal Psychopharmacology through Postpartum Support International.

• Co-creator of the University of New Mexico Volunteer Birth Companion Program
• Co-leader of New Mexico Midwives of Color Committee, addressing inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality among BIPOC people and the need for a diversified midwifery workforce through education and mentorship
• Commitment to addressing the need for culturally sensitive, trauma informed perinatal mental health care, through becoming a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, certification in Perinatal Psychopharmacology, and volunteering with Postpartum Support International

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Ami Goldstein has been a certified nurse-midwife for over 20 years and a family nurse practitioner for over 18. During that time, she has precepted CNM, NP, family medicine and obstetrical residents and medical students. She also had the opportunity to sit on her state oversite Midwifery Joint Committee. Recently, she was elected as president of the ACNM NC Affiliate and was a co-convener of an interdisciplinary task force to address COVID-19 health inequities across North Carolina. They are developing a working group for diversifying the midwifery workforce and addressing inequities within the system as well as maternal health outcomes.

• Co-Founder of the NC Pregnancy & Continuity of Care During COVID-19 Task Force
• President of the ACNM NC Affiliate
• Preceptor for CNMs, NPs, MDs, and medical students for many years

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Cathy Gordon has delivered babies in over 12 countries while providing education, supplies, and medications to indigenous midwives. This world view of midwifery inspired her book, “All babies are born, a midwifery journey to the ends of the earth”. Her entrepreneurial spirit helped her open the first free-standing birth center in Kansas City, Sage Femme Birth Center. It later became New Birth Company, a woman-owned, midwifery-led business and the largest employer of nurse-midwives in both Kansas and Missouri. In addition, she serves on local and state committees and supports legislation and ongoing collaboration with our health systems for the promotion of midwifery.

• Founded and opened Kansas City’s first free-standing birth center
• Member of the Board of Commissioners for The Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers (CABC)
• Authored the book, “All babies are born”

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Patricia (Patti) Hanson has been serving women and their families as a full-scope midwife for 22 years. She is an Assistant Professor at Oregon Health & Science University. Patti has served as practice manager and now financial manager since 2003. She teaches midwifery students in the classroom and clinically. Patti was a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholar. She has developed two midwifery practices in Oregon serving marginalized individuals. She has lectured at ACNM’s Midwifery Works and served as ACNM Chapter Chair. She has edited a chapter of the ACNM Administrative Manual. Patti’s career has included clinical practice, advocacy, teaching, and a love of midwifery.

• Patti has served as practice and now financial manager of the OHSU Midwifery Faculty Practice for over 18 years
• Patti started two new midwifery services in Oregon serving marginalized and disadvantaged women and children
• Patti has made significant contributions in shaping new midwives through didactic and clinical teaching at Oregon Health & Science University

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Beth Helme-Smith has dedicated her career to full-scope midwifery practice in the Chicagoland suburbs. She has written innovative protocols to establish midwifery services at several hospital systems. She has collaborated with hospital administrations to incorporate hydrotherapy, water birth, nitrous oxide pain management protocols, and a community health care center to increase access to care. She has built nurse-midwifery services serving hundreds of women and employing teams of CNMs. Recently, she was named the 2020 Joyce Roberts Excellence in Midwifery Award winner, an honor reflecting her dedication and passion for empowering women to make informed healthcare decisions. Beth has served as an adjunct clinical faculty for several universities and has precepted a multitude of student CNMs, FNPs, and WHNPs. Locally, she has served on the Illinois Affiliate Board. Nationally, she has served on the ACNM Liability Committee and Workforce Committee. Beth is an advocate for perinatal safety and serves as an expert witness.

• Community-based care advocate who is passionate about helping women make informed evidence-based healthcare choices
• Innovative leader who works collaboratively with multiple hospital systems to increase access to midwifery services and physiologic evidence-based birth
• Active participant in educating the next generation of midwives and active advocate on the local and national level for issues affecting current practicing providers

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As the Chief Nurse-Midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Susan Hernadez is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive enviorment for staff and students. As the Massachusetts ACNM Affiliate Legislative Co-Chair, she contributes to policy work dedicated to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in maternal health and leading legislative action seeking reimbursement equity for midwives. She also led development of her department’s innovative OB/GYN Peer Support Program. Susan values leading in a way that fosters compassion, dignity, and equity for birthing people and midwives.

• Chief Nurse-Midwife, Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA
• Legislative Co-Chair, MA ACNM Affiliate & ACNM State Government Affairs Committee
• Program Development: Peer Support Program, Department OB/GYN MGH

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Kathy Higgins effected policy changes in women and infant safety programs recognized by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) as best practice during her career in the US Air Force. She retired from the Air Force to establish a midwifery service at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Over the past 20 years, this service has grown by 700%. Under Ms. Higgins’ leadership, it became a profitable division within the OB/GYN department, received Centering site approval, and has gained ACNM best practice and Triple Aim recognition yearly since 2014. Her actions resulted in midwife hires of 47% new graduates and increased diversity by 40%.

1. Founded midwifery division at Department of OB/GYN, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
2. Educated student midwives, residents, and medical faculty at the US Air Force Academy, Colorado, and the University of North Carolina
3. Executed alternative ways to manage disasters including floods and COVID-19

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Ensures the Foundation's charitable purposes are met and its mission achieved through oversight of scholarships, grants, and awards program; solicitation of donations; and fulfillment of bequests and other forms of planned giving.

• Community-based care advocate who is passionate about helping women make informed evidence-based healthcare choices
• Innovative leader who works collaboratively with multiple hospital systems to increase access to midwifery services and physiologic evidence-based birth
• Active participant in educating the next generation of midwives and active advocate on the local and national level for issues affecting current practicing providers

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Carol Hirschfield is the midwifery service director at Northwestern Medicine in downtown Chicago. 25 years ago, she started the practice with two physicians, and it’s now eight CNMs/nine MDs strong. She is on the medical faculty at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, where she teaches low risk obstetrics to residents and medical students and serves as a clinical preceptor to student nurse-midwives. She initiated several advancements in pain management for laboring women, writing protocols for water birth and nitrous oxide. She also established the Centering Pregnancy program for her practice.

• Initiated advancements in pain management for laboring women at Northwestern Medicine and authored protocols for water birth and nitrous oxide
• Established Centering Pregnancy at her practice
• Teaches low risk obstetrics to residents and medical students and precepts student nurse-midwives from several educational programs

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Volunteering in a feminist women’s health center in Philadelphia hospital led Donna Jackson-Köhlin to midwifery. After returning to school for nursing and midwifery degrees, she practiced in Boston and then joined Baystate Midwifery and Women’s Health in Springfield in 1994.
Irresistible opportunities have presented themselves over time. She helped form a nonprofit organization in maternal-child health in the Dominican Republic. She has taught and helped grow midwives in the Baystate Midwifery Education Program for over 20 years. She provides full-scope care in a regional women’s jail and learned advocacy while developing contraceptive and breast milk pumping services.

• Advocacy in developing and improving services to immigrant and incarcerated patients
• Clinical expertise, gynecologic skills, colposcopy, and willingness to share knowledge with colleagues, students, and medical residents
• International work in developing a nonprofit program with nurses in the Dominican Republic on improving maternal-child health

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Karen Johnson Feltham is an Associate Professor and Midwifery Program Director at Shenandoah University. She has served on the New York State Board of Midwifery for ten years as an active member (currently as an extended member) and several ACNM committees. Dr. Johnson Feltham has participated in midwifery education projects in Rwanda and Bangladesh and served as an ACNM Global Consultant. Her clinical practice began in 1999 and includes both hospital and home birth. She has presented nationally and internationally on midwifery education and advocacy.

• Midwifery program director at Shenandoah University, 2016-present
• International midwifery consultant in Rwanda and Bangladesh
• New York State Midwifery Board member, 10+ years

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Theresa Kouadio is in her 26th year of clinical practice, all of which has been caring for the underserved. She was the first representative from Alaska chosen to participate in the prestigious Duke Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Fellowship. She was chosen by her peers to be one of the student speakers and received a standing ovation. She is dedicated to the education of the next generation of CMs and CNMs.

• Current Region VII Representative
• Current Secretary Alaska APRN Alliance
• A career of mentoring, encouraging, and prodding primarily BIPOC, first generation college students through their education programs

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Ann Konkoly is a certified nurse-midwife and life coach for women and nurses who want to cultivate authentic living in their personal and professional lives. As the founder and owner of Authentic Koaching LLC, Ann creates time, space and tools for her clients to #kultivate change through coaching and mindset work. Ann's work to date honors her purpose and passion: supporting women on their journey.

• First CNM as a Medical Director at University Hospitals
• Small business owner: Authentic Koaching LLC & The Inspired Midwife
• National speaker on leadership, burnout, and entrepreneurship

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Dianna Kristeller has been committed to working in remote, rural Alaska for her entire midwifery career thus far, first at Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center, then Tanana Valley Clinic in Fairbanks (Interior Alaska, Athabascan communities), and now at Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue, 33 miles north of the Arctic Circle (Northwest Arctic Coastal, Inupiat communities). She believes the care midwives provide is indispensible, especially in poor, remote, and underserved areas. She is grateful to do this work, as challenging as it is sometimes. She is proud to be an Alaskan midwife, where midwives attend 35% of births across the state.

• ACNM member since 2010 and Alaska Affiliate member since 2014; past Alaska Affiliate President and Legislative Chair; ACNM National and State Government Affairs Committees Member for Alaska; AIM State Lead for Alaska
• Alaska APRN Alliance founding CNM Board Member and Secretary; founding Steering Committee Member (ACNM seat) of the Alaska Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (AKPQC); ACNM seat on multiple AKPQC committees, including the Hypertension Initiative Committee, Community Birth Transfer Initiative Committee, and Perinatal COVID ECHO Hub Team; Alaska Direct Entry Midwives Board CNM Member appointed by Governor Bill Walker; expert witness for CNM case reviews for Alaska; contributing author for Out of Hospital Births in Alaska, 2013-2018; numerous OB Grand Rounds and Midwifery Association of Alaska QI education presentations
• Committed to midwifery practice in rural Alaska for her entire midwifery career

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Rochelle Lipshutz has been actively practicing midwifery for 35 years – essentially her entire professional career. She came upon the profession accidently; as a nurse practitioner student sent to Israel to work with physicians. As “luck” would have it, a strike led to a placement with midwives. Many years and over 4,000 births later, she can honestly say this was the best “accident.” She assists women throughout their reproductive life cycle, directs a midwifery service, enhances the experiences of student midwives, nurse practitioners, and family medical and obstetrical residents, and collaborates with other professionals along the way.

• Participated from inception in the development of a midwifery practice that ultimately included caring for both commercially and government insured patients. Initially participated as the Associate Director, and then for 20 years as the Clinical Director of Midwifery.
• Competently and compassionately precepted midwifery, nurse practitioner, family medicine, and obstetrics/gynecological residents to pursue their professional and academic endeavors.
• Currently participating in the Resident/Faculty Task Force for Reducing Racial Disparities in the Obstetrical/Gynecology Department of my facility.

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Phyllis Lynn began her midwifery career 47 years ago. She established the midwifery practice at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York 28 years ago, where she continues to act as Director of Midwifery. She provides full-scope midwifery care for patients across the lifespan. One of her greatest accomplishments is mentoring midwifery students and new graduates. She has received numerous accolades for her dedication to midwifery clinical education. From the onset of her career, Phyllis has worked in collaboration with perinatologists to reduce the incidence of preterm births in the population she serves.

• Encourages midwives to further their education and obtain their doctoral degree
• Founded a midwifery practice that predominately hires new midwifery graduates
• Provides comprehensive care to postmenopausal clients

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Nancy MacMorris-Adix has had a 35-year career in midwifery. She started the first hospital-based midwifery practice in Salem, OR in 1990. She has been an advocate for access to care and midwifery care at the Oregon Legislature. She was elected to the school board and served for eight years, five of which were in leadership, being a consistent voice for equity. She serves on the Oregon Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee and continues to lobby to expand access to all midwifery services for Oregonians regardless of their address or insurance status.

• Started (and grew) the first hospital-based practice in the mid-Willamette Valley in Oregon
• Served as a clinical preceptor for student midwives for over 25 years

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Laura Manns-James is an Associate Professor at Frontier Nursing University, specializing in gynecologic health. Dr. Manns-James’ research focuses on health equity for Black childbearing women, and she is an associate editor of Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery and Women’s Health, 6th edition. She has several journal publications and has presented nationally and internationally. She is a member of ACNM's Racism in Midwifery Education Task Force and a peer reviewer for the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health (JMWH). She served as lead midwife in developing one of the first joint MAT-Centering projects in the United States, in rural Kentucky.

• Midwifery educator with student- and peer-selected teaching awards
• Researcher focusing on health equity for Black childbearing women
• Associate Editor, Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery and Women's Health, 6^th edition

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Linda McDaniel has been instrumental on several committees at her practice, Frontier Nursing University, and ACNM in developing and implementing health promotion, education, and publication strategies.
Her primary clinical and academic interests are tobacco cessation, human trafficking, second victim phenomenon, and breast cancer complications. Dr. McDaniel has collaborated on tobacco-free, second victim phenomenon, and breast cancer survivor articles.
She works at the community level to promote awareness of nursing and midwifery care. She embraces every opportunity to empower others to fulfill their educational and career goals.

• Encourages the advancement of midwifery by creating awareness and developing a scholarship for midwifery students to continue their educational journeyss
• Develops initiatives to improve health promotion and incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion in the university setting
• Promotes the advancement of the midwifery profession

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Amanda McPherson Shafton is the Lead Midwife for Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh, PA. Amanda earned her Executive Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2020 from Johns Hopkins University. She is President of the ACNM Pennsylvania Affiliate. In this role, Amanda led the creation of “Midwifery Forward,” a state-wide educational conference. Her doctoral project examined provider implicit bias and systemic racism and how these factors result in healthcare disparities for Black pregnant patients and their babies. She specializes in providing care for members of the LGBTQ community as well as individuals with physical and intellectual special needs.

• Allegheny Health Network's Lead Midwife, assisting in the growth and expansion of midwifery services across the system
• PA-ACNM President, leading the creation of PA's annual Midwifery Forward Conference
• Executive DNP from Johns Hopkins focusing on racism in healthcare

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Emily McGahey practices at The Midwife Center, a freestanding birth center in Pittsburgh, PA. Emily completed her Doctorate of Midwifery in 2020 from Jefferson University, where her work focused on assessing birth certificate accuracy. She is active with the ACNM Pennsylvania Affiliate (PA-ACNM), serving as President from 2012 through 2018, and currently as Legislative Committee Co-Chair, assisting PA-ACNM in furthering midwifery through modernization legislation. An advocate for midwifery in Pennsylvania, Emily was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative (PA-PQC) Advisory Committee and serves on many committees for the PA-PQC.

• Pennsylvania Affiliate President for three terms and Legislative Committee Co-Chair for last two years, actively advancing midwifery modernization in the state
• Founding Advisory Committee Member of the Pennsylvania Perinatal Quality Collaborative
• Part of the team that created the Pennsylvania Affiliate yearly conference, “Midwifery Forward,” which engages midwives and stakeholders and fundraises to support the Affiliate’s legislative efforts

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Shaunti Meyer is Senior Director of Medical Affairs at STRIDE Community Health Center, serving over 50,000 patients annually. She practices gender affirming care and midwifery and supervises 80 medical providers who care for immigrants, refugees, and underserved communities. She cofounded a free-standing birth center, served as Treasurer of the Colorado Affiliate, and has published three peer-reviewed articles. With Project C.U.R.E., she volunteers on the Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment team, participates in medical trips, and trains global providers. She is an advocate for queer and transgender rights, trauma-informed midwifery care, and healthcare for all humans.

• Senior Director of Medical Affairs at a Federally Qualified Health Center that serves over 50,000 patients a year across 13 clinics and five counties; supervises 80 medical providers who work in geriatrics, family practice, pediatrics, women’s health, and obstetrics/midwifery
• Several years of volunteer work with Project C.U.R.E., including making birth kits for developing countries across the globe, a medical trip to provide cervical cancer screening and treatment to over 250 women in four days, and serving as a clinical expert on their Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment team to provide training to providers in developing countries on how to perform Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) and cryotherapy
• Treasurer of the ACNM Colorado Affiliate for four years and member of the ACNM Program Committee for the 2014 Annual Meeting

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Alexandra Michel is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. A veteran and military spouse, she spent her clinical career working mostly at military treatment facilities providing care to active duty soldiers and family members. Her responsibilities included educating and supervising residents, as well as other medical professions. She was instrumental in setting up the ACNM Uniformed Services Affiliate and has been an active member of the affiliate board since its establishment. She is a Jonas Veterans’ Scholar and has focused her research on understanding how a healthy neonate transitions to extrauterine life.

• Member of ACNM’s Department of Research Workforce Committee and Board member of the Uniformed Services Affiliate
• Preceptor and mentor for multiple health professions including midwifery students, medical students, and medical residents
• Selected as a Jonas Veterans’ Scholar for her research into understanding how a health neonate transitions to extrauterine life

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LaVonne Moore has a Doctor of Nursing Practice from St. Catherine University, a Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery from the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Arts in Health & Human Services Administration from St. Mary’s University. She is a Certified Nurse-Midwife, Certified Women’s Healthcare Nurse Practitioner, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and Certified Childbirth Educator. She is adjunct faculty at several universities, including Thomas Edison State University teaching graduate nursing and women’s health courses. She practices at NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center and is founder and CEO of Chosen Vessels Midwifery Services and The Chocolate Milk Club, a culturally specific service of Chosen Vessels Midwifery Services that provides breastfeeding education and support for African American women. Her goal is to use the midwifery model of care to inspire all women to breastfeed and support all those that do, because she believes good health begins with breastfeeding.

• Work as a midwife promoting, educating, and supporting breastfeeding in her community
• Leadership displayed by the coordination of various health initiatives in the community
• Commitment to women’s health, midwifery, and the African American community.

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Jeremy Neal is an Assistant Professor in Nursing at Vanderbilt University, where he teaches in the masters and doctoral programs. Dr. Neal has received NIH funding to pursue his program of research, which is aimed at improving birth safety, birth outcomes, and health equity for low-risk and at-risk populations. He has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and has contributed book chapters in Varney’s Midwifery. Dr. Neal has advised hundreds of nurse-midwifery students and multiple doctoral students in his career. He is a prior Program Director of the Nurse-Midwifery and Women’s Health specialty tracks at The Ohio State University College of Nursing.

• Developed a physiologically based partograph that incorporates contemporary best evidence to provide clinicians with a common approach for assessing labor progress and diagnosing dystocia
• Has advised hundreds of nurse-midwifery students in career as Program Director of the Nurse-Midwifery and Women’s Health specialty tracks at The Ohio State University College of Nursing as a faculty member at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
• Has published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and has contributed book chapters in Varney’s Midwifery

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Emily Neiman is faculty in the midwifery program at The Ohio State University after spending 10+ years in full-scope practice. She has served as a preceptor for many students over the course of her career and is passionate about teaching. She was instrumental in bringing back the option of waterbirth to a hospital setting in Central Ohio and published her findings on outcomes in JMWH. Additionally, she authored a chapter in Evidence-Based Physical Assessment, 1st edition. Her volunteer experience includes international midwifery education and providing gynecologic services at a local free clinic. She is active on the Ohio Affiliate’s Anti-Racism Workgroup.

• Principle investigator for IRB-approved research concerning the outcomes of waterbirth for birthing people and neonates in a U.S. hospital setting
• Author of original research article published in JMWH on outcomes of waterbirth in a US hospital setting.
• Over ten years of experience in full-scope clinical practice and as a preceptor in a variety of settings, including internationally

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Nancy Niemczyk’s career has been devoted to expanding safe birth options for childbearing families in southwestern Pennsylvania. She served as founding clinical director of the Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health in Pittsburgh, PA, now the nation’s largest freestanding birth center. She is currently director of the nurse-midwifery program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing, the first midwifery education program in the region. A perinatal epidemiologist, she is a member of Pennsylvania’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee and the American Association of Birth Centers Research Committee. Her research explores labor in different birth settings.

• Founding clinical director of the Midwife Center for Birth and Women’s Health in Pittsburgh, PA, now the country’s largest freestanding birth center
• Director of the Nurse-Midwifery Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing
• Perinatal epidemiologist researching labor in different birth settings

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Robin Page is committed to improving maternal health disparities. Her midwifery practice consistently engages undeserved, low-income women. She has volunteered for more than 1,000 hours as a midwife providing direct care to underserved women. She is a faculty member at Texas A&M University, where she teaches population and women’s health to graduate students. She engages in research related to maternal health disparities and has participated in projects totaling $3.8 million. She has more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications with nearly 400 citations. She serves ACNM on the Grant Opportunities Advisory Group and the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education.

• Clinical practice: volunteered for more than 1,000 hours as a midwife providing direct care to underserved women
• Research related to maternal health disparities: projects totaling $3.8 million and more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications with nearly 400 citations
• Community leadership: Vice President of the Brazos Maternal & Child Health Clinic (non-profit) Board of Directors

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Komkwuan Paruchabutr has been a full-scope midwife in Virginia for the Department of Defense for nine years and currently serves as the Family Medicine Residency Site Director for its Women’s Health Clinic. She has implemented a department-wide quality improvement project to address excessive weight gain and obesity in pregnancy using a BMI mediated toolkit and has contributed to the development of policies for Process Improvement Non-Delayed Contraception Clinics (PINC) and Graduate Medical Education. She has precepted over 100 students/physicians and implemented an evidence-based framework for providing evaluations to medical and midwifery students as well as ensured best practice education using the midwifery model of care.

• Clinical Faculty to midwifery, WHNP, FNP, Special Forces Medics, Family Medicine residents, and medical students over the last nine years
• Developed and implemented a BMI mediated toolkit at a military treatment facility
• Contributed to the policy development of Process Improvement Non-Delayed Contraception (PINC) clinics through a working group and led efforts for quality improvement in graduate medical education

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Debbie Price has dedicated 21 years to assuring quality midwifery care in global settings, including ten field postings. During eleven years as a specialist advisor, she developed policies and guidelines, provided direct technical guidance during field support visits, and taught emergency obstetric care to 108 clinicians. Her academic work focused on reproductive health initiatives in war zones, disaster areas, and fragile states; she disseminated this learning via publications and conference presentations. She serves on ACNM’s Division of Global Engagement and Michigan Affiliate boards, and volunteers in her community. She is currently employed as Sexual Health Team Supervisor at Ottawa County Department of Public Health.

• Leadership of a midwifery practice, a sexual health service, and a multi-disciplinary team of specialist advisors
• Knowledge dissemination on reproductive health care in global settings via teaching, publications, and presentations
• Volunteer service in global midwifery, ACNM, and local community

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Krysta Ramirez Henry is clinical faculty at the University of Kansas, where she teaches didactic and practicum courses in midwifery and advance practice. Krysta is a recipient of the 2020 ACNM Excellence in Teaching Award. Krysta provides full-scope midwifery care in a rural setting in Warrensburg, Missouri, where she has served as a preceptor for over 30 advance practice students. In 2019, Krysta started Mother's Matter, a local postpartum depression support group for her community. Krysta graduated in May 2021 from the University of Missouri - Kansas City with her Doctor of Nursing practice.

• Served as a mentor to numerous midwives across the “lifespan” of their careers
• Clinical expert in midwifery care, particularly in rural communities, community-based collaborative practice, and in caring for military families; has provided her expertise in caring for women and families dealing with postpartum mood and anxiety disorders
• Committed to improving the education and practice environments for students and midwives of color, as well as other disadvantaged or vulnerable populations

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Gayle has been the owner of a unique CNM-owned practice in Illinois since 2000 and has published articles on low risk birth in peer journals. She co-chairs the Illinois Birth Center Task Force, of the Health and Medicine Policy Research Group, which passed legislation to establish birth centers in Illinois in 2007. She continues work for full state licensure for birth centers, as well as equity and access to birth centers for underserved areas of Chicago. Gayle is past president of the ACNM Illinois Affiliate and served on the Nursing Board of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

• Owner of a unique CNM-owned low-intervention hospital-based practice in Oak Park, Illinois since 2000
• Chair of Illinois Birth Center Task Force which passed legislation in 2007 to establish a pilot program for birth centers in Illinois, and in the 2021 legislative session seeking full licensure for birth centers in Illinois
• Leadership as past president of Illinois Affiliate of ACNM and Nursing Board of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation

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Karen Robinson is Associate Professor and Director of the Nurse-Midwifery Program at Marquette University’s College of Nursing. She is Chair of the ACNM DOR Networking Committee. Her current research examines the negative impact racism and bias have on breastfeeding success among Black women. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, and in 2020, was awarded the Mary Ann Shah New Author Award by the JMWH. She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Perinatal and Neonatal Nursing. She mentors numerous BIPOC students including direct entry master’s degree students, creating a pipeline to enrollment into Marquette’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Midwifery.

• Director of the Nurse-Midwifery Program at Marquette University’s College of Nursing (MUCN)
• Chair of the ACNM DOR Networking Committee
• Mentors BIPOC students enrolled in MUCN’s direct entry master’s program, creating a pipeline to our Post-Master’s Certificate in Midwifery

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Susan Rooks is a rural midwife from southwest South Dakota. Most of her 35-year career has been in service to indigenous women of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and surrounding areas. She was the Charter Director of the Pine Ridge Midwifery Service and increased staffing and function of the practice. Through her years of service, Captain Rooks has taught midwifery, medical, nursing, and NP students from many programs. Her leadership activities include leading the ACNM South Dakota Affiliate, a current seat on the SD State Board of CPMs, and work on landmark legislation for NP/CNM full practice authority.

• Defined and expanded the midwifery and maternal health programs in service to the indigenous women of the poorest Indian reservation in the country
• As an officer in the US Public Health Service, served as mentor, teacher preceptor, recruiter, and role model to a variety of healthcare professionals
• Worked successfully to update South Dakota’s antiquated APRN laws, resulting in full practice authority for CNMs and NPs

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Lee Roosevelt is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, teaching in the masters and undergraduate programs. Dr. Roosevelt’s program of research focuses on patient/provider relationships in sexual and reproductive health care with a focus on LGBTQIA+ people. She works as a full-scope midwife in a hospital setting and with Planned Parenthood of Michigan. She is the current President of the Michigan ACNM Affiliate and serves on the ACNM Gender Equity Task Force.

• Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan
• Michigan Affiliate President and member of the Gender Equity Taskforceh
• Clinical expertise with LGBTQIA+ population

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Tonja Santos has cared for women and families in Springfield, MA and the surrounding area for almost 20 years. For half that time, she has been a leader in the Division of Midwifery, managing a full-scope, midwifery-led practice and helping oversee the activities of the three clinical practices in the division and the Baystate Midwifery Education Program, where she is also faculty. She has a great interest in quality initiatives and case review processes. She recently established, obtained leadership and financial support for, and now chairs the Racial Disparities and Health Equity Committee for the Department of OB/Gyn, with the goal of improving maternal and infant outcomes for BIPOC through clinical, systemic, and cultural change.

• Spearheading work in her institution to fight racial disparities and improve health equity
• Clinical practice as a full-scope midwife for 17 years and as a midwifery educator for 15 years
• Serving as Assistant Director of the Division of Midwifery and Community Health at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA
• Active in quality improvement and assurance at the practice, department, and institution levels

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Ann Schaeffer has practiced midwifery in Virginia for 21 years. She is a two-time midwifery practice founder and has directed programs to improve access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARCs), colposcopy, perinatal care, CenteringPregnancy, and depression treatment for her diverse and multicultural community. Dr. Schaeffer participates in the ACNM Workforce Committee, chairs the Subcommittee on Burnout, and peer reviews for the JMWH. She serves in the ACNM Virginia Affiliate leadership and chairs the Student/New Midwife Task Force. Dr. Schaeffer has been teaching for over a decade, mentoring and precepting undergraduate and graduate students. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Frontier Nursing University.

• Clinical practice for 21 years; two-time midwifery practice founder/director
• Decade of university teaching; CNM/WHNP Faculty at Frontier Nursing University
• ACNM Virginia Affiliate leadership team, chairs the Student/New Midwife work group (VA affiliate) and Subcommittee on Burnout (ACNM Workforce Committee)

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Judith M. Schlaeger is an associate professor at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing. She is a certified nurse-midwife, licensed acupuncturist, and chronic pain researcher. After practicing clinical midwifery for 27 years in home birth to high-risk settings, Dr. Schlaeger’s career shifted to research on characterizing and treating vulvodynia and the use of acupuncture for reduction of pain and opioid use. As principal investigator or multiple principal investigator, Dr. Schlaeger has been funded by three NIH institutes for examining the efficacy of acupuncture in treating vulvodynia, sickle cell disease, and angina, in excess of $10 million.

• Since 1988, Dr. Schlaeger has worked as a CNM in a variety of settings from home birth to high-risk hospital settings with low income and diverse patients. The impact of her clinical work helped normalize midwives’ acceptance in Illinois as well as pave the way for CNM/APN licensure in 2001.
• As associate professor at University of Illinois Chicago, CNM, licensed acupuncturist, and chronic pain researcher, Dr. Schlaeger’s primary impact emanates from gaps she identified in the treatment of vulvodynia and the use of acupuncture for reduction of pain.
• Dr. Schlaeger has been funded by three NIH institutes for examining the efficacy of acupuncture in reducing pain and opioid use in vulvodynia, sickle cell disease, and angina, in excess of $10 million.

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Nicole Sczekan is the Midwifery Director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She holds an MSN from Case Western Reserve University and a Midwifery Certificate from Frontier University. She is a Duke Johnson & Johnson Nursing Leadership Fellow. An active ACNM member, she served as a past ACNM Maine chair. She served as the women’s consultant to a Dominican Republic Project. As a Certified Addiction Advanced Practice Nurse, her team received a million-dollar grant to implement a program for pregnant women with substance use disorder. She served on the Advisory Council to support the Interagency Task Force for the Attorney General.

• Director of Midwifery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Her team received a one-million-dollar grant to initiate a program for pregnant women with substance use disorder through the first postpartum year
• Served as a women’s health consultant for a Dominican Republic project with the University of Southern Maine

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Roseanne Seminara is a graduate of the Columbia University Midwifery program, class of 1989. She has worked her entire career serving the women of Brooklyn offering full scope care across the lifespan. One of her biggest accomplishments has been making midwifery care accessible to all women. Roseanne received a master’s degree from George Washington University in Health Care Quality in 2019. This education has allowed her to influence policies that affect women’s health. Roseanne attributes her success to the support of her family, her midwife colleagues, and most of all, the women she serves.

• Seeks equality for all women
• Advocates for equal standing for midwives in all aspects of the healthcare system
• Advances the profession of midwifery through research, teaching, and legislation

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Holly Smith is a graduate of Georgetown University. She is the Health Policy Chair for the California Nurse-Midwives Association (CNMA) and co-led the effort to pass SB 1237 to remove physician supervision in California. In this role, she played a key role in strategy, bill language, and coalition building. She is deeply involved in health care quality improvement in California as a member of the Executive Committee of the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and the co-lead for large statewide projects such as the Toolkit and Collaborative to Reduce Primary Cesareans and the Mother & Baby Substance Exposure Initiative. In her 20 years as a midwife, she has been a midwifery practice director, midwife fellow, student preceptor, founder of a midwife-led international program for quality improvement, and now a consultant to MCH policy both statewide and nationally.

• Health Policy Chair for CNMA and co-led the effort to pass SB 1237 in 2020
• Deeply involved in health care quality improvement in California.
• Held various roles in her career that reflect her clinical excellence.

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Denise Smith is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. She is a maternity health systems researcher, teaches midwifery students, mentors doctoral students, and is in clinical practice with University Nurse Midwives. Her program of research evaluates outcomes of care in hospitals and health systems with integrated midwifery care. She participates in ACNM Colorado Affiliate and national committees. Her midwifery career began with service in the US Army. She enjoys all aspects of her work and considers it a privilege to serve childbearing families, students, and the midwifery profession.

• Assistant Professor, University of Colorado
• Colorado Affiliate Treasurer
• US Army Veteran

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Venus is an assistant professor at UNC Department of Family Medicine and the Director of DEI-Education and Community Engagement. She currently serves as the attending to Family Medicine residents in obstetrics. Venus is a past member of the board of directors of Lamaze International, past chair of the AABC DEI committee, current board member of North Carolina’s Perinatal Association and the American Association of Birth Centers (AABC). Venus is the co-chair of UNC's Advanced Practice Provider Education committee. She is an advisor for Maternal Health Learning, Innovations Center advisory committee, 4th Trimester Project, NC Medical Society's planning committee, and AABC nominating committee.

• Received the C. Felix Harvey Award that will be used to help decrease maternal mortality and morbidity in Orange and Durham Counties in North Carolina
• Director of DEI of Education and Community Engagement
• Supports and teaches new residents culturally sensitive care for people of color and how to de-medicalize normal birth

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Kristin Stovern has been a pioneer in nurse-midwifery for Southwest Missouri. Her now more than 20-year career has established many firsts: first full-scope CNM in private practice, first CNM to deliver at both local hospitals, first to obtain full hospital privileges at Mercy Joplin, established first 24-hour in house call, and first APRN in the state of Missouri to get approval for privileges to perform circumcisions. Stovern has been a preceptor for graduate and medical students and a popular guest lecturer in the community. She is also a skilled clinician with over 3,000 births in her career. Kristin’s career is one of clinical and teaching dedication while paving the way for future CNMs.

• First full-scope CNM in SW Missouri in Private Practice, 1999-current
• First full-scope CNM to obtain full hospital privileges at two separate Health systems locally, 2000 Freeman Health System and 2013 Mercy Health System
• First APRN in Missouri to obtain privileges for newborn circumcisions

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Margaret C. Taylor has dedicated 41 years to serving women, including 34 years as a nurse-midwife. She has championed midwifery in a variety of settings and has won numerous awards for community work for women and babies. She founded Tennessee’s first midwife-owned private practice and developed a midwifery practice and a Centering program within a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). She is the current president of the ACNM Tennessee Affiliate and works with the Tennessee Maternal Health Workforce to decrease maternal mortality and the TN APRN coalition promoting legislation for full practice authority. She works full-time at the School of Nursing at Vanderbilt School of Nursing as a clinical instructor and quality improvement leader.

• Practicing midwife for 34 years; has provided care for over 3,000 laboring women, assisted 1,000 births, and precepted over 70 midwifery students
• Completed four maternal-child health grants including implementing group prenatal care for an intercity population
• Published her masters research on patient-collected Group B Strep (GBS)in 1996 that was the seminal work adopted by the CDC 2010 as the practice standard for GBS testing

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Joanne (Jody) Tennyson is an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and serves as an Assistant Director of the OB/GYN Division of Advanced Practice Nursing, home to over 50 CNMs and WHNPs. She also serves as faculty in the midwifery program at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Jody has been instrumental in the development of a midwifery-led obstetric triage unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is passionate about interdisciplinary education including midwifery students, medical students, and OB/GYN residents. She is a past president of the ACNM Tennessee Affiliate and is currently pursuing her DNP at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga.

• Assistant Director, Vanderbilt University Department of OB/GYN Division of Advanced Practice
• Past president of ACNM Tennessee Affiliate
• Faculty member, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and School of Nursing

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Brie Thumm has been practicing midwifery domestically and internationally since 2001 when she completed her MSN at Yale University. She obtained her MBA at Baruch College and her PhD in health systems research at University of Colorado because she was frustrated with seeing patients receive sub-optimal care and midwives become disillusioned because of breakdowns in the healthcare system. Her primary area of research is maternity workforce development. Currently, she leads the clinical and research arms of the Colorado Maternal Mortality Prevention Program, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, and catches babies at Denver Health.

• Conducted the National Midwifery Burnout Survey and developed the Midwifery Practice Climate Scale to measure how supported midwives feel in their practice environments
• Serves as research and clinical lead of Maternal Mortality Prevention Program for the state of Colorado
• Provided clinical care for over 20 years, including abortion care, family planning, sexual assault forensic examinations, and prenatal, postpartum, and intrapartum care

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Stephanie Tillman (she/her) is a midwife at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She completed her Bachelor’s in Global Health and Medical Anthropology at the University of Michigan, Masters in Nurse-Midwifery at Yale University, and a Clinical Medical Ethics Fellowship at the University of Chicago. Stephanie serves on the Boards of Directors of the Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Midwest Access Project; the ACNM Ethics Committee; and the Advisory Committee of the Queer and Transgender Midwives Association. Stephanie is the writer and activist @FeministMidwife, advancing conversations on consent, ethics, queer care, sex positivity, anti-racism, abortion, and trauma-informed frameworks.

• Leadership roles: Secretary American College of Nurse-Midwives, Boards of Directors NSRH and MAP, and Advisory Committee Member of Queer and Transgender Midwives Association
• Clinical Medical Ethics Fellow at the University of Chicago
• @FeministMidwife social media, writing, and advocacy work

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Kim Updegrove has devoted her career to direct care, education, research, service leadership, and advocacy for women’s and children’s health. She has worked as a CNM, faculty member at two research universities, executive director of the world’s largest nonprofit human milk bank, and principal liaison between nurse-midwifery and the nonprofit milk banking industry. She is past president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) and chair of HMBANA’s standards committee. She has delivered over 100 presentations at ACNM, ICM, USBC, other events, and hospital grand rounds in the US and abroad. Annually, she joins a team providing pro bono healthcare in Belize.

• Provides local, national, and international leadership, advocacy, research, and consulting on human milk banking
• Chair of a committee to research and publish standards for safe processing of donor human milk in North America
• Served on the graduate Nurse-Midwifery faculties at Yale University and University of Pennsylvania

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Shaughanassee Vines is the founder of HealthyHER Center for Women’s Care, the only boutique-style, midwifery-owned multispecialty practice in Chesapeake, VA, and Coceaux™ Health, a national telehealth platform providing racially concordant reproductive and mental health care to women of color earning multiple leadership awards. Dr. Vines is an assistant professor to nurse-midwifery students, the inaugural Chair of the ACNM California Affiliate’s Professional Practice Committee, and member of the affiliate’s Reproductive Justice and Antiracism Committee and ACNM Program Committee. She continues to present nationally. Her scholarship includes nationally funded research on sexual trauma and vaginal immunity as well as medical mistrust in women of color.

• Founder of two innovative midwifery-led practices
• Assistant professor to graduate level nurse-midwifery students
• Inaugural Chair of the California ACNM Affiliate's Professional Practice Committee