NARM Board Announcement
Greetings,
I am writing today to share with you some important changes at NARM.
As NARM’s Executive Director, I know the dedication you bring to your community and to every family you serve. We all at NARM recognize how important it is to serve you and all CPMs with the highest level of professionalism, integrity, and transparency, which is why I am reaching out to you now.
Last month, we discovered evidence of potential fiduciary misconduct by one of NARM’s board members. When we became aware of the issue, we took immediate steps to understand its scope and breadth and determine what actions we needed to take to ensure it could not happen again.
When we began the investigation, the remaining board members resigned to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. As part of our work, we also notified the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, which oversees our accreditation.
We are still working on our investigation and can share more details once we have a complete picture. I look forward to providing you with a detailed report once we do.
This circumstance, though, helped usher in a very positive development. We are now welcoming four remarkable people to join our board, replacing those who resigned. These leaders in our community bring new energy, enthusiasm, and tremendous talent to our reconstituted board of directors.
We recruited board candidates by first asking thought leaders in the U.S. birth worker community for their recommendations. We sought candidates who would bring diverse skills, expertise, and life experiences to NARM’s leadership.
I’ve included a short biography for each below so you can see why I am so excited about our plans to re-energize our organization.
I have also joined the board as a non-voting member to help guide NARM through this transition.
Again, we know how essential transparency is to our community and the profession. We look forward to sharing our plans to drive our organization forward in the coming months.
Please let me know if I can answer any questions.
Brynne
NARM Board of Directors – October 2024
Autumn Cavender-Wilson is a Certified Professional Midwife and works as a Midwife and Instructor at Yellow Medicine Midwifery in Granite Falls, Minnesota, which she founded in 2014. Previously, she held several positions with the Upper and Lower Sioux Communities. Autumn received her bachelor’s degree in American Indian Studies and Dakota Language at The University of Minnesota and her Certified Professional Midwife credential certification from Maternidad La Luz in El Paso, Texas.
Melissa Cheyney, PhD, is a Professor of Anthropology at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, and a Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife. Missy’s tenure in education began in 2004 as an instructor at Oregon State, rising to her current position as Professor in 2021. Missy received her PhD in Biologic Anthropology from Oregon State University, a master’s degree from Western Michigan, and a bachelor’s degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Missy continues to attend home deliveries while teaching at Oregon State University. Missy also serves as the co-director of the Community Based Data Registry (CBDR), a national perinatal data registry managed and hosted by the Foundation for Health Care Quality, and the Director of Uplift Lab, a research and reproductive equity lab hosted by Oregon State University.
Tenesha Duncan is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Orchid Capital Collective, an organization driving capital and resources to Black, Indigenous, Queer, Trans, and People of Color-owned birth and reproductive care ventures. She holds an Executive MBA from Howard University School of Business, a master’s degree from Kingston University in the UK, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. Tenesha has spent her professional career advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice, and brings 15 years of experience working in direct service, organizational development, coalition building, and philanthropy. She currently serves as a fellow at the Just Economy Institute and co-chair of the beso Steering Committee.
Demetra “Mimi” Seriki is a Registered Nurse, Certified Professional Midwife owner, and founder at A Mother’s Choice Midwifery in Colorado Springs, CO. She also serves as the Academic Dean at the National College of Midwifery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has served as a member of the Colorado Maternal Mortality Committee since 2021 and is the current president of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives’ Colorado chapter. Mimi received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Denver College of Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery from Midwives College of Utah.
Marinda Shindler is NARM’s Board Chair. Her interest in midwifery began as a student in central Virginia, where she attended home births as part of her personalized education program in 2012. She earned her Certified Professional Midwife credential in 2019 and has been a Licensed Midwife in Virginia since 2019. Marinda is active in state midwifery politics and advocacy, representing the Virginia Midwives Alliance on the Virginia Neonatal Perinatal Collaborative from 2021 to 2023, and is the current Secretary of the Virginia Midwives Alliance. Marinda works at a central Virginia birth center and is passionate about educating the next generation of community midwives.
Brynne Potter is the executive director of NARM and serves on its board as a non-voting member. Brynne is a retired Certified Professional Midwife and has spent her career advancing the midwifery profession. She began her professional career as the legislative liaison for the Virginia Midwives Alliance, then spent a decade practicing midwifery. She founded the first electronic health record designed specifically for community midwifery, Maternity Neighborhood, and served as Vice President of Platform for its acquirer, Quilted Health, an organization providing midwives and midwife facilities with administrative and technology services.
eBlast emailed October 17, 2024