Dear CPMs and Friends of NARM:
We recently held our first board of directors meeting and would like to provide you with an update and some thoughts on our work moving forward together.
While each of us has come to the board from different paths, we all share a deep commitment to the profession of midwifery and a belief in the need for NARM and its CPM credential. We consider it an honor to help lead NARM during this time of transition.
We understand and acknowledge some concerns that the board’s appointment happened quickly, and we would like to share some context on our board appointment process.
When NARM discovered evidence of financial impropriety by a former member, several board members were asked to step down to enable a transparent investigation without the appearance of a conflict of interest. In order to stay in compliance with our accreditation, NARM needed to fill those board positions quickly.
We agreed to step in as a transitional board, with each of us committing to serving a one-year term to reinforce the organization’s and the credential’s stability.
We acknowledge the concerns regarding the process, and one of our immediate priorities will be to develop equitable policies and procedures to create a more visible, deliberative process to expand the board and its committees and invite further accountability to the operation of the NARM. We intend to share that process and invite those interested in serving to apply in January 2025.
Since NARM’s last update, we’ve continued our work to understand the impact of financial impropriety and get up to speed on the breadth of the organization’s operations. One clear conclusion is that NARM is financially stable, creating solid footing for the organization and our mission to nurture CPM certification.
This is a helpful start, but there is still much work to be done.
We know many of you have understandably become less invested in NARM’s mission. Perhaps you are part of a community NARM has not prioritized, or maybe you’ve lost touch with our work because we failed to communicate and connect. We ask that you allow us the opportunity to show you – through our actions – that we will become a more responsive organization that serves all our members.
Among the first steps we’ve taken to regain trust is starting an intentional process designed to hear from as many community members as possible. We have turned to Stephanie McLemore Bray, a well-respected and experienced thought leader in non-profit organizations, to lead a community engagement process that seeks to formally acknowledge suggestions, feedback, and past harms as a way to inform a road map for the future of the CPM. This process will start immediately with a series of listening sessions. We’ve added more information about Stephanie below.
To that end, Stephanie will host the first of these listening sessions at the upcoming AABC conference. If you are planning to attend the conference, please join us on Friday at 4:30 pm in the Lake Harriett Room.
We are also pleased to share additional opportunities to learn more about the board and our work in the future.
Town Hall – November 13, 2025, 7p East / 4p West
Join us for our inaugural virtual Town Hall, at which you will meet the new board, hear more about our plans moving forward, and ask questions of the board and Executive Director Brynne Potter. Click here to register for the Town Hall.
Online Survey and Questionnaire
We’ve created an online survey form to help us better understand what issues are most important to you. Visit the web page here and share your thoughts.
Thank you!
Thank you to all who have emailed us, the NARM staff, and Brynne Potter, our executive director. Whether you have sent words of support or encouragement or written to share your concerns, we welcome your engagement.
Over the next few weeks, we will share more about this and offer various opportunities for us to learn more from you and for you to participate in moving NARM forward.
Respectfully,
Marinda Shindler – Board Chair
Demetra “Mimi” Seriki – Vice Chair
Autumn Cavender – Secretary
Tenesha Duncan – Treasurer
Melissa “Missy” Cheyney, PhD
Brynne Potter – Executive Director, Non-Voting
About Stephanie McLemore Bray
Stephanie McLemore Bray, founder and principal of Touchstone Leadership Group, brings more than 35 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector. She has been a CEO and an Executive Director and served on leadership teams in large, complex organizations. She specializes in helping non-profits make big transitions. With vast experience in board governance and development, Stephanie has guided NARM through a rapid governance response to stay in compliance as a nonprofit organization and with NCCA guidelines. She will be helping NARM’s new board ensure the organization practices ethical and responsive governance and is transparent as it navigates this transition period and beyond.
Stephanie will also facilitate listening sessions with CPMs and other stakeholders who have engaged with NARM over its 30-year history to gather insight into how NARM and the CPM can expand, grow, and evolve. She will be co-facilitating a session at the upcoming AABC Birth Institute in Minneapolis focused on catching our community up on where we are now and what we anticipate facing in the immediate future. You can read more about Stephanie’s background and experience here.
eBlast emailed November 7, 2024