News from the NACPM Board of Directors
We are excited to bring you news about NACPM’s Board of Directors!
The Board of NACPM is currently composed of nine directors with five elected positions and two person of color positions and two public member positions appointed by the Board. Officers of the Board are elected annually each Fall by the Board from among the directors. With the recent resignation of one of the directors who was serving as the Treasurer, the Board will soon appoint a new director to fill out the remaining year of the term, as provided for in NACPM’s bylaws, and the Board will elect a new Treasurer.
Today we bid farewell to our directors who are stepping away. We look forward to introducing you to our new board members tomorrow!
NACPM Board of Directors
Officers
President: Kiki Jordan, CPM, LM (appointed member)
Vice President: Keisha Goode, PhD (public member)
Secretary: Erin Ryan, CPM, LM, MPH
Treasurer: soon to be chosen
At Large
Meredith Bowden, CPM
Jacquelyn Ingram, CPM, LM, IBCLC
Mimi Niles, CNM, MPH, PhD (public member)
Aza Nedhari, CPM, LM, MS (appointed)
Tigist Ejeta, MSN, CPM, LM
Tanya Khemet Taiwo CPM-Ret., MPH, PhD - It is with the deepest gratitude - as well as poignant sadness - that we announce that Tanya Khemet Taiwo is leaving the NACPM Board of Directors, having fulfilled her three allowed terms – nine years - as a director. As NACPM’s longest-serving Black woman on the Board, Tanya’s contributions to NACPM have been historic, and we could not have been more fortunate than to have had her commitment and leadership over this past decade. Along with her national leadership, Tanya contributes to the perinatal health community as an exemplary community health innovator, epidemiologist, researcher, and midwifery educator.
Tanya, who comes from a family tradition of midwives, joined the NACPM Board of Directors in the fall of 2012, following the 2012 CPM Symposium, because of her commitment to bringing the midwifery model of care to the medically underserved and those most at risk for poor birth outcomes. Tanya has an impressive record of leadership and service with NACPM, as Board Secretary from 2012 to 2016, as Co-President from 2016 to 2019, and as President from 2019 through October 2021.
The 2012 CPM Symposium was a watershed event for the NACPM leadership team that set the organization on a journey. It began with a statement of Strategic Intention to Address Racism and Racial Disparities in U.S. Maternity Care, an acknowledgement of systemic racism as a root cause of tragic racial disparities in birth outcomes, and a recognition of the imperative for Black leadership within the organization and midwifery. The Symposium led to a set of commitments developed with NACPM members to address racism and oppression in birth and midwifery in all its forms. Following the approval of a bylaws change by NACPM’s members to secure two permanent board-appointed positions dedicated to people of color, Tanya graciously accepted the first appointment. She has held the space for Black leadership at NACPM for the past nine years, at first as the only Black member of the Board of Directors, all the while supporting the gradual building of trust within the community and capacity within the organization that has led to a majority BIPOC leadership team. NACPM and the CPM community owe Tanya a debt of gratitude for her courage and leadership that cannot be repaid. We thank you and we love you, Tanya!
To hear directly from Tanya about her story and journey with NACPM, listen to this podcast from Shirley McAlpine’s She’s Got Drive with Tanya and Keisha Goode.
Megan Koontz, MSM, LM, CPM - Megan, originally from New Zealand and now of Alaska and a midwifery educator who is passionate about all things midwifery, left the NACPM Board this October after serving a three-year term. Megan holds a Bachelor of Midwifery and a Masters in Midwifery from New Zealand, has worked in homes, birth centers and hospitals, and attended births in New Zealand, England, Alaska, Utah, and California. She serves as Core Academic Faculty and Academic Dean at the Midwives College of Utah. We are most grateful to Megan for serving so ably as NACPM’s Treasurer, including for her innovative initiatives for engaging board members in understanding and holding accountability for the finances of the organization – not a simple task. Megan, we thank you for your service and we wish you all the best!
Jennifer Ross, CPM- Jennifer recently resigned from the NACPM Board after serving two years of her term, including as Co-Treasurer for the past six months. Jennifer continued to serve on the Board, even after relocating this past year from New Hampshire to the Philippines. In addition to her love of midwifery, Jennifer brought to NACPM her previous experience of working overseas for many years as an engineer, manager, and business developer, along with her commitment to autonomy and sustainability for community midwives. She is strongly dedicated to supporting the advancement and expansion of a diverse and representative midwife workforce and to increasing access to high-quality care in homes and freestanding birth centers. Thank you for serving, Jennifer – we wish you all the best!