Jessica Brumley, CNM, PhD, FACNM

Jessica Brumley earned her midwifery degree (MA) from New York University in 2001 and her PhD in Nursing from the University of South Florida (2012). She has spent the past 18 years with the University of South Florida, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She has served as Director of the Division of Midwifery since 2013. In 2022 was named Vice Chair of Health Equity. Under her leadership, the practice has doubled in size and expanded coverage to include 11 Midwives attending over 1,000 births per year. This practice is known as a model for team-based care in which all members are valued for their unique expertise. She has served ACNM in multiple roles. At the affiliate level she has been Chapter chair and Affiliate President. She focused on growing the volunteer leadership and improving the value of membership. She has represented the Florida Affiliate on the Florida Perinatal Quality Collaborative Steering Committee, the ACOG District XII Advisory Council and serves as the Florida Representative to the ACNM AIM State Leaders Workgroup. At the national level, she has served as Secretary of the Midwives of Color Committee and Chair of the Basic Education Section of the Division of Education. She served on the Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce and was the ACNM Representative to the AIM Workgroup that created the Peripartum Racial/Ethnic Disparities Patient Safety Bundle. She has served as ACNM Vice President since May 2020. In this role she served as chair of the Volunteer Leadership Council, Chair of the ACNM Awards Committee and the Board Liaison to the Scope of Practice revision taskforce. She has been honored to have been a Sigma Theta Tau Maternal Child Health Leadership Fellow (2010-2011), ACNM Foundation Thatcher Fellow (2012) and has been inducted as a Fellow of the ACNM (2018).

Dr. Jessica Brumley CV
Dr. Jessica Brumley Responses to Questions
https://vimeo.com/acnm/jessica...

Máiri Breen Rothman, CNM, FACNM, DM

Dr. Rothman earned a BA in Dance, an MA in Communication and Theater, and a BSN before graduating from Frontier School of Midwifery & Family Nursing. She holds an MSN from Case Western, and proudly graduated with the inaugural class of Doctors of Midwifery from the Midwifery Institute at Jefferson. Máiri has practiced in home, birth center, clinic, and hospital settings. She has taught in the classroom and clinically at numerous universities and most recently for Home Birth Academy, which she co-founded. Her legislative work includes successful lobbying (and helping draft language) for 8 laws successfully passed in Maryland and several Federal laws and earned her the first-ever ACNM Policy Award. Máiri has presented at ACNM, MANA, ICM, and the International Conference on Normal Labour & Birth Research. As a Professional Services Consultant to ACNM, Mairi has contributed to multiple ACNM publications and policy documents. Máiri served two terms on the Board of ACNM, currently sits on the ACNM Fellows Board, and has also served on the boards of the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services and the Washington Ethical Society. Máiri has found her “niche” in the human aspect of organizational development, applying her leadership to committees on strategic planning, member engagement, anti-racism, gender equity, and intra-organizational communication. Over a 27-year period, having served on the Board of ACNM, the Program Committee, the PAC, and the Home Birth Section, as well as on the ACNM Staff, Mairi has had first-hand, behind-the-scenes experiences of Board, staff, Affiliates, Annual Meetings, and has represented ACNM at government and professional associations and on the Hill. Finally, Máiri’s experience as a leader of ceremonies and community gatherings is deep and informs all her works in the world. These experiences have uniquely prepared her for the role of President-Elect.

Dr. Rothman CV
Dr. Rothman Responses to Questions
Dr. Rothman Video

Alexis Dunn Amore, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN 

Dr. Dunn Amore is committed to advancing the health of those most vulnerable. Her scholarship and service are focused on dismantling perinatal health disparities as well as developing initiatives to address the root causes of maternal mortality. Her work has improved the health of thousands of women through research and clinical practice as well as advocacy efforts on the state and national level. She is a fellow in the American College of Nurse Midwives and the American Academy of Nursing in which she actively serves on several committees. She is passionate about the community and works in collaboration with Georgia and Tennessee community organizations to develop timely and innovative strategies to address disparities in health outcomes for black women during pregnancy, as well as initiatives to build social support and resilience in the birth community. She believes that it is important to surround herself with other colleagues who are committed to advancing the state of health in this country through servant leadership. Her love for mentorship, dedication to training the next generation of midwife scientists, and passion for giving back to the community are qualities that demonstrate her commitment to a style of leadership grounded in service.

Dr. Dunn Amore has received funding for her research from the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Nurse Midwives, and Emory University. She has published in a variety of journals including the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health and Biological Research for Nursing. Additionally, Dr. Dunn Amore actively disseminates health-related information through mainstream and social media outlets, and has been featured on NPR radio as well as television broadcasts for Fox 5 Atlanta.
Dr. Dunn Amore CV
Dr. Dunn Amore Responses to Questions
Dr. Dunn Amore Video

Eileen Thrower, PhD, APRN, CNM, CNE, FACNM

Eileen Thrower practiced clinical midwifery in Georgia for more than 25 years before transitioning into an academic role at Frontier Nursing University in 2016. Currently, she is the Department Chair for the Midwifery and Women's Health Department. During her clinical practice, she established two nurse-midwifery practices in West Georgia. Her Ph.D. dissertation examined oral histories of nurse-midwives in Georgia. She continues to research the history of midwifery, focusing on the Southeast and the Grand midwives of Georgia. She is a past president of the Georgia ACNM Affiliate, and vice-chair of the Georgia Coalition of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. She currently serves as the Chair of ACNM's Program Committee. Eileen volunteers at a clinic in West Georgia, providing gynecologic care at no cost to uninsured individuals.
Dr. Thrower CV
Dr. Thrower Responses to Questions
Dr. Thrower Video

Another candidate block

Kathleen Lavery, CNM

I am your current Region 4 Representative. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you and learning about the different states and affiliates. I have also served as liaison to various committees and task forces, and as a member of the Finance and Audit Committee of the board.

I have been a CNM for 30 years, in a variety of clinical practices. I am active legislatively and in regulatory settings. I have run the business of my private practice for 25 years. If you elect me to continue, I hope to improve communication, and provide additional support to each affiliate and member of Region 4. I believe we need continuity on the board currently as we shore up our finances and redirect our organization. I am willing to continue my role to facilitate this and to help to move our organization forward. We must move forward with purpose and unity and focus on midwifery advocacy and standards.

I believe ACNM provides CRITICALLY IMPORTANT services to all midwives, especially in the legislation and policy arenas. We MUST have this voice to improve midwifery practice. I will continue to do my best to move our profession and organization forward. Thank you.
Kathleen Lavery CV
Kathleen Lavery Responses to Questions
https://vimeo.com/acnm/katiela...

Alisha C. Morgan, DNP, CNM, APRN, FACNM

Alisha C. Morgan, DNP, CNM, APRN, FACMN, has dedicated the last two decades to the care of women and newborns. She has endeavored to increase public awareness of midwifery and women’s health through professional conference presentations, mentoring, and media appearances.

For twelve years, she practiced full scope midwifery in a private, collaborative practice caring for a diverse population. As the Director of Midwifery for the practice, she acted as the midwifery lead and worked closely with the practice owner and practice administrator providing professional advice, contributed to policy planning and the decision-making process. She developed an innovative midwifery outreach program for pregnant teens and young mothers residing in a rural group home allowing them to benefit from midwifery-led care while decreasing school absenteeism.

While in private practice, she was nominated and elected to the Baptist Health Systems Women’s and Newborn Care Service line where she was the sole midwifery representative and the only non-physician voting member of a service line encompassing nine Baptist Health hospitals in Kentucky and Indiana.

In 2022, she and a CNM colleague integrated midwifery at a rural regional hospital in southern Kentucky. She developed evidence-based protocols for the hospital and worked closely with hospital administration to update hospital bylaws thus increasing access to midwifery care and decreasing physician oversight.

Dr. Morgan is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives, is the Legislative Liaison for the Kentucky Affiliate of ACNM, is the Kentucky representative for the ACNM National Government Affairs Committee, a member of the ACNM Clinical Standards and Documents Committee and was a contributing author to the ACNM’s Exam Prep Workbook. She is active in the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives and has been involved with the Institute for Medicaid Innovation: Midwifery Led Collaborative Team Kentucky.
Dr. Morgan CV
Dr. Morgan Responses to Questions
https://vimeo.com/acnm/alisham...

Kimberly Amsley-Camp, CNM, MHA

I am a CNM practicing full-scope midwifery at Keystone Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in South Central Pennsylvania and I welcome the challenge of serving on the Nominating Committee of ACNM. I have been a board member of the PA Affiliate of ACNM since 2017. I have served as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Chair of the Midwifery Forward Committee since 2019, served on the legislative committee, and have been active with the new midwives and students committee as a mentor. I have served on numerous committees with my FQHC and WellSpan Health and am currently Vice-Chair of the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Committee and serve on the annual Continuing Education Day for APPs. In addition to healthcare leadership, I held elected office on the Chambersburg Area School Board from 2012-2016. In that capacity, I served as President, Vice-President, and other committee leadership positions. To date, I am the only woman to have served as President of the school board in its 60-year history. It was in this role I became knowledgeable about Roberts Rules of Order and how to officially and efficiently run a business meeting and hold elections of officers and committee assignments.
Kimberly Amsley-Camp CV
Kimberly Amsley-Camp Responses to Questions

https://vimeo.com/acnm/kimamsl...

Sharon L. Ruyak, PhD, CNM

Dr. Sharon Ruyak is the Leah Albers Endowed Professor of Midwifery at the University of New Mexico (UNM), College of Nursing. She has been a member of ACNM since 1995. Dr. Ruyak received her Bachelor of Science degree from Towson University. She spent several years working in both pediatrics and obstetrics before pursuing a career as a Certified Nurse-Midwife. Dr. Ruyak received her Master of Science degree from Georgetown University in 1997 with an emphasis in Nurse-Midwifery. She practiced as a CNM in both hospital-based and private practice. Dr. Ruyak joined the faculty of the University of New Mexico (UNM), College of Nursing in 2013. In 2015, Dr. Ruyak received her PhD in nursing from the University of Colorado, Denver. She was awarded a National Institute of Nursing Research Intramural Fellowship at the 2015 Summer Genetic Institute. She also received the Rosenblum-Weiss Endowment for Excellence in Women’s and Children’s Health. As the Principal Investigator of a funded PCORI project, Dr. Ruyak built community, healthcare, and research capacities in order to develop stakeholder defined priorities to address healthcare and quality of life for women experiencing perinatal mood disorders. Through collective and equitable engagement, and collaborative efforts of all stakeholders, community priorities were determined leading to the formation of the New Mexico chapter of Postpartum Support International (PSI). Dr. Ruyak is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the New Mexico chapter of PSI and serves in the capacity of secretary. Additionally, during her time at UNM, Dr. Ruyak has served in numerous faculty governance roles including the College of Nursing Nominating Committee, Faculty Development and Leadership, Research and Scholarship, and is the current Chair Elect of Faculty Affairs. Dr. Ruyak is also a member of the UNM Health Sciences Center Council and the UNM Committee on Governance.
Dr. Ruyak CV
Dr. Ruyak Responses to Questions
https://vimeo.com/acnm/sharonr...

Region VI Representative

Jessica Ellis, CNM, PhD, FACNM

Dr. Jessica Ellis, CNM, PHD, FACNM (she/her/hers) is a nurse-midwife, scientist, and educator.

Jessica graduated from San Diego Mira Mar College with an associate degree in Business Administration and Weber State University with her Associate’s and Bachelor’s in Nursing, and the University of Utah with a Master’s in Nursing and Midwifery. She attended Georgia State College for a PhD in nursing and health promotion, protection, and restoration.

Jessica has more than 25 years of experience in women’s health, nursing, and midwifery. Jessica has a deep love for midwifery and growing the midwifery workforce by training new midwives. She is the Director of the Nurse-midwifery Specialty Track at the University of Utah. She teaches in the classroom and clinical settings. She is part of a full-scope nurse-midwifery practice at an academic medical center. And she has practiced in a variety of settings, including rural health and underserved populations. She is enthusiastic about supporting models of care that integrate midwifery. She works daily to support decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and the training of midwifery students.

Jessica has been an active member and volunteer with ACNM since 2009. She has been part of the Montana and Utah Affiliates and the Georgia Affiliate. She was the secretary for the Georgia Affiliate. She serves as the Utah Affiliate President and the Clinical Standards and Documents committee chair. She has been a fellow with the American College of Nurse-Midwives since 2020. She is a lifelong learner and feels enthusiastic about supporting our professional organization as it gives us a voice among other professions.
Dr. Ellis CV
Dr. Ellis Responses to Questions

Region VII Representative

Theresa Coley-Kouadio, CNM, MSN, FACNM

It is hard to believe that I have almost completed my first term as Region VII Representative. During my tenure I have been the board liaison to ACME, the Ethics committee, and proud to have been a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Task Force. Unfortunately, our financial situation has overshadowed the magnificent work of the Task Force. I have convened the Philosophy Revision Task Force and the revised document is close to release. I serve on the Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) as well. As a part of the board, I have championed gender inclusive language in our documents. I am proud to serve on the most diverse board in our his/her/theirstory.

Like many of you Covid has disrupted my life. My position was abruptly eliminated, and we have spent the summer searching for meaningful work. Thankfully, I have a new position as the first CNM in Utqiagvik, Alaska formerly Barrow. I was recruited because of my proven record of increasing births in remote locations, our operating room is only seven hundred miles away.

I have midwifed in most every setting from birth center, to rural, regional, and remote. I have precepted and taught midwifery students. I have been involved in advocacy in my state through the APRN alliance.
Theresa Kouadio CV
Theresa Kouadio Responses to Questions
https://vimeo.com/acnm/theresa...