Maridee Shogren DNP, CNM, CLC,  is a Clinical Professor at the University of North Dakota. Dr. Shogren is the PI on the Don’t Quit the Quit grant and working to increase access to care and grow community support for perinatal persons in recovery from opioid use disorder. 

Penny is a physical therapist who has specialized in childbirth education and labor support since 1968. She estimates she has prepared over 12,000 women, couples and siblings for childbirth. She has assisted hundreds of women or couples through childbirth as a doula. She is the producer of several birth-related films and is the author of many books and articles on birth for both parents and professionals. Books include The Labor Progress Handbook (2011) with Ruth Ancheta, The Birth Partner (2008) and When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse of Childbearing Women (2004) with Phyllis Klaus. Her latest film is “There’s a Baby: A Film for Children about Birth and the New Baby” (2013).

Besides being one of the Founders of DONA International, she currently serves on several boards of consultants, the Editorial Board of the journal, “Birth”, and serves on the senior faculty at the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University, which was named in her honor.

Jennie Joseph is a well respected health advocate for women and newborn babies. A British-trained midwife, Jennie has become one of the world's most respected midwives and authorities on women's health: healthy pregnancies, healthy deliveries and healthy babies. She has become a true advocate for systematic reform that puts women and babies first in healthcare; before profit, convenience and the numerous reasons America trails other developed nations in healthy births. Jennie's common sense approach has won her the attention of global news media and brought her invitations to speak all over the world. Jennie is the founder and executive director of Commonsense Childbirth Inc. and the creator of The JJ Way, a common sense approach designed for women and children. Jennie has worked extensively in European hospitals, American birth centers, clinics and homebirth environments. She has been instrumental in the regulation of Florida midwives since the 1990s and has been involved in midwifery education since 1995. Jennie firmly believes in patient-centered, woman-centered care and works tirelessly to support the systems, providers and agencies charged with delivering that type of care. Until women and their loved ones feel that they have enough knowledge and agency to be part of the decisions around their care and until they have access to the education and support that they are lacking, they will continue to be at risk.  - Jennie Joseph.

Charles Johnson, founder of 4kira4moms has shared his story and advocated for change through countless live events and media appearances all over the country, including at the March for Moms rally in Washington, D.C., last year. Last September he testified before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health about the need to pass the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act of 2017  - which, as you know, was indeed passed by Congress and signed into law. When he is not advocating to improve maternal health practices, Charles is busy raising his two sons, Charles V and Langston.

Natalie S. Burke is a nationally-known speaker, strategist, master facilitator, and public health leader.  As President and CEO of CommonHealth ACTION she works to develop people and organizations to produce health through equitable policies, programs, and practices.

Natalie believes that to alter our collective health destiny, we must change our language; challenge deeply held beliefs about equity in our society, and accept the role we each play in the production of the public’s health.

Ebere Azumah, MD, ACC, FACOG, MPH is the Founder & CEO of Azumah Solutions LLC, a Consulting and Professional Coaching Firm. She is a DONA trained Doula and a Board - Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist. 

Dr. Azumah is a graduate of Wayne State School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan and completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency training from Long Island Jewish Hospital in New York City, New York. She completed her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts where she focused on Negotiation and Healthcare Leadership.

She has a passion for bridging gaps between organizations through negotiation. Her desire is for Obstetricians and Doulas to work collaboratively to provide a patient-centered labor experience for pregnant women.

Dr. Azumah's other passions include business development and providing quality healthcare to vulnerable communities in the United States, Haiti, and Africa. She Co-Founded Blacks and Allies for Global Health Equity, a platform for intrinsically motivated individuals in the diaspora to engage in global health equity dialogues and to provide medical mission trips to Low income countries.

Penny is a physical therapist who has specialized in childbirth education and labor support since 1968. She estimates she has prepared over 12,000 women, couples and siblings for childbirth. She has assisted hundreds of women or couples through childbirth as a doula. She is the producer of several birth-related films and is the author of many books and articles on birth for both parents and professionals. Books include The Labor Progress Handbook (2011) with Ruth Ancheta, The Birth Partner (2008) and When Survivors Give Birth: Understanding and Healing the Effects of Early Sexual Abuse of Childbearing Women (2004) with Phyllis Klaus. Her latest film is “There’s a Baby: A Film for Children about Birth and the New Baby” (2013).

Besides being one of the Founders of DONA International, she currently serves on several boards of consultants, the Editorial Board of the journal, “Birth”, and serves on the senior faculty at the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University, which was named in her honor.

Nouman Ashraf is Assistant Professor, Rotman School of Management. He possesses a broad range of professional, academic and research interests, with a specialized focus on enabling impactful leadership practice within organization life. A recognized thought leader in governance, Nouman teaches Emancipatory Leadership within the OMNIUM Global Executive MBA Program, Leading Social Innovation within the 2 and 3 Year MBA programs, and is the winner of the 2015 and 2016 Rotman Teaching Award. Furthermore, he advises the Ontario Ministry of Education on governance renewal for all of their school boards. His previous consulting clients include Telus, Cliffs Natural Resources, Bayer, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, United Way Toronto, and numerous post-secondary and healthcare institutions globally. At lunch time, he can be found at Massey College within the University of Toronto, where he mentors exceptional post-graduate students in his capacity as Senior Fellow.