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Board of Directors & Advisory Committee

Board of Directors and Advisory Committee

Focusing on the intersection of public health and midwifery to address healthcare disparities and to engender a more equitable maternity care system for all women and infants, we are building a community network to create happy, healthy mothers and newborns. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, public charity 509(a)(2).

If you believe in our vision and mission and are interested in joining our Board of Directors or Advisory Committee, please Contact Us

Volunteer/Board Member Application Form

Qualifications for Board | Philosophy | Board Members | Advisory Committee

 

We have openings for TWO board members for 2024-2025. Apply Today!

Terms & Qualifications

The term is for one year and is pro-bono. Black/African-American, Indigenous, Asian/API, Latinx and LGBTQIA+ persons are encouraged to apply since these are the populations we serve. The term begins January 2024 through December 2024. We meet quarterly by conference call or web. When possible, we meet once a year in person for a retreat/visioning session in Los Angeles, California, USA.

How to Apply

Please fill out our Volunteer/Board Member Application Form, and attach a CV or resume and cover letter stating why you want to serve, and how your education, skills and experience will be useful in meeting our organization’s mission. Send documents to Cordelia Hanna, MPH,  Executive Director.
 

Meet Our Board of Directors

 

Philosophical Foundation of Our Work

OUR MISSION

To promote high-quality, family-centered, evidence-based, respectful maternity and newborn care, and improved health outcomes for all childbearing persons and their babies.

OUR WORK

Our work focuses on addressing health care disparities and to engendering birthing justice for all pregnant women, persons and their infants. As ethnically diverse, multidisciplinary professionals serving pregnant and parenting families, we offer Doula services, childbirth preparation classes, breastfeeding support, and maternal- infant mental health workshops and support groups for families. We also offer professional training, certification, learning and networking opportunities for mental health and perinatal health professionals.

Our focus areas are:

  • Training, Certification and Continuing Education Programs for Professionals
  • Childbirth Doula and Postpartum Doula Services
  • Breastfeeding Support Services
  • Promoting Maternal Mental Health and Infant Mental Health
  • Engendering Birthing Justice for All Childbearing Persons
  • Amplifying the voices of Black, Indigenous and other persons of color and LBGTQIA+ persons about their experiences in maternity care.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

  • As advocates for families and babies, we seek to ensure that all childbearing persons are treated with dignity and respect during the pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum periods.
  • We promote a self-growth approach to pregnancy; which is a special and unique time in a woman’s and a person’s life.
  • We believe each pregnant woman or person should be surrounded by a loving and supportive community and each baby should be born into the hands of skilled, compassionate and respectful caregivers.
  • We protect the Mother/Baby dyad whose needs are mutually dependent.
  • We are reverent of the sacred nature of birth and are inspired by its potential to transform women, relationships, families, and communities.
  • We strive to improve birth outcomes for women and infants where perinatal health disparities and inequities exist.
  • We aim to improve the quality of maternity and newborn care in all settings.
  • We are dedicated to helping families have empowering, satisfying and joyous experiences from conception through gestation, childbirth, and early parenthood.

WHAT WE DO

We promote evidence-based, Mother-Baby Friendly maternity care. We believe the philosophical cornerstones of Mother-Friendly care to be as outlined by Coalition for Improving Maternity Services in The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI): autonomy, responsibility, empowerment and do no harm.

About Our Board of Directors & Advisory Committee

Our Board of Directors and Advisory Committee are professionals from various fields including midwifery, medicine,  public health, social services, education, medical anthropology, public administration, non-profit management, medical law, etc, who are willing to dedicate time, talent to ensure that our mission is realized. We also have consumers of midwifery and/or doula care on our board and advisory committee.  We are a working board, actively involved in fundraising and fiscal oversight of the organization.

Qualifications for Serving on Our Board or Advisory Committee

1. Experience, education and/or training as a  Doula, Midwife, Nurse, Physician, Mental Health Practitioner (Psychologist, Social Worker or Therapist specializing in perinatal psychology), community health promoter, public health professional, childbirth educator, lactation consultant/counselor/educator or student pursuing career in Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Family Practice Medicine, Psychology, Anthropology, Midwifery, Public Health, Nursing, Labor and/or Lactation Support, and related disciplines. We also accept applications from parents who have received midwifery care or doula support when having their babies.

2. Personal experience as a recipient of midwifery and/or doula care and/or philosophical belief in the 4 principles outlined by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services. 

3. Knowledge or experience with issues related to health equity and ethnic perinatal health disparities, quality of life issues impacting perinatal health upon disadvantaged families;

4. Knowledge of maternal-child health, obstetrics, gynecology, midwifery, lactation and pediatrics;

5. Work experience in maternal-child health care or mental health services environment; knowledge of health care and social service and mental health delivery systems locally and internationally (particularly in Africa);

6. Community outreach and organizing experience;

7. Knowledge of and respect for cultural and community-based health beliefs and practices;

8. Grant writing, program planning and evaluation, policy development, leadership and fundraising experience;

9. Experience with non-profit management, grant-writing, fund-raising, including fiscal management, accounting processes and reporting requirements;

10. African-American/Black, Latinx, Indigenous or Asian/API ethnicity with linguistic capabilities in Spanish, French, Asian (Tagolog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Korean, Thai, etc.) or African languages (Wolof, Ibu, Kipseget, Yoruba, Twi, Akan, Kikongo, Lingala,  Swahili, etc.) is  highly desirable.

 

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

It is the policy and commitment of The HAPPY MAMA HEALTHY BABY ALLIANCE that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability or religion. As an Equal Employment Opportunity organization, we are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and does not discriminate in the terms, conditions, or privileges of involvement in our organization in any capacity on account of race, age, color, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender, religion or otherwise as may be prohibited by federal and state law.

Any employee, board member, volunteer or client who believes that s/he or any other affiliate of our organization who has been discriminated against is strongly encouraged to report this concern promptly to the Chairman of the Board.

Advisory Committee Members

If you do not have time to be a board member, then we invite you to join our Advisory Committee and offer your expertise to our organization in areas such as legal, medicine, nursing, health education, midwifery, mental health, cultural competency, and more. Please contact us for more information.