Our next scheduled Affiliate meeting is this coming Monday, December 6th from 7-8:30 PM via Zoom.
Agenda:
7:00 – 7:30 PM: Affiliate meeting: committee updates, 2022 Midwifery Day planning.
7:30 – 8:30 PM: Guest speaker: President-Elect of the ACNM Board of Directors, Heather Clarke, DNP, CNM, LM, APRN, FACNM.
Heather Clarke, DNP, CNM, LM, APRN, FACNM. Heather’s midwifery career spans over 41 years with a rich history of clinical practice, public health, and academia. Throughout that time, she was an active member of ACNM. Beginning in the mid-1980s, she served as Treasurer on the board of the New York ACNM chapter when it successfully fought to develop the first state board of midwifery in the US and paved the way for the development of the LM credential that is equally inclusive of CMs and CNMs.
Racial unrest and calls for equity are not new to the ACNM. Heather was present in 1987 when the ACNM ad hoc committee on minority affairs was formed to give voice to midwives of color for the first time in its history. The ad hoc committee changed its name in the 1990s and became the standing ACNM Midwives of Color Committee (MOCC). Following previous pioneers, Heather became the chairperson of MOCC in 2013. Under her leadership, MOCC continued to fundraise for the Watson scholarship for midwifery students of color and developed the Carrington-Hsia-Nieves scholarship to support doctoral education. Her other positions of leadership included Co-Chair of the ACNM Students and New Midwives Committee and alternate ACNM representative to US-MERA. Heather’s active engagement within ACNM has prepared her for leadership at the highest level.
Heather has five specific goals in mind: 1) To grow more midwives who reflect the diversity of our consumers; 2) To push for system change that centers midwives as the primary providers for women and families throughout the reproductive health cycle; 3) To close the gap in MCH disparities among BIPOC families; 4) To build equity, unity, and respect for all members around common goals; 5) To build ACNM’s membership and become more responsive to members’ professional needs.
Find the link to the Zoom meeting in our Connect room.