Leadership

Founder/Executive Director- Jill D. Chasse – As a public health practitioner, my career focus is on improving the health of women & children through research, program planning, training, and policy development as well as managing programs in maternal/perinatal mental health & wellness including outreach and education in prenatal care, birthing and lactation. Designing and managing BEBE Childbirth gave me the chance to address the need for maternal and perinatal psychology in childbirth education. I am currently a doctor of public health candidate and work as a program manager in the center for military infectious diseases research at Walter Reed. I enjoy reading, skiing, a hot cup of coffee, the ocean, and my two fantastic children who keep my heart happy and balanced. Responsibilities include: Overseeing the planning and implementation the BEBE educational program and instructor training. Representing BEBE at meetings of other groups, conferences, organizations, etc., Ensuring that BEBE’s purpose is met and that goals are accomplished. Contributing to, editing and publishing the BEBE newsletter. Coordinating and leading bi-annual board meetings.

Outreach and Promotion Manager- Jennifer Antonik – Jennifer is a doula, breastfeeding educator and natural parenting advocate in areas including full term breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing, and cloth diapering. She is also the Founder of Momma Trauma, an organization which seeks to provide a voicing platform for the unheard and unashamed voices of birth trauma and introduce Perinatal Violence legislation in order to end the violence cycle. Responsibilities include: Managing the marketing, outreach and customer relations for BEBE . Getting the word out about BEBE education, connecting with local events, increasing an awareness of and interest in BEBE and the importance of the baby in the birth process. Bringing in sponsors, collaborators and promotional opportunities. Contributing to the planning and implementation of BEBE’s educational programs and outreach initiatives.

Maternal/Child Health Advisor: Anni McLaughlin- My name is Anni and I have been doing birth work since 1980. Before that I was very active in LLL and teaching CBE. I HAVE 4 adult children and a dozen sweet grand kids both the Pacific and Eastern time zones! I have recently moved to Richmond to help establish a new program similar to the one Jennie Joseph has done in Florida. I am convinced that deeply connected midwifery care can turn the horrendous statistics for mothers and babies of color around. Our program will encompass a wide variety of peer outreach programs including ( but not limited :0) to) mother mentoring, peer counseling, Breastfeeding, CBE, Doulas, birth assistants and a midwifery training program along with postpartum care and grief groups.Responsibilities include: Strategic technical leadership and expertise in family planning, reproductive health, pregnancy and maternal and child health with a BEBE perspective. Ensuring that BEBE materials and projects are technically sound, respectful and inclusive. Contributing to the newsletter for maternal/child health section.

Perinatal Mental Health Advisor: L. Janel Martin– Janel is known as the Baby Whisperer, the Baby Keeper and Baby Lorax and she passionately teaches others – anyone who will listen but especially mothers and fathers and birth caregivers – how babies communicate and need to be treated with respect and kindness. She specializes in supporting and healing mama-baby attachment with craniosacral based therapy. She supports mothers and fathers to hear their newborn/ infant baby’s story of birth so they can each integrate their experience and then reconnect as a unit in a new way – to create foundation of attachment for life. Janel is filmmaker of “The Other Side of the Glass: a birth film for and about men, a look at the collective mama-baby separation wounding of modern birth and how it impacts the family relationships and imprints humanity for war and violence. Janel lives in Washington DC area. She has four children and four grandchildren. One of her grandson’s births is featured in her film. Check out her acclaimed article, “How to Meet a Baby” about how to be with babies at www.theothersideoftheglassthefilm.blogspot.com.Contact her at babykeeper@gmail.com
Responsibilities include: Helping to identify and fill gaps in perinatal emotional and psychological support during the childbearing year. Integrating baby’s needs and unique perspective on the impact of psychosocial risk factors during and after pregnancy, such as trauma and attachment into the BEBE model. Promoting the importance of the baby in the birth process. Providing up to date research and knowledge on prenatal emotional support and development. Contributing to the newsletter for emotional/psychological health section.

Education Manager- VACANT
Responsibilities include: Keeping BEBE educational materials up to date and appropriate with changing needs of instructors and moms, varying dynamics and most current information in the field, including methods, research and modalities. The education manager also keeps up with collaborating organizations such as BirthPower and ICEA to make sure BEBE approvals, agreements and certifications are up to date. As the BEBE classes are managed on the WiseWoman University Website, the Education Manager and Executive Director would both have access to the WWU platform.

Peer Advisor Lead- Angelique Chelton– I’m a homeschooling mom- I have two kids ages 7 & 4. I’m a doula, a lactation counselor and a childbirth educator (BEBE). I offer services directly to families. I am also a bereavement doula, serving families who have lost or are expecting the loss of their baby. I offer bereavement trainings to birth workers via webinars and day-long workshops to help them develop compassionate bereavement skills for their own sakes as well as for their clients. Finally, I’m an aspiring midwife and I serve on the leadership team of the Midwives Alliance of Pennsylvania.
Responsibilities include: Coordinate and organize the Peer Advisors, educating them on the role and supporting them in the process. Approve Peer Advisors and connect them with BEBE student educators as needed.

• Peer Advisors-
Responsibilities include:
BEBE Peer Advisors are graduates of the program who may have faced and overcome many of the same challenges that the current students face. Peer Advisors may provide some content/learning support, but generally their goal is more social support, application of BEBE to the field of birth in a variety of ways, and course-life balance suggestions and encouragement. In addition, BEBE Peer Advisors help current students by improving self-esteem and confidence, and improving communication skills, including a clearer sense of what questions to ask when and where within the class to the Course Mentor/Instructor

IT Manager: Jacqueline Macfadyen– Hi, I’m Jakki, the IT mom. I’m a Tech Lead for HSUS and have held various IT/IS positions from Help Desk to System Administrator to Programmer over the last 15 years. I’m also a mom of two with an awesome stay at home husband.
Responsibilities include: As BEBE is an online certification course, web presence is vital. Keeping up the BEBE website and designing new online materials such as YouTube videos, webinars, chats and presentations are responsibilities of the IT Manager. IT manager must coordinate with WWU staff to make any necessary updates to web format, content or learning platform and help update quality practices and tools to state-of-the-art quality improvement principles. Verify links on each page semi-annually, on both WWU education platform and BEBE website.

Secretary: VACANT
Responsibilities include: The BEBE Secretary manages the list of board members and contact information for the archives, takes notes at meetings, and distributes minutes to all members of the management board. He/She is also responsible for managing the email group including membership approval. Encourage board members to submit relevant material or make suggestions for newsletter and website(s).

Collaborating Organization/ Community Advisor: BirthPower/Barbara Rivera– Barbara from BirthPower & Empowered Birth Awareness Week (EBAW). I am a homeschooling mother of 3. The whole BirthPower Awareness Campaign (and EBAW) is about using our collective resources as birthworkers to raise awareness and brand empowered birth choices –the vision is to have the “Main Stream” curious and interested in improving their birth experience… THEN having birthworkers who support humanity, able to reach the public through the BirthPower Marketplace. Together we can have the marketing ability to CoCola, and then make a living ( finally) by selling the products & services to those looking for what we provide. This project has been dream up until now, I am planning on focusing this year on make it THE place to go for pregnancy, birth & beyond.

BEBE International Ambassadors: Leaders from across the world helping to spread the message of Baby-Empowered Birthing Education, teaching classes, recruiting interest, and sharing experiences through the BEBE network. The mission our ambassadors includes sharing the importance of mental health for both mother and baby during pregnancy and birth, as well as the postpartum period. They also teach that BEBE birth can be a healing experience for those who have experienced trauma previously. Teaching the acceptance of the baby’s consciousness and awareness as well as the mother-baby connection is vital to being a BEBE International Ambassador.

to apply, write to BEBEChildbirth@yahoo.com