About Us

Nichole Wardlaw, DNP, CNM, FACNM, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, completing her studies in 2005 and received her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Old Dominion University in 2022. She is currently working on her Psychiatric Mental Health nurse practitioner certification. Her desire to listen to women was the motivation that led her to midwifery, a specialty she has practiced since 2005. 

Seeing herself as a partner in her patients’ health care, Nichole is passionate about working with women, individuals, and families to ensure safe and informed care. Her areas of expertise include sexually transmitted disease education/prevention and teen pregnancy, with a special interest in transgender care and perinatal mood disorders. Her passion for her community inspired her to open a home birth practice, Jamii Birth and Wellness Services, to be able to serve her community and work towards creating spaces for clients that want out of hospital birth.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Nichole loves coastal living. She is the mother of two daughters and has one fur baby as well. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, knitting and exploring different cultures.

Karie E. Stewart, MPH, MSN, CNM, APRN, is a practicing Certified Nurse Midwife with the  University of Illinois Mile Square Health Centers and the University of Illinois Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She has been a midwife for 6 years and is the current President of the ACNM Illinois Chapter Affiliate. Karie E. Stewart has been newly inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives in 2023. 

Karie E. Stewart received her master’s in nursing from the University of Illinois Chicago and her master’s in public health at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

She started a nonprofit organization in 2019 known as Melanated Midwives, which aims to financially support BIPOC student midwives through their midwifery training programs with the goal of diversifying the midwifery workforce. 

Sheila Simms Watson, LM, CPM, MPH has thirty years of experience in Midwifery, Maternal and Infant Health. Sheila holds a master’s degree in Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Health Disparities. She maintains a diverse, community midwifery practice in Miami, Florida, serving women and families in Miami-Dade and the Upper Keys. Sh is the Clinical Director for the Southern Birth Justice Network's Mobile Midwife Clinic. 

Haguerenesh "Hagi" Woldeyohannes,  knows being a midwife is her true calling.

Woldeyohannes, a certified nurse-midwife, has served in many women’s health roles in her career as a public health professional, nurse and midwife.

She’s part of the Certified Nurse-Midwives at VCU Health, an essential childbirth team specializing in low-intervention, physiologic childbirth for low-risk women.

Woldeyohannes and the other midwives work to provide expectant mothers holistic, evidence-based childbirth as well as prenatal, postpartum, and well-woman gynecologic care.

“As a midwife and maternal health advocate, I strive to ensure equitable maternal and infant healthcare, particularly to underserved, underinsured and underinformed Black and immigrant communities.”

Woldeyohannes, herself a mother with three sons, wants her patients to feel “heard, seen, held and safe” when they are in her care.

Prior to becoming a midwife, Woldeyohannes worked in global health and research translation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in medical anthropology and then a master’s degree in public health before attending nursing school. Woldeyohannes says her professional experiences influence the way she thinks about public health and advocacy.

“Advocacy is important to me. It’s a big part of who I am,” she says. “But midwifery is my soul, and I’m really excited to be nurturing that.”

She enjoys working with VCU’s diverse team of maternal health providers, and she is constantly learning from fellow midwives, OB-GYNs, maternal fetal specialists, and nurses.

Shafia Monroe, DEM, CDT, MPH is a legendary pioneer midwife, doula trainer, and cultural competency advocate whose visionary work has revolutionized maternal and infant health, particularly within communities of color. As the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) founder, she has been instrumental in reviving the art and science of African-centered midwifery and doula care. 

Monroe has dedicated her life to combating health disparities by reducing Black maternal and infant mortality rates, empowering families, and building a robust network of culturally competent birth workers. Her teachings masterfully blend ancestral wisdom with contemporary practices, emphasizing holistic care and community empowerment. 

Monroe's signature programs, such as the Full Circle Doula Birth Companion Training, have educated thousands globally, creating a generation of compassionate and skilled birth workers. A dynamic public speaker and educator, she inspires communities to embrace traditional healing while addressing systemic challenges in healthcare. 

Through her relentless advocacy and trailblazing initiatives, Shafia Monroe continues to shape a world where equitable healthcare improves maternal and infant health.

Jamarah Amani, LM, inspired by Mama Biddy Mason, the millionaire midwife is a Black, Femme and Queer community midwife whose mission is to do her part to build a movement for birth justice. Jamarah is the architect of the Black Midwives Model of Care and the Birth Justice Bill of Rights. She is also the founder of Black Midwives Day, a nationally recognized holiday. 

Jamarah is the Executive Director of Southern Birth Justice Network, co- founder of National Black Midwives Alliance, and a founding member of the Queer and Transgender Midwives Association. 

Jamarah currently leads Mobile Midwife Clinic in Miami, providing midwifery and doula care to South Florida families in a converted RV; and Miami Birth Justice Initiative, transforming hospitals to center birth justice. 

An alumni of Echoing Ida Collective, Jamarah writes op-eds for media, and has been featured in many publications such as Essence, Miami Herald and the Washington Post. Jamarah has spoken publicly on Birth Justice worldwide, including before Congress and the United Nations. She is currently producing a documentary entitled “Legacy Power Voice: Movements in Black Midwifery.”

Her awards include the TrailBlazer Award from the City of Miami (2019), during which a day was named in her honor, the Umm Salaamah Sondra Abdullah-Zaimah Birth Worker Award from the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (2022), and the Woman of Vision Award from the Ms. Foundation (2024). Jamarah is a 2025 Black Maternal Health Fellow with Chicago Beyond. 

Keisha Goode, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the State University of New York-College at Old Westbury but most identifies as a Black midwifery enthusiast. Her primary research area is the medicalization of pregnancy and childbirth in the U.S., with a focus on Black midwifery. 

She was appointed as the first Public Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) in 2015 and served until the end of her term in November 2024. She is the co-author of Pregnancy and Birth: A Reference Handbook, published with ABC-CLIO press in June of 2021. 

She is most proud of her book under contract with Columbia University Press: Birthing, Blackness and the Body: Black  Midwives and the Pursuit of Reproductive Justice. It is an update and expansion on her 2014 dissertation about the experiences and perceptions of contemporary U.S. Black midwives. She is the recipient of the 2024 National Black Midwives Alliance Astounding Advocacy Award, an honor for which she is most proud.