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CEA/MNY Board Members

CEA/MNY members who wish to support the continuing growth of the organization hold all board positions. Positions are volunteered only and non-remunerated.

Thank you board members for your hard work and commitment to childbirth education!

PRESIDENT: Asha Curran CCE, CD

Asha Curran is a certified CEA childbirth educator and DONA-certified labor support doula with a former career in publishing and publicity. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children.

Job description: Oversees and maintains all areas of CEA/MNY activities, committees and programs; leads Board meetings: handles public relations and publicity; supports and maintains Teacher Certification Program; Serves on TCP committee; works with Board on direction and goals of the organization, speaks publicly and oversees day-to-day workings of the organization. Current CEA/MNY Certified Childbirth Educator preferred.

Email:Asha@ceamny[dot]org

VICE PRESIDENT: Meredith Fein Lichtenberg CCE

Meredith Fein Lichtenberg, CCE, is the director of A Mother Is Born Pregnancy and Postpartum Services and the Vice President of CEA/MNY.

In addition to teaching childbirth education, breastfeeding and infant care to pregnant couples, she leads groups and workshops for new mothers at various locations in Manhattan, and works privately with new parents as a parenting and sleep coach and Back-To-Work (tm) doula.

A former employment lawyer and nonfiction writer, her focus is women's changing identities in the childbirth years.

Job description: Works in tandem with and supports the Board President in all her duties.

Immediate Past President: Shar La Porte RN, CCE, CD

Shar La Porte has been an active member of CEA since 1999. She served as CEA's treasurer before being elected president. She is a certified Doula and Childbirth Educator and is a Registered Nurse in a Labor & Delivery unit. She held the position of Co-Director for the Metropolitan Doula Group for 4 years, and is currently pursuing a CNM degree. Shar lives in Manhattan with her two sons.

Job description: serves as advisor to current president.

TREASURER: Patricia Dupree

Patricia Dupree is a Certified Prenatal & Postnatal Fitness Instructor. Her passion with pregnancy and childbirth also include providing psychological counseling, health & fitness education and labor support to pregnant and parenting teens. She is also looking forward to completing her Childbirth Education Certification via CEA/MNY.

Job description: Keeps checkbook and all accounts; makes deposits, pays bills, issues checks; serves on Work/Study committee; works with financial advisors as necessary.

TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (T.C.P.) Coordinators

Emily Dove-Medows is a childbirth educator, labor support doula, and post partum doula. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from the Gallatin School at New York University in 1999, and is currently earning a second bachelors degree in nursing, also at NYU. She has been working with pregnant women and their families since 2004.

Natashia Fuksman CCE(CEA/MNY), CD(DONA), PCD(DONA)

Natashia Fuksman is a certified Childbirth Educator (CEA/MNY), a DONA International certified birth and postpartum doula, and a DONA International-Approved Birth Doula Trainer. Natashia serves as the TCP Coordinator for the CEA/MNY Board. She is the former NY State Representative for DONA International and is currently on the board of directors with DONA International as the Northeastern Regional Director .

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR : Tamara Wrenn MA, CCE

Tamara Wrenn is a CEA certified childbirth educator and mother of a dynamic 11 year old.  A professional in the birthing and wellness fields she has worked in maternal & child health for over 14 years providing services to women of childbearing age. Tamara is the Founder and CEO of Just Us Women Productions, LLC (JUWP) and has captured the essence of holistic health by offering an array birthing and wellness services under the JUWP umbrella. The services offered take clients through the spectrum of life; self-care and wellness consulting, coaching, and workshops; group fitness instruction; natural family planning; holistic childbirth education classes; breastfeeding promotion and counseling; and nature based and organic self-care and wellness products.

Job description: Maintains the membership database and recruits new members.

WORKSHOP COORDINATOR : Tara Brooke, CD (DONA)

Tara Brooke has been working with pregnant women since 2000. Her expertise include counseling, labor and postpartum doula support.  She is a DONA certified doula and an active board member of the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York where she holds the seat as the workshop coordinator for the Teaching Certification Program. Tara is the  Founder and Director of Power of Birth and a Principle of Gifted at Birth. She  has been heard speaking about the role of the doula at New York City events hosted by Big City Moms, Baby Bites, Destination Maternity and Mom Talk Radio. She has been listed in several resource guides and news articles including City Baby, TimeOut Kids New York, The New York Guide to a Healthy Birth, The New York Times, Babble and The Family Groove .

Job description: Confirms workshop date with each teacher 2 weeks prior to their workshop, open and closes all workshops, distributes payment to workshop instructors, check out and accept library books from attendees as needed, distribute and collect workshop and speaker evaluation forms, schedules the next year's workshop and distribute schedule.

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Members At Large report to the Board about birth and postpartum issues and events in their area, inform the organization of trends and employment and work on specific projects and committees as needed.

Susanrachel Condon CNM, LMT : Susanrachel graduated from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn Midwifery Program in 1998. She is a NY State licensed midwife and ob-gyn nurse practitioner. She was certified to teach childbirth preparation, newborn care and breastfeeding classes in 1996 by the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York (CEAMNY). She has served on the CEAMNY Board of Directors since 1997, including two terms as President. Susanrachel has also been a NY State licensed massage therapist since 1991. She served on the faculty of the Swedish Institute College of Massage Therapy & Allied Health Sciences for ten years and currently participates in their continuing education program. Since 1994, she has taught Bodywork for the Childbearing Cycle, a nationally recognized certification course for massage and bodywork professionals. She and her husband Richard, a certified Rolfer, have produced an advanced techniques DVD program on the subject in addition to a labor massage program for childbirth educators and families. They have also lectured widely as private consultants at conferences, hospitals, birth centers, schools and spas. Susanrachel holds a BFA in Art Therapy and has studied birth counseling and counseling for pregnant survivors of sexual abuse. She is the mother of a daughter and two sons.

Martine Jean-Baptiste CNM : Martine Jean-Baptiste has worked in Women's Health since 1989. She has been a CEA/MNY certified Childbirth Educator since 1993. She is a CEA/MNY board member and serves as the Midwifery Teacher Certification Program (MTCP) Co-Coordinator. As a midwife Martine has a successful homebirth practice (JJB Midwifery).

Ximena Rossato-Bennett RN : Ximena Rossato-Bennett has served on the board of CEA/MNY since 2000 holding two terms as Membership Coordinator and serving as Interim TCP Coordinator. Currently, she heads the Website Committee. She has been working with women and their partners as a labor support doula and childbirth educator since 1999 and currently works as a staff nurse at the emergency department of Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx.

Stana Weisburd LMT : Stana Weisburd is the founder and director of Park Slope Doulas. She is proud to serve NYC families as a licensed massage therapist and birth doula and is currently working toward certification as a childbirth educator with the Childbirth Educators Association of Metropolitan New York. Stana enjoys serving on both the council of the Metropolitan Doula Group and the CEA/MNY Board.

ADVISOR TO THE BOARD- Ellen Chuse CCE

Ellen Chuse has worked with pregnant women and their families since 1984. She has served as president of the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York and remains active on the Board of Directors. She has been affiliated with St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, The Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn and The Elizabeth Seton Childbearing Center. She currently leads New Mothers' Groups at Realbirth and maintains a private practice in Childbirth Education in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Ellen has two daughters and lives in Brooklyn.

Job description: Ellen Chuse, Past President, MTCP and TCP instructor, mentor and CEA/MNY certified teacher serves as an advisor to the board.

HONORARY MEMBER - Joan King CCE

Joan King is a CEA/MNY Certified Childbirth Educator and Certified Pregnancy, Birth Counselor and Labor Support Doula. She has served on the CEA Board for 15 years. She lives and works in Rockland County where she is an environmentalist. Joan is the mother of 5 and grandmother of 11.

Education Committee

Recruits and sets guidelines for workshop instructors, develops and coordinates trainee workshop schedule. Investigate opportunities to recruit new volunteers.

Library Committee

Organizes CEA/MNY's library which consists of print and audio/visual materials.

Website Committee

Plans, coordinates and edits information for the website. Serves as liaisons with the web developer as necessary.

The Childbirth Education Association Of Metropolitan
New York, Inc., 54 West 22 St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10010.
Phone: (212) 645-4911
Copyright (c) 2004 Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York, Inc.
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