Team

Andrea is a certified birth doula (DONA), postpartum doula, and childbirth educator. Her training as a doula began in 2012 and she joined Open Arms in February of 2013. Andrea is married and a mother of three children. Andrea is from Argentina and loves being a doula that supports Latinx birthing people to have a respected, humanized, and safe birth. Her goal for all her families is to have a positive experience at birth that empowers them. Andrea sees her doula work as not just as a service, but as an extension of her heart and soul.

Angela brings a vast skill set to her role as Operations Manager at Open Arms. She was born and raised in Seattle (a Beaconhillapina) and was first introduced to Open Arms through an invitation to volunteer in the office. After several more volunteering events and birthing a little one herself, she was drawn to becoming a part of the organization and supporting its important mission. When she’s not in the office, you can find Angela tasting wine, playing in the sun, and sharing time with family and friends.

Betty Hernandez, Mexican, Mazahua Indigenous, Obstetrician Nurse from UNAM University. Migrant in the United States, my first language is Spanish, I understand a little Mazahua. My motto is social justice and breaking with intergenerational trauma, I believe in collective education. My mission in the community is to serve as a bridge of information and opportunities for other families, so I challenge myself to learn more. My greatest value is my family, my favorite hobby is riding a bike and discovering new places on foot! I am currently in love with hiking.

Deandra has worked at nonprofits around the Puget Sound and Bay Area since 2007 and joined Open Arms in 2015. Deandra holds a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University of San Francisco as well as extensive experience in operations, marketing, and fundraising. As a mom to three young children, Deandra is passionate about Open Arms’ mission of strengthening families and parents.

Delina was born and raised in Asmara, Eritrea, and moved to the U.S in 2014. Inspired by the loss of her mother to breast cancer back home, she obtained my B.S in Public Health-Global Health from the University of Washington. Delina has worked with the community since I moved to Seattle 5 years ago, specifically the Eritrean community volunteering and working as a translator. She is part of the Eritrean Health Board.

Dila Perera, MPH, MSW has worked in public health and advocacy locally and internationally, including time spent as a doula for Open Arms. She earned both a Master of Public Health  in Maternal Child Health and Global health as well as a Master of Social Work at the University of Washington, after starting her career as a health educator at 19. She went on to spend twelve years helping to build and manage innovative and complex programs designed to improve the health of vulnerable populations, including mothers, children, families, and people living with or affected by HIV.

Dila has managed several large-scale federally funded interventions but believes that small organizations, even when working with minimal resources, are still the most effective at creating lasting and transformational change. She has been a program manager, a grant maker, a board member, and a trainer. However, Dila considers working with pregnant people – before birth, during birth, and supporting new mothers and infants – to be the most rewarding work she has ever done. Dila became Executive Director of Open Arms in 2015 and is proud to lead Washington’s first and leading community-based nonprofit organization providing perinatal services. During Dila’s tenure, thanks to an exceptional group of colleagues, Open Arms has grown eight times in size and expanded its services to provide birth support, home visiting, lactation support, and tailored family support services to over 500 clients annually. Dila loves to garden and grow things, spend time with her middle schooler, and road trips with her dog, Panda.

Dzoara was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and raised in Seattle, WA. She is bilingual in Spanish and English and received her Bachelor’s in Human Services from Western Washington University. As a previous Home Visitor and Family Advocate, she is passionate about serving her community and working with organizations that support children and families. She is excited to be part of an organization that advocates and provides perinatal services for all birthing people. Dzoara is a mom of two who enjoys spending quality time with her family, cooking new healthy recipes, going on runs, and doing yoga.

Elizabeth Montez – Anishinaabekwe – Mother of two young children, lover of food, protector and supporter of lactation as traditional practice, sacred food, and indigenous sovereignty. Her children brought the wisdom of the ancestors down with them and lead Elizabeth to reconnect with her indigenous community and traditional practices, including lactation. Elizabeth was a seed to table chef when her eldest was born, and she showed Elizabeth that food justice starts at birth, when we support our birthing people reclaim the sovereignty of lactation and offer our babies their first sacred food.

Ellie (she/her) comes to Open Arms from working on grant proposals, reports, and management at nonprofits in Seattle and Minnesota and studying nonprofit finances at UW. She grew up in Minnesota and loves going back frequently to visit family living on the shores of Lake Superior. Ellie loves nerding out about numbers and spreadsheets while also centering relationships, equity, and community through her role at Open Arms. In her non-work times, you can find her hanging out with her cat Cinnamon, spending time with friends and family, reading, making ceramics, and getting outside.

Emily comes to Open Arms with a strong commitment to birth and reproductive justice. She is a birth worker, writer, and gardener with experience in nonprofit communications and program management. She is fueled in this work by the desire to see accessible resources and support available to all birthing people and communities. In addition to birthwork, her career background includes environmental justice, farming and food justice, and journalism. Emily is most at home in the forests and on the beaches of Western Washington. She takes pleasure in growing food and medicinal plants, cooking, and being in nature with her dog. Emily is honored and grateful to join the Open Arms team and support this vital work.

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, resource connector, and advocate. For the past thirty years, I have been partnering with communities to uplift, empower, and support the voices of underserved communities. In my free time, I love listening to live music and comedy shows and hanging out with my family.

Hawa Egal is an Outreach Doula for Open Arms Perinatal Services, she became familiar with the organization through her ongoing participation as a Community Advisor Committee member at White Center, Washington State in 2008. Over the past 15 years, her main focus has been to create a safe and supportive environment for families to share their thoughts and feelings. She is dedicated to promoting early learning among her clients and has earned a Promoting First Relationships certification to support this goal. Hawa is also committed to providing culturally sensitive care to Somali women, who have unique cultural needs, and helping them have a healthy pregnancy.

As a community-based outreach doula mentor, Hawa guides other doulas in providing model fidelity and supporting relationship-building with their clients. She believes that it is an honor and a privilege to witness such an intimate time in women’s lives, and she approaches her work with sensitivity, compassion, and respect for the diverse needs of each family. Overall, Hawa’s goal is to help families navigate the perinatal period with confidence and grace and to empower them to build strong and healthy relationships with their newborns. Her personal experience as a mother of three children has also given her a deep appreciation for the challenges and joys of parenthood, which she brings to her work as an Outreach Doula.

Jami Bess (she/her) is the Director of Programs at Open Arms Perinatal Services. As a mother of three, her birth experiences led her to the field of birth work, training to be a birth doula to support Black birthing people. Her experience includes time as a home visitor providing birth doula support, community-based home visitor program administration, and group facilitation experience leading Black Moms groups with Families of Color Seattle. She is passionate about reproductive justice and ensuring families have access to the care, support, and resources they need. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her children, reading all types of books, and enjoying and creating art.

Janae Teal (she/they) is a Database Consultant for Open Arms. She is also the Director of Data Management at The Capacity Collective. Prior to The Capacity Collective, Janae worked as an analyst for a county government where they developed various data processes and used data to advocate for local policy change. She believes in the power of community and strives to make meaningful impacts in the world of data, social, and intersectional racial justice. Janae holds a MA in Public Sociology from Cal Poly Humboldt. In their free time, they enjoy spending time in the mountains, hanging out with their auntlets, listening to audiobooks, and supporting local breweries.

Kate Wilhite Brickell was born and raised in Hawaii. She earned her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Washington. Kate has experience working with children, youth, and families in a variety of settings. She has always had a passion for supporting pregnant people and young children. Kate is thrilled to be a part of the Open Arms family. In their free time, Kate’s family loves to be outdoors, paddle board, hike, and spend time with loved ones.

Lea is a wife and mother of 3 amazing adult children and two grandsons. As a Registered Nurse and Internationally Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, Lea has worked as a Public Health Nurse and Nurse Home Visitor supporting pregnant women, babies, and their families. She currently provides reflection and clinical support for the Outreach Doula team at Open Arms, community-based lactation and nursing support, and advocacy for pregnant and parenting families through Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Black Infant Health program and the Black Birth Collective. Lea is an avid walker and plant lover. Lea’s passion and goal are to support parents and providers and to build healthy families and communities.

LeChante’ Raiwalui started her career as a birth doula in 2019, and then grew into a supportive pregnancy care role, where birth keeping began to blend effortlessly with her lifestyle. Now, she carries all she has learned, unlearned, and seeks to learn as a Childbirth Educator. LeChante’s lineage comes from the Fiji islands and also has southern roots in Georgia, so she is constantly pulling from both vibrant ancestries to remind herself of why she does this work. LeChante’s belief is that the magic is in connecting our mind, body, and spirit back to our roots and changing our relationship with pregnancy health and birth with affirming conversations and sharing both evidence-based and ancestral knowledge. We owe it to our maternal ancestors to heal and rest, it’s a privilege they never had.

I am a proud Washington native. I was raised in a close-knit agricultural town in Central Washington, where I began working in the apple and cherry fields at just 13 years old. In 2020, I relocated to Seattle after transferring from Whitworth University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at Seattle University. During my time at SU, I concentrated on the impact of exercise on expecting and new mothers, a focus inspired by my own experience of becoming a mother, which fueled my commitment to this field.

My journey into the non-profit sector began with Upower, where I discovered a deep passion for bridging the gap in access to physical education and activities for youth who are underserved in the Greater Seattle area. This experience reinforced my commitment to creating meaningful change for children and families within the community.

When I’m not working, I cherish spending time outdoors with my family, whether it’s hiking, exploring local parks, attending Seattle sporting events, or indulging in new baking recipes!

Margarita Celis came to this country over 20 years ago from Peru with her 4-year-old child. Later, she and her husband had two more children in New York. Margarita says, “I did not have the best experiences having to give birth to my babies in a foreign country and with a language barrier. I wish I had the services that Open Arms provides, but this gives me the strength and the compassion to see the need of these women in our community and make a difference.” She was involved in activities from her local WIC, and she became a breastfeeding consultant as well as a stay-at-home mom. She says, “Open Arms found me and I felt so lucky because this is the job that I really value, not only for the income that I can bring home, but for the satisfaction I feel when I can help moms.”

I am a proud daughter of migrant parents who moved to Washington State in pursuit of greater opportunity. Born and raised in Eastern Washington, I moved to Seattle to pursue a degree at the University of Washington, where I earned my degree in ECO (Education, Communities, & Organizations). I am passionate about breaking down systemic barriers to lead to healthier families and communities. In my free time, I enjoy being outdoors with my doggie, and hanging out with friends and family

Marie Schlagel (she/they) joins Open Arms with a passion for public health and reproductive justice. Having worked in the non-profit sector for almost a decade, Marie has collaborated with
communities across the Midwest and the West Coast in education, youth development, and community-centered healthcare. They see fundraising as a vehicle for public education, activating advocates, and deepening connections to shared values. Marie centers strength-based storytelling and authenticity in their fundraising practice. Marie was born in Panama near the canal and grew up in the Kansas plains. Now, they marvel at the Salish Sea and Mt. Tahoma every day in the Seattle area. They live with their fiancée and two mischief-making cats.

Markia was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. She has a certification in peer lactation, and has had extensive training as a Birth/Postpartum Doula with DONA. She also brings over 11 years of her personal experience in raising and nursing three children of her own. Markia has a passion for advocating for breastfeeding/birthing mothers, especially in the black community. She is committed to aiding black moms with the necessary lactation, birthing education, and resources in her community. Along with her passion for birthing education, she has an equal love for natural herbal remedies and supplements, which she incorporates into her everyday life. She loves to garden, hike, and hold tea parties, (with herbal tea blends she creates herself ) with her children.

Memorie Gladstone is from the Blackfoot tribe of Browning Montana. She has several years of experience as a breastfeeding peer counselor which inspired her to work as a doula since the two professions go hand in hand. The experience she had giving birth to her children and the knowledge she has now motivates her to educate and empower the women in her community.  Being an advocate and providing extra support for a mother while witnessing new life is truly fulfilling.   In her free time she enjoys the outdoors with her family which includes her dogs Otto and Giger.

I came into birth work with a passion,  curiosity, and appreciation for the amazing capabilities of the human body. Giving life is precious and can be an emotionally exhausting time. We need support. We deserve support. Being there to support them with love and care for them emotionally, physically, and mentally is what we all have been missing. I believe for the past centuries in the United States, especially women of color, have been separated from our lineage, heritage, and ancestral rights. Being unable to birth the way we inherently know how to has been one of my main goals in educating young persons, single persons, birthing people, etc. Bringing the knowledge back, the pride and the skills passed down is very special to me.

My website is birthmarksrenewed.com

My name is Olga Araceli Prado Leon, I am a P’urhepecha woman from Michoacan, Mexico. Washington has been my home since 2003 and California was my home prior to that. I enjoy being in community with my family, chosen family, and friends. It’s a privilege to be working in an organization that advocates for all birthing people.

Stacey was born and raised in New England and moved to Washington in 2014 with her partner. She graduated with a degree in Social Work from the University of New Hampshire. Her community work has centered around referral and care coordination, food justice, community mental health, and program management. Stacey has a deep passion for community-based work to help build connections and instill hope for those who’ve been left behind by our systems. She loves backpacking, eating anything homemade, having a low-waste lifestyle, gardening, and learning random factoids.

Stephanie is excited to bring her previous experience in the design and manufacturing industry and project and team coordination to help support Open Arms’ operations and invaluable mission. Born in the Philippines and living in a dozen places before graduating high school, she’s happy to now call Seattle home with her husband and her dog. She’s looking forward to further growing roots and serving her community. In her free time, she enjoys pub trivia, podcasts, embroidery, and hanging out with her dog.

Terri Chi-Lee’s career as a birth work began in 2013 after her second child was born. Through her own personal birthing experiences, she discovered the lack of options and diversity within the out-of-hospital birthing community. This ignited her passion and desire to bring accessible options to her community.  She started her journey as a doula and birth assistant while she worked towards her goal of becoming a midwife. She graduated from Bastyr in 2019 with her Master’s of Science in Midwifery and a certification in Botanical Medicine. Post-graduate school she continues to educate herself in various birthing traditions. She is a member of the Indigenous Birthworker’s Network which is an international network of traditional birth keepers. She is also involved with the Canoe Journey Herbalist project in WA where she continues to deepen her knowledge and relationship with plant medicine. She spent the summer after graduation in Cambodia, mentored by a Khmer midwife. This opportunity created a pathway that connected with her roots, culture, and ancestors. This experience broadened her midwifery lens with a rich and humble perspective. Terri is a bilingual, Khmer birth worker who is deeply passionate about honoring the birthing experience with timeless, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care.  She is dedicated to diversifying the midwifery profession and working to decrease the rising rates of maternal and infant disparities in the US. As a childbearing person of color, she understands the importance of culturally matched care and how it can improve positively impact these outcomes and improve the overall experience of birthing families.

Van (they/them) is a non-binary Black woman who is a traditional student midwife, doula, rootworker, sacred healing circle keeper, Black infant health minister, CHW, lactation peer counselor, mindfulness childbirth educator, and so much more. Through traditional ways of healing, preparing the body, mind, and spirit for birth, and postpartum education, Van helps families create the prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum experience that feels right for them.

Vonda’s passion for doula work led her to join Open Arms in January of 2017 as a BDS doula.  Prior to completing her doula training in 2016, she was (and currently is) a Licensed Massage Therapist. Vonda is married, and a mother to 3 adult children and 1 dog. Vonda loves to travel, read and spend time with family and friends. She is a strong supporter of reproductive justice and for all communities and cultures.

Annette has worked in marketing for more than two decades, holding leadership positions in marketing, operations, and analytics across a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations. Those include KUOW, Kiva Microfunds, Amazon, Big Fish Games, Expedia, Microsoft, and AT&T/Cingular Wireless. Annette also practiced as a part-time birth doula for 18 years, trained at the Seattle Midwifery School in 2000, and volunteered for a time with Operation Special Delivery to provide free doula support to the partners of deployed military personnel.

Annette is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio, where she is responsible for enhancing KUOW’s reputation in the community, igniting brand obsession among core and new audiences, growing and engaging an increasingly diverse audience, and influencing a heightened value proposition among KUOW listeners to create a climate conducive to philanthropy. Annette was previously the Chief Marketing Officer for Kiva Microfunds, a non-profit focused on crowd-funded loans that increase financial inclusion for women, displaced people, minorities, and small-holder farmers in 70+ countries.

Annette has taught Applied Digital Marketing at the University of Washington Continuum College since 2020.  She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Washington, holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and earned a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell.

Marie is a leadership, diversity, and race equity consultant with over 25 years of expertise in guiding organizations to establish safe, equitable, inclusive, and people-centered work environments. In Ms. Taylor’s immediate past role as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Leadership Montgomery, she served as the organization’s main thought leader – creating racial equity training and technical assistance programming. Before her time at Leadership Montgomery, Ms. Taylor served as the Executive Director of the Greater Washington Community Foundation of Montgomery County, where she was instrumental in initiating countywide research that led to the creation of the Children’s Opportunity Fund. As a skilled facilitator, dynamic executive coach, and an adept racial equity consultant, Ms. Taylor is also credited with igniting Adventist HealthCare to integrate race equity focus into their work, which led to their reconfiguration of business processes using a racial equity lens, including changing practices, policies, and procedures. Ms. Taylor holds a B.A. in human relations and an M.B.A. in nonprofit management from Trinity Washington University.

Dawn Croft has spent the last decade as in-house counsel for various global companies. Currently, she is Senior Counsel for new business verticals at DoorDash in Seattle, where she advises on product and regulatory matters. Before DoorDash, Dawn served in various in -house counsel roles in Seattle and Louisville, KY for Amazon KFC US and Yum Brands. Prior to her corporate counsel life, Dawn practiced law at Frost Brown Todd law firm in Louisville. She received her B.A. from Yale University and her J.D. from the University of Kentucky. While in Louisville, Dawn served on several community non-profit boards, with focuses on mental health, housing, youth, and education. Dawn and her husband (also an in-house attorney) live and work remotely in Seattle with their young daughter who could run circles around them when it comes to negotiation skills.

Kathy Park has worked in healthcare and medical education for over 20 years. She is a general pediatrician and is privileged to partner with parents to care for children primarily residing in South King County. While patients and families remain at the center of her work, she holds several other roles including Clinical Professor and Project Lead for Birth to Five programming. She continues to be awed and inspired by the birth of a new baby and the strength and brilliance of families. She believes our strongest lever of impact occurs during the first few years of life – when critical brain development occurs – and the foundation is laid for lifelong health, development, and overall well-being.

Kathy holds a BA from the University of California at Berkeley, an MD from Case Western Reserve University, and an MPH from the University of Washington. She and her husband have two teenage sons.

Katie M Hess, MPH (Native Hawaiian) is a Senior Research Coordinator at Seven Directions, an Indigenous Public Health Institute at the University of Washington. She spent the previous nine years as a program director focused on culturally-based family support services including Ina Maka Family Program (home visiting), Daybreak Star Doulas, Our Strong Fathers, Kina’ole, and more at United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, an urban Indian organization located in Seattle. Katie has a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, and received her Master in Public Health from the University of Washington, Community-Oriented Public Health Program. She is thrilled to join the Open Arms’ Board of Directors because she believes supporting families must be rooted in community-based support and as a parent of two young children, Ramona (4) and Irene (1), she connects deeply with Open Arms’ mission and values.

Liz Clyma has spent her career formulating and operationalizing strategies for some of the world’s leading corporations and non-profit organizations. She specializes in structuring major investments for both commercial and social impact investors, with a focus on global health.

Liz served over 10 years in leadership roles in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Based in New Delhi as India Country Director for Health, she led integration of programming and $450M in grants to support India’s achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals. As CFO for the foundation’s Global Health Division, she directed strategic and financial planning for deployment of $1.2B in annual charitable investments to combat infectious diseases disproportionately affecting the developing world.

Previously, Liz was a Principal at Bain & Company, where she specialized in corporate transformation, advising multi-national clients in the U.S. and Europe on strategy, operations, organization, and M&A. Prior to Bain, Liz focused on private sector development in Russia and the former Soviet Union, both as an independent consultant and with the International Finance Corporation, where she led the technical assistance and advisory services team for Financial Markets across the former USSR.

Liz holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Wharton Business School, an M.A. in Russian Area Studies and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University. Liz lives in Seattle and enjoys the Pacific Northwest’s spectacular outdoor adventures with her husband and two darling daughters.

Meg is an independent consultant who specializes in gender-based violence intervention and prevention. She led the planning and implementation of the regional Domestic Hopeline in King County. She is the co-founder of the STEP-UP program for youth who are violent towards their parents. She helped to develop the Children’s Domestic Violence Response Team, a collaborative program to support children experiencing domestic violence and their supportive parent. She has teamed up with culturally specific agencies to help develop and fund new projects and programs for survivors of gender-based violence, including the Somali Family Safety Task Force, API Chaya, and the NW Network of LGBTQ Survivors of Abuse. She is the co-author of “Helping Children Who Experience Domestic Violence: A Guide for Parents,”  a curriculum to help survivors of domestic violence and people who cause harm to support their children. She has worked as a consultant to the Coalition Ending Gender Based Violence, Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness, Plymouth Housing, Sound Health, Center for Children & Youth Justice, API Chaya, King County Office of Management and Budget, the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid, the cities of Seattle, Kent, Tukwila, United Way of King County, and other non-profits.

Meg is the mother of a 19-year-old and believes that the experience of parenting provided her with the greatest educational experience of her life.  She has an MA in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University Teachers’ College and is a volunteer advocate with the King County Family Law CASA program.

Nika built her career with a major international financial services firm, managing a diverse portfolio of companies through growth transitions and fluctuations of the economic cycle, with a focus on strategy, risk analysis, and business development. Most recently, Nika was a VP of Commercial and Technology banking, during which she consulted with leaders of both high-growth and established companies to develop and optimize their funding, asset utilization, and financial infrastructure.

For the past several years, Nika has taken on her most challenging and rewarding role yet– mom to two young children. The births of her children raised Nika’s awareness of the crucial difference being supported and heard can make during the heroic and life-changing–yet vulnerable and intimate–transition to motherhood. This stoked a fire to support community-based advocacy for fellow mothers so they may experience the support, respect, and care of which all birthing people are worthy. Nika is thrilled to humbly draw on all of these experiences as a board member for Open Arms.

Nika holds a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Vocal Music from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She enjoys coaching soccer, hiking, skiing, drinking coffee with good friends, and family adventures near and far.