BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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KATHLEEN BELZER, CNMCHAIR
Kathleen has been a midwife for over 25 years. She has worked in a variety of settings, including an out of hospital midwifery-owned birth center, private collaborative practices, and community health clinics. She has also worked at UCSF, teaching medical students and residents.
She has held numerous clinical leadership positions over the years and was recently inducted as a Fellow to the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Currently, she works at Kaiser, Napa Solano with an integrated practice of family practice physicians, obstetricians, and nurse-midwives. She is also working at Millie Clinic in Berkeley which is a new start-up midwifery lead practice that is an innovator in re-designing reproductive and maternal health to provide the high-quality care to individuals from all backgrounds. Kathleen is committed to teaching residents and nurse-midwifery students in her clinical practice; she is dedicated to continually expanding her knowledge in reproductive and maternal health. She was the Lead of a Physiologic Birth/Reducing Cesarean workgroup in which there was a significant reduction in unnecessary cesareans. She is also involved in Anti-Racism work personally and within her organizations. She is passionate about advocating for and ensuring respectful patient-centered care within the context of the systemic racism and bias that exists. She is acutely aware of how important it is to listen to each woman and provide sensitive, individualized care. She is the Past President of the California Nurse-Midwives Association Board of Directors. Prior to being President, she served as Secretary. During Kathleen’s tenure at CNMA, she oversaw sweeping changes within the organization. These included hiring a political strategist, spearheading the hiring of a new lobbying firm, spearheading the commencement of the Reproductive Justice/Anti-Racism Advisory Committee to the CNMA Board, and the rewriting of the Bylaws to be centered on Anti-Racism. She organized and conducted the first Anti-Racism training for CNM leaders in the state and oversaw co-sponsorship of SB 464, The Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act. She improved internal and external channels of communication and oversaw the completion of an extensive public education project. She also oversaw the entire legislative cycle that led to the passage of sweeping midwifery legislation, SB 1237, The Justice and Equity in Maternity Care Act. Lastly, she realized the need for advocacy beyond what CNMA had the capacity and resources to address and as such, she founded the California Nurse-Midwives Foundation. Kathleen enjoys hiking, dancing, biking, paddle boarding, reading, and escaping to the mountains. As of Fall 2022, she began teaching at Dominican University of California, and will be overseeing the Maternal, Newborn and Women’s Health curriculum for the RN program |
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ANA DELGADO, CNMSECRETARY
Ana Delgado, MS, RN, CNM studied midwifery at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing. She is currently an Associate Clinical Professor in the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) Division.
Ana splits her time between clinical practice and administration at ZSFG. She acts as the Assistant Director of Inpatient Obstetrics, primarily responsible for quality improvement and systems change, and as Director of Inpatient Services for the Nurse-Midwives of ZSFG, a 45 year-old, autonomous midwifery service. She also manages a contract to provide prenatal care services at Mission Neighborhood Health Center, a federally qualified health center in the community. The Nurse-Midwives of ZSFG are the primary clinical teaching site for the UCSF Nurse-Midwifery Education program, graduating approximately 15 nurse-midwives per year. Recently Ana was named Co-Director for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the UCSF ZSFG OBGYN division, recognizing her commitment to health equity. She is passionate about diversifying the midwifery profession and centering the voices of women of color in her work. Additionally, Ana sits on several San Francisco county-wide initiatives aiming at improving perinatal care for low-income women in San Francisco, partnering with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and non-profit, community-based organizations to transform how low-income women are supported and cared for throughout the reproductive life cycle. Ana sits on the California Nurse-Midwives Association Health Policy Committee, working on legislative efforts to remove physician supervision of midwifery practice and advancing access to health care options for women. Ana has worked in a variety of settings, autonomous private practice midwifery service, private practice collaborative practice, and academic collaborative practice. |
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KAVITA NOBLE, CNMMEMBER-AT-LARGE
Kavita has been supporting families during pregnancy and childbirth since 1997. She graduated from UCSF as an RN and a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner and Certified Nurse Midwife. She came to midwifery with a passion for supporting clients and families during the dynamic transition of pregnancy, birth and parenting. She emphasizes education and informed choice in all areas of health care. She has extensive experience assisting families in home, hospital and birth center settings and believes that birth unfolds best where the birthing person feels safest. She currently works at Pacifica Family Maternity Center, a free standing birth center in the East Bay. Kavita is actively involved in health policy work to improve access to midwifery care. She is happily married and the mother of two adult daughters and a beautiful grandson all welcomed with the support of midwives. |
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antoinette ColemanMeMBER-AT-LARGEAntoinette is joining the California Nurse Midwife Association as a 4 time mother (3 delivered by midwives). Antoinette is passionate about encouraging others to deliver with midwives, as she feels that the close personal care provided by midwives is completely unmatched in traditional settings. Antoinette comes from a varied background and has worked as a student teacher, a translator, a police clerk and a tour guide.
Antoinette is very outspoken about equal birth rights for all, especially in lesser served communities and is hoping to start her midwifery journey once she has finished homeschooling her children. Antoinette graduated from University of California Davis with a Bachelors of Art in Spanish, is fluent in Spanish and French, and a dual citizen of America and France. When Antoinette isn't busy with homeschool, baking or chasing after her children, she enjoys traveling with her husband and children, a nice hot bath, a fresh cup of coffee and a good British drama. |
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Lakethia Lake-PascuaMEMBER-AT-LARGELakethia Lake-Pascua, DHA has a heart to serve and is very active in Solano County, where she was born and currently resides. She serves on the Black Infant Health (Solano County) Community Advisory Board and the Board of Directors for the North Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross. Lakethia regularly volunteers with the Red Cross, in her church and is an active member in prominent public service organizations.
She is passionate about her work in addressing the healthcare disparities that exist in Black maternal health. In 2016, Lakethia became the founding Co-Lead of Solano HEALs (Health Equity for African American/Black Lives). Solano HEALs aims to address the inequities that exist in Black birth outcomes and to identify strategies to eliminate those disparities in Solano County. Lakethia currently serves as Solano HEALs Communications and Branding Lead. Lakethia holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from San Jose State University, a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from St. Mary’s College of California and a Doctorate in Health Administration with a Specialization in Healthcare Leadership from Capella University. Lakethia is married to her high school sweetheart and has one adult daughter. Lakethia is a foodie, an avid baseball fan and loves arts and crafts. |
ADVISORY COMMITTEE
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GENNA PURCELL, CNM, WHNP
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Genna Purcell completed her training as a Certified Nurse-Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at UCSF School of Nursing in 2018. Since then, she has been working in sexual and reproductive health as a clinician at Planned Parenthood, where her scope of practice includes family planning/abortion care and the provision of gender-affirming hormone therapy. She also works as an OB/GYN nurse practitioner at Kaiser. She is passionate about the role of midwives as providers of sexual and reproductive healthcare for all people throughout their lives. Prior to her midwifery career, Genna worked on global maternal/child health projects and completed her Master of Public Health degree at Johns Hopkins University.
Genna became involved with the California Nurse-Midwives Foundation as a member of the Advisory Committee before stepping into the Treasurer role. She is grateful for the opportunity to actively support student midwives of color, increase access to midwifery care, and address health disparities within communities in California through her work with CNMF. She lives with her husband and cat in Oakland, CA, and enjoys biking, skiing, reading, journaling, and spending time outdoors with family and friends. |
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Kim Lopez, CNMCommittee MemberI am proudly from the Bay Area, born and raised in San Jose, California, and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I am the youngest of four children brought up by a single mother who escaped her war-torn country of Vietnam in the 70’s. I graduated with a B.S. in Nutrition Science from San Jose State University in 2012 and worked as a Registered Dietitian in various settings (inpatient, skilled nursing, hospice). I have always had a strong interest in pregnancy and birth, and my desire to go back to school for midwifery began with my volunteer work as a doula. I was one of the first few doulas in the volunteer doula program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and developed a communication tool between nurses and doulas that was presented on at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in 2020. I am also a huge advocate for lobbying for policy change and have been involved in policy work as an aspiring and now student midwife with CNMA’s Health Policy Committee for a few years now. I believe in the power of mentorship in helping to guide and support new midwives on their journeys, especially important when your mentor looks like you! When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and my rambunctious 6-year-old Australian Shepherd. My hobbies and interests include checking out the newest spots to eat and drink, cooking, hiking, reading, traveling, and anything true crime.
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Candice Becker, CNMCommittee MEMBERI have been a CNM for more than 25 years, practicing in a variety of settings in the United States and internationally. I spent the first half of my career in the SF Bay area and the second half working in Central/Southern California, with some time in the middle doing international relief work with Doctors Without Borders and several smaller organizations. I have practiced in a wide variety of settings from federally qualified health centers to private practices to academic centers to health maintenance organizations; my roles have included practice creation, clinical preceptor , public health advisor as well as staff midwife. I am currently working for Kaiser Permanente. In addition to my nurse midwifery training I have a Master's in Public Health with a concentration in community and international health. My latest professional passion is the emerging field of bioethics, especially as it pertains to reproductive health. I am highly motivated to help create a more equitable and effective health care system in California/the USA/the world!
I have one awesome daughter and we love to hike/swim/surf wherever we can but especially on the Central Coast where we are privileged to live. |
STAFF & CONSULTANTS
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OLIVIA FAVELA-GARY, CNM
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Olivia Favela-Gary, CNM has been on the Board of Directors for the California Nurse-Midwife Foundation since 2021. After completing her Master’s degree in Midwifery in 2013 at Philadelphia University, Olivia joined a large, midwifery-led practice in the heart of Los Angeles, California. After 5 years as a staff midwife, she was promoted in 2019 to co-direct the midwifery practice as Director of the Women’s Health Center which lasted until 2021. During her time as director, she focused on improving operating systems, improving access to patient care through telehealth, and growing the preceptor program to assist student midwives. At the beginning of 2020 Olivia expanded her personal midwifery practice to include homebirth and birth assist work with community midwives all while navigating the obstacles of COVID-19. She is a founding member of an online platform for pre-pregnant, pregnant and postpartum women called the Health Bump Club which is composed of a panel of professional women of color looking to serve women of color. Currently, she works as a staff midwife at Eisner Health. When Olivia’s not working or studying for her doctoral degree at Georgetown, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and performing music.
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DaiSY ORELLANAOPERATIONS ASSISTANT
Daisy Orellana is an aspiring midwife and aims to provide comprehensive reproductive health care in her future practice. Daisy studied Community Studies and Feminist Studies at UC Santa Cruz with a focus on health justice. During her undergrad studies, Daisy was selected to participate in Civil Liberties and Public Policy’s Reproductive Rights and Activist Service Corp (RRASC), where she was placed at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE as a bilingual health line intern and found her first political home in the repro world. Daisy has worked as a birth & postpartum doula in San Francisco supporting Latinx moms who are homeless or who are recent arrivals navigate birthing during the covid-19 pandemic.
Daisy currently works as an abortion doula at DuPont Clinic, an all trimester abortion clinic based in Washington D.C. Daisy enjoys spending her days being in nature, roller skating, and snacking on fruit. |
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HOLLY SMITH, CNMCONSULTANT
Holly Smith is a Certified Nurse-Midwife with experience in both domestic and international women’s health policy and program development. Since starting her midwifery training 20 years ago at Georgetown University, her midwifery adventures have included many diverse practice environments – from back east, to various locations in southern and northern California, to Central America, over to Germany, and finally back home to California. Most recently she practiced at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center. She has enjoyed a mix of different roles in these locations including as a midwifery fellow, lead midwife, and as the co-founder of a multi-year program to improve maternal and infant outcomes in rural Guatemala. Holly continues to participate in and lead health and public policy projects that collectively aim to advance the status of women and girls. Holly was the Task Force Co-Chair and Lead Editor of the CMQCC Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans.
Currently she is a consultant and clinical lead for the southern California region of the CMQCC Collaborative to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans. Additionally, she serves as a hospital coach and steering committee member for ACNM’s Reducing Primary Cesareans Project. She is the California representative for the ACNM's AIM State Leaders Group and a newly appointed member of the CMQCC Executive Committee. Since 2017 she has been serving as the Health Policy Chair for the California Nurse-Midwives Association. Holly holds a BSN from the University of San Francisco, an MSN from Georgetown, and an MPH from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is also a mother of two and a military spouse (looking very much forward to her husband's retirement in 2 months!), and also an extremely mediocre but enthusiastic triathlete. |
