CWI Staff
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Nicolle L. Gonzales BSN, RN, MSN, CNMFounder and Midwifery DirectorDiné - NavajoNicolle L. Gonzales received her Bachelor’s of Nursing and her Masters of Nurse-Midwifery at the University of New Mexico. She is a member of the American College of Nurse Midwives and is certified with the American Midwifery Certification Board. She has over 12 years’ experience as a nurse and has worked as a Nurse-Midwife doing full-scope midwifery for the last 10 years.
Through the years, she has worked on several community projects around birth equity and she has served as the founding board president and vice board president of two birth centers in NM. In addition to attending births, Nicolle was a contributing author to the “American Indian Health and Nursing” in 2015 and is a contributing writer for the Indigenous Goddess Gang online magazine, where she discusses indigenous birth, midwifery, ceremony, reproductive justice, and indigenous feminism. |
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Marinah V. Farrell Midwife, LM, CPMExecutive Director
Chicanx/Indigenous MexicanMarinah V. Farrell identifies as a first generation two-spirit Chicanx/Indigenous daughter of a medicine woman from Chihuahua, Mexico, and mother to mixed race children including Mexican, Pascua Yaqui and Irish/English descent.
Marinah is active in multiple public health initiatives and coalitions within her community and at the national and international levels. Her background includes diverse activism such as street level medic work and immigration activism in Arizona, clinical/government policy work in Mexico and Africa, organizational development and facilitation in the U.S and Mexico with various non-profits, and as a founding board member of a primary-care free clinic, Phoenix Allies for Community Health. Marinah is passionate about advocating for traditional and community health workers and has worked as a staff midwife for birth centers and medical facilities internationally, as a program coordinator for traditional midwives, and an educator. Marinah is the owner of Phoenix Midwife, a longstanding midwifery practice, and Casa Ancestral, focused on creating a traditional healing space. Marinah also served as the past president for the Midwives Alliance of North America. Other current roles include: Board member, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice and Founder, Parteras de Maiz, an umbrella organization dedicated to advocacy for traditional birth work and health justice including projects such as the Dignity Birth Campaign and Good Birth for All network and podcast. Marinah makes delicious tostadas and salsa, loves to host parties, married to her hero and is mama and gigi to 5 incredible humans and their babies. |
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Christa Lee BSN, RN, MSN, CNMCWI Certified Nurse-MidwifeDiné - NavajoChrista Lee obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Arizona State University and attained her Master of Science in Nurse-Midwifery from University of New Mexico. Ms. Lee is a Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner (SpBAP) and received Indigenous Doula Training. She is certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board and is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
As a midwife, she strides to build a solid foundation that supports and empowers women and their families. This foundation includes knowledge, awareness, informed consent, empowerment, self-care, and self-love. Being a midwife allows Christa to provide women access to a health care provider during important transitional periods in their lives (e.g. adolescent, preconception, antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and menopause). Through midwifery she aspires to bring high quality care, increase access, and to decrease the health disparities affecting women and newborns. |
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Kansas K. Begaye BSAOffice ManagerDiné - NavajoKansas Begaye has 15 years of experience working for non-profit organizations serving in the capacity as Executive Director and Administrative Assistant. Most recently, she worked as the Membership Director for the New Mexico Dental Association.
Kansas is an International Award Winning Native American Recording Artist performing worldwide for over 20 years. Speaking to youth and Indigenous communities about cultural preservation, language revitalization, women empowerment, anti-bullying, and royalty etiquette. In 2013, she achieved the title of Miss Indian World, representing all tribes across the world. Sharing the importance of cultural values. Mrs. Begaye is of the Diné Nation (Navajo Nation) from Waterflow, NM. Begaye received her BSA in Native American Studies from the University of New Mexico in 2011. |
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Jasmine Barnes BSSocial Media SpecialistAfrican-AmericanJasmine Barnes is currently a graduate student at Grand Canyon University. She received her BS in both Psychology and Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University. Jasmine has worked as a social worker, working to reunite families within the foster care system, and most recently she has worked in schools K-12 overseeing after-school programs in a marginalized area of San Diego. She plans to be a school counselor after completing her master’s.
After learning about the discrepancies BIPOC experience within the medical industrial complex, especially the death rate of black woman giving birth, Jasmine was inspired to become a Birth Doula and provide support to those who are most in need. Shortly after becoming a doula, She volunteered with Operation Doula, a program designed to support military families whose partners may be deployed or otherwise unable to support during births. Jasmine continues to provide volunteer or pay-what-you-can doula services to the women in her community. Jasmine splits her time between educational work and birth work, but hardly considers either work because she loves and enjoys her experiences in both immensely! |
