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WALC Annual Conference: IN with the NEW and the TRIED and TRUE
March 5 @ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Samantha Emro is the founder of Emro Law, a Wisconsin-based law firm serving individuals, families, and business owners. As both an attorney and a mom of four under four, Sam brings a grounded, real-life perspective to her work, understanding how legal decisions affect families and business owners well beyond the paperwork.
Her practice focuses on estate planning, business advising, real estate, and probate matters. Sam is known for an approach rooted in listening and education, helping clients feel informed and confident about the decisions they’re making. She built her firm around the belief that legal guidance should be clear, practical, and delivered the way she would want to receive it herself.
Sam’s connection to the Wisconsin Doulas Association is personal. She worked with a doula through each of her pregnancies and saw firsthand how meaningful that support can be not just during pregnancy and labor, but for families as a whole. Those experiences shaped her desire to help make that level of care and advocacy available to more mothers. As a board member, Sam is committed to supporting the doula community by sharing her professional experience and helping doulas build strong, sustainable practices so they can continue showing up for families across Wisconsin.
Nyasia Countee is a birth and postpartum doula, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), educator, and maternal health advocate based in Detroit, Michigan. She is the founder of Ancient Wisdom Birth Services, a holistic maternal healthcare practice rooted in culturally responsive, evidence-based care. Nyasia has dedicated her career to supporting birthing families, especially those historically marginalized by the healthcare system, through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.
With a background as an Obstetrical Surgical Technician, Nyasia brings deep clinical knowledge to her doula work, supporting families across low- and high-risk births, including cesarean and VBAC experiences. She has played a key role in systems change, including developing doula and lactation-related policies for the Detroit Medical Center and contributing to Henry Ford Health System initiatives focused on improving maternal and infant outcomes.
Ancient Wisdom Birth Services provides personalized doula care, lactation support, education, and advocacy with a mission to reclaim traditional birth knowledge while navigating modern healthcare systems. Nyasia is passionate about mentorship and leadership development, having supported and trained hundreds of aspiring birth workers, with a strong focus on increasing the number of BIPOC doulas and lactation professionals.
Through her work, Nyasia remains committed to equity, dignity, and ensuring every family feels informed, supported, and empowered during their childbearing journey.
Alondra Sánchez (she/her/ella) is the co-owner of Cultura Counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Wisconsin. Her and her sister joined forces and opened up Cultura Counseling LLC in October of 2023 in hopes to provide an inclusive space for both providers of color and clients of color. Cultura Counseling also works towards work/life integration and increasing the pay in the mental health field.
Alondra is passionate about perinatal mental health and supporting birthing people in the perinatal phase especially postpartum. She is the child of immigrants and a proud Mexican woman. Outside of work, she focuses on social justice advocacy, resting, and spending time outdoors with her family.
Rita Kerhin is a mental health therapist at New Prospects Counseling Services in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She specializes in supporting individuals and families through fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, and early parenthood. Before becoming a therapist, Rita spent a decade working as a birth doula, attending approximately 200 births and walking alongside families during some of life’s most vulnerable and transformative moments. This experience deeply shaped her understanding of the emotional complexity of the perinatal period.
Rita also served as Co-Chair of the CARE Network from 2015 to 2019, a Milwaukee-area nonprofit organization of birth professionals dedicated to improving the wellbeing of perinatal families in Southeastern Wisconsin through education, support, and advocacy. In this role, she provided leadership for a network of over 40 birth workers, organized community workshops and events on topics such as perinatal mood disorders, racism in healthcare, and LGBTQ+ inclusivity, and fostered collaboration and professional development among members.
Rita provides a supportive, nonjudgmental space for clients navigating postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, birth trauma, fertility challenges, loss, and the many changes that come with becoming a parent. She honors all paths to parenthood and works with birthing and non-birthing parents, adoptive families, and LGBTQ+ families.
She is certified in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International and was a fellow of UW–Madison’s Infant, Early Childhood & Family Mental Health Capstone Program.
Julie Schoenrock is a Public Health Nurse at Brown County Public Health. The agency’s primary goal is to protect and promote community health and wellness. Julie focuses on preventing chronic diseases and making vaccines accessible within the community.
She often works with partners at the local and state level to make progress in those disciplines.
Dr. Crystal Lalonde is a family medicine physician who is also passionate about obstetrical/pregnancy care and have made it a significant part of my practice. She’s worked in rural Wisconsin and saw just how important it is to have a knowledgeable, caring support team around patients during their prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum journeys.
In her present role as Associate Program Director for the only family medicine residency program in Green Bay, She aims to teach our resident physicians that holistic, patient-centered care involves more than what we can provide as medical professionals. She also strives to practice evidence-based medicine as much as possible, giving her patients as much information as possible so they can make informed decisions and be active participants in their care.
My work is rooted in a trauma-informed lens and guided by compassion, humor, and science-backed tools. I draw from cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapies, Brainspotting, and neuroscience-based “bottom-up” approaches to help clients build regulation and resiliency within the nervous system. I believe therapy should restore one’s capacity for safety, self-compassion, and connection—creating the foundation for sustainable healing and growth.
I specialize in supporting individuals navigating chronic suicidality, self-harm, complex PTSD, addiction, and personality disorders, particularly Borderline and Narcissistic traits. Many of my clients have tried multiple treatments without finding relief; my goal is to offer a space that feels both clinically grounded and deeply human. I am trained in the Neurosequential Model and certified in Perinatal Mental Health, integrating an understanding of how early experiences and systemic barriers shape the brain, body, and emotional world. In addition to therapy, I provide clinical supervision, direct our agency’s DBT program, and lead trauma-informed trainings across Wisconsin. Authenticity, curiosity, and humor guide my relationships with clients.
Outside of work, I enjoy lifting weights, exploring new adventures, reading, drawing, hiking, and caring for my two pea pufferfish, Snee and Tenacious D.
Holly Kaminski is an experienced clinical pharmacist at Advocate Health – Aurora BayCare Medical Center, where she has devoted more than 25 years to pharmacy practice. She holds board certifications in Critical Care Pharmacy (BCCCP) and Pediatric Pharmacy (BCPPS), reflecting her advanced clinical expertise and commitment to excellence in patient care.
Holly has a special professional interest in the Neonatal and OB/GYN patient populations, and she is recognized for her dedication to optimizing medication therapy for some of the most vulnerable patients. Her clinical perspective is informed by decades of practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a strong focus on quality and safety.
She resides in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with her spouse and is the proud parent of four grown children. Holly brings a thoughtful, patient-centered approach and a depth of clinical knowledge to her service on the Board of Directors.
Candi Cornelius is from the Oneida and Menominee Nations of Wisconsin. She is a registered nurse and has lived on the Oneida reservation all her life with her three daughters. Candi received her Bachelor’s in Nursing from UW Eau Claire and her Masters in Nursing from Bellin College.
Candi has been working for the Oneida Community Health Center as the Prenatal Care Coordinator for fifteen years. Her role is to ensure local Native American pregnant women have access to all of the care they need during and after pregnancy. Candi is there to guide, support and educate expecting parents to improve birth outcomes for both moms and babies.
Candi pursued becoming a certified childbirth educator and offers classes to the Oneida community three times a year. Candi also became a certified lactation counselor to better support women in their breastfeeding journey. Most recently Candi completed the full spectrum doula training along with other Native women in the community and thanks to grant funding was able to offer free doula services for expecting families.
For the past few years Candi has had the opportunity to increase awareness of the dire need to improve Native American Maternal Health through presentations and advocacy work. Candi is passionate about finding solutions or change in practice to protect the lives of the precious life givers/women.
Some call her the Fairy Godmother of perinatal mental health, but we just call her Sarah. Sarah Ornst Bloomquist has walked alongside hundreds of struggling moms on the path to feeling better. As Executive Director and Co-Founder, she’s the heart of the organization, which she helped build after struggling to find adequate help for postpartum depression and anxiety following her son’s birth. Sarah transformed her professional experience as a life coach, child advocacy program coordinator and family support specialist for perinatal couples into an organization dedicated to supporting moms navigating perinatal mental health conditions. Sarah is a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) and is perinatal mental health certified (PMH-C). As a leader, advocate and speaker, Sarah brings lived experience to her work breaking down barriers to effective treatment and helping moms find hope in the process.
Born and raised in the greater Milwaukee area, Sarah is a cheesehead at heart but spent many treasured years in Indiana. She’s a proud mom to two, enjoys playing soccer, volunteering for the many festivals in her hometown, and taking her rescue dogs for hikes.
Moms Mental Health Initiative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping moms and birthing people navigate perinatal mental health disorders by sharing information, connecting them to resources and providing peer-driven support.
Amaris Andrews-DePerry is an Indigenous birth worker, student midwife, lactation counselor, and mother based in northern Wisconsin. She is a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and has supported families for over a decade as a doula, walking alongside parents through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and early parenting. Her approach to care is rooted in our community teachings, relationship, and respect for the wisdom held within families.
Amaris currently works in home visiting and birth center settings and is completing her midwifery training. Her work exists at the intersection of traditional knowledge and contemporary care, with a focus on culturally grounded, trauma-informed support. She is especially passionate about mentoring and supporting doulas, recognizing the importance of sustainability, reflection, and community care within the birth work ecosystem.
Above all, Amaris is guided by the belief that birth work is community work. She brings lived experience, humility, and a deep commitment to honoring Indigenous ways of knowing while supporting families and caregivers in meaningful, accessible ways.
Skye is Forest County Potawatomi, Menominee and Gaelic. She is a mother of five, Certified Doula, Lactation Counselor, and C.N.A. She brings a blend of ancestral knowledge, personal experience, and professional expertise to support doulas and families across Northern Wisconsin. Her own experiences with postpartum mood disorders, Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER), and loss-within a region of limited maternal health access—fuel her commitment to equitable, culturally responsive care.
Skye’s passion is restoring community wellness through healing informed care from preconception through early childhood. She is also Chair of the Board at HIR Wellness Institute, Board Member at Wisconsin Conservation Voters and Native Initiatives Advisor at Milwaukee Art Museum.
Samantha Emro is the founder of Emro Law, a Wisconsin-based law firm serving individuals, families, and business owners. As both an attorney and a mom of four under four, Sam brings a grounded, real-life perspective to her work, understanding how legal decisions affect families and business owners well beyond the paperwork.
Her practice focuses on estate planning, business advising, real estate, and probate matters. Sam is known for an approach rooted in listening and education, helping clients feel informed and confident about the decisions they’re making. She built her firm around the belief that legal guidance should be clear, practical, and delivered the way she would want to receive it herself.
Sam’s connection to the Wisconsin Doulas Association is personal. She worked with a doula through each of her pregnancies and saw firsthand how meaningful that support can be not just during pregnancy and labor, but for families as a whole. Those experiences shaped her desire to help make that level of care and advocacy available to more mothers. As a board member, Sam is committed to supporting the doula community by sharing her professional experience and helping doulas build strong, sustainable practices so they can continue showing up for families across Wisconsin.
My name is Abby Farragh, and I am from Green Bay, Wisconsin. I studied business at UW Eau Claire and moved back to Green Bay in 2022, where I am currently a Director of Client Success at Breakthrough, a U.S. Venture Company. I co-lead our EPIC Committee (Employees, Planet, Impact, Community) at Breakthrough, which allows me to help allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars to local nonprofits and volunteer with several organizations I care about.
For the past three years, I’ve proudly served on the Wisconsin Doulas Association Board and as a Big through Big Brothers Big Sisters. I was honored to be named a Future 15 recipient in 2025 and am a Leadership Green Bay graduate.
The heart of my life is my family—my husband Kaleb (we’ve been married for seven wonderful years), our sons Hudson (5) and Baylon (1), and our daughter Claire (3). Being a part of the Wisconsin Doulas Association board gives me an opportunity to advocate for the care and support of moms, babies, families, and pregnancy and post-partum care, which doulas are a crucial part of. I believe doulas should have access to the resources they need to be successful and to reach more families and should be treated as a key part of the birthing support team no matter the setting. I am honored to bring my head for business and heart for families to this important work!
Diane Gaywont is a healthcare leader at Emplify Health by Bellin, where she is known for her collaborative leadership and commitment to improving the care experience. She brings both executive insight and a heart for service to her role on the Wisconsin Doula Board, where she is passionate about advancing family-centered care, strengthening community partnerships, and supporting positive outcomes for parents and babies across Wisconsin.
Favorite quote: “The next time someone says, “somebody should do something!”, remember you are somebody!”— said by Lily Tomlin, American actress and comedian.
My role as a mom comes first, but when nap time comes around, I’m a creative entrepreneur and business professional who thrives at the intersection of creativity, precision, and organization.
I’m the owner of Ladybug Custom Creations, a Wisconsin-based custom apparel and branding studio specializing in embroidery for small business logos, printed apparel with no minimum quantities, and laser-engraved drinkware and swag. I work with businesses, organizations, teams, and individuals to create high-quality branded apparel and promotional items—whether it’s a single piece or a larger run.
Ladybug Custom Creations serves both wholesale and direct-to-consumer clients online, offering flexibility, consistency, and attention to detail without traditional order minimums. My background in marketing, operations, and experiential events allows me to approach every project with a professional, solutions-focused mindset.
In addition to Ladybug, I also own Events Etc LLC, where I provide event planning, day-of coordination, and project management for personal and corporate events—bringing structure, clarity, and calm to complex projects.
Liz Krumwiede is a dynamic community leader with a passion for service and engagement. After 15 years of experience in Chicago’s philanthropic sector, she moved to Green Bay in 2021 and quickly became immersed in the local community. As the Community Engagement Coordinator at House of Hope, Liz supports the organization’s mission to provide emergency shelter and supportive services to youth and young families experiencing homelessness. In this role, she leads the Brown County Help for the Homeless Hygiene Drive and the Diaper Green Bay diaper drive.
Liz also serves as a volunteer Ambassador for the Greater Green Bay Chamber and was honored with the 2023 Ambassador of the Year Award. She is a founding member and leader of the Green Bay Women for Good giving circle and serves on the board of the Wisconsin Doulas Association. Along with her husband, Liz volunteers for CP, On Broadway, and the Democratic Party of Brown County. In her free time, she enjoys working in her garden, listening to live music, and watching Star Trek. Liz’s leadership and commitment to collaboration make her a driving force in building a stronger, more compassionate community.
Michelle Sanford | Educator, Certified Doula & Master of Chaos
Since 2016, Michelle has served the Greater Fox Valley and Green Bay areas as a ProDoula Certified Specialist in labor, postpartum, and infant care. Her journey into the birthing world was deeply personal; after having her first two children, the birth of her daughter at age 38 opened her eyes to the need for empowered, informed support. With a “gentle nudge” from her mentor, she transitioned over 23 years of teaching experience—ranging from middle schoolers to adult learners at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College—into a career of maternal advocacy.
Michelle holds a BSA in Education (Grades 1-8) and a Master’s in Educational Technology, making her as proficient with complex software and digital systems as she is with birth support. She is a lifelong organizer who thrives on turning chaos into order. This skill is evident whether she is helping to coordinate community fundraisers for the Wisconsin Doulas Association or Scouting America Troop 1107 or managing the logistics of a 34-day, 9-state road trip out West with her husband, daughter, and dogs. going to visit her son (24) in Madison, or chilling with her oldest son (29) at home. When she isn’t teaching or supporting new parents, Michelle is likely planning her next family adventure or enjoying the quiet of nature with an audiobook.
“If we learn from the experience, there is no failure, only delayed victory.” — Carrie Chapman Catth
Emily Jacobson is the founder and owner of Green Bay Doulas and the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Doulas Association. A nationally recognized leader in maternal health, Emily holds certifications as a labor doula, postpartum doula, newborn care specialist, VBAC-certified doula, placenta encapsulation specialist, breastfeeding educator, shaken baby syndrome prevention trainer, and infant sleep consultant. Her comprehensive expertise allows her to support families through every stage of the parenting journey with compassion and professionalism.
Beyond her work with families, Emily is deeply involved in community development. She serves as Board Chair for NeighborWorks Green Bay and the De Pere Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation and sits on the Brown County Board of Supervisors. She is also the creator of impactful community initiatives, including Diaper Green Bay and the Green Bay Parenting Expo.
Rosalynn “Roz” Perkins is a faith-based Certified Birth, Postpartum, Community Doula, certified lactation specialist, wife, and mother of six, dedicated to serving families with Christ-centered care. As the founder of Radical Waves Doula Services LLC she provides compassionate birth and postpartum support, lactation guidance, and newborn babywearing education. With a heart for ministry, she integrates prayer, encouragement, and evidence-based care to empower mothers on their journey into parenthood. Through her work, she uplifts families, creating a nurturing and faith-filled experience for every mother, father and family she serves.
Tracey Russell is a full-spectrum, community-based doula serving families across Dane County and Southern Wisconsin. As the founder of Russell Family Doula Services (RFDS) since 2010, she supports the full reproductive journey, including prenatal preparation, labor, postpartum recovery, fertility paths, grief after loss, and emotional well-being, and has supported more than 350 births to date.
She is a DONA certified birth doula (CD(DONA)) and a Certified Prison Doula, complemented by training and credentials including Adult Mental Health First Aid, Advanced Pregnancy & Infant Loss (PAIL) Advocacy, Fertility Advocacy, Lactation Education, and Wisconsin Peer Specialist training. These skills enable Tracey to meet families where they are and provide trauma-informed, comprehensive support through complex journeys.
Beyond direct doula care, Tracey contributes to system-level improvement. She serves as Project Manager for the Wisconsin Prison Birth Project – Doula Services (Ostara Initiative) and works as a Fetal & Infant Mortality Review (FIMR) Consultant with Public Health Madison; Dane County, participating in case review processes that inform local practice and policy. Her volunteer leadership includes the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Impact Team and the UW Department of Medicine’s Black Leaders for Brain Health Committee.
She also collaborates with organizations such as the Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness and the Dane County Nurse Family Partnership to advance access to compassionate, competent support across cultures and care settings.
Guided by the belief that every family deserves respectful, consistent care, Tracey pairs deep community roots with professional rigor, helping families feel prepared, supported, and valued at every step.
Skye B. Alloway is an enrolled member of the Forest County Potawatomi with Menominee and Gaelic ancestry. A mother of five, C.N.A., Certified Doula and Lactation Counselor, she focuses on culturally rooted, healing-informed care from preconception through early childhood.
Her personal experiences with postpartum mood disorders, Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex (D-MER), and loss—within a region of limited maternal health access—fuel her commitment to equitable, culturally responsive care.
Skye is Chair of the Board at HIR Wellness Institute and Board Member for Wisconsin Conservation Voters. Previously, she Co-Chaired the Wisconsin DOJ MMIW Taskforce.
She formerly served as Language & Culture Manager for her tribe and now consults on Indigenous Language and Culture initiatives statewide, including at UW–Milwaukee, UW–Stevens Point, and Nicolet Technical College.
Skye is dedicated to restoring community wellness by advancing ancestral knowledge as a pedagogically rigorous and scientifically grounded framework, rooted in generations of proven practice and resilience
Hello, my name is Robin Dietel. I am a mother of four adult children and a Mema to four beautiful granddaughters. I have been a nurse for over 36 years, 28 of those being in Labor & Delivery, Postpartum, NBN Nursery, Lactation and Childbirth Education. My passion to provide education and support to expectant parents allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming a certified doula.
In March of 2021 I started Mema D’s Doula Services, LLC providing both labor and postpartum doula services to the Central Wisconsin area. I continue my “day job ” as a casual status Lactation Consultant with the Marshfield Health Care System in Marshfield, and pursue my “passion” of providing birth and postpartum support in between.
On a personal level, I enjoy travel, reading and reality TV! My goal as a Regional Coordinator is to bring doulas together with support and education in order to best serve parents in the Central Wisconsin area.
Hello! I’m Ashley Schmitz, a mom to 2 boys and a wife to a supportive husband. Our life in Central WI keeps us busy with farming along with our “day jobs.” Growing up, I worked on a hog farm helping sows deliver piglets which grew my passion for labor and delivery.
My experience as a 1st time mom having a c-section at 33 weeks, I knew I had to change my outcome for my 2nd pregnancy and talk to others about their perspective on motherhood in rural WI. With that, I was able to have my dream VBAC and this was when I knew my calling in life was a doula. In June, 2024, I started You are the World Doula Services and have been providing birth support since then. I am passionate about all things birth and babies and love supporting women as they transition into and through motherhood.
For over 29 years, my life’s work has revolved around nurturing families and empowering parents. As a mother, seasoned Postpartum Doula, and Infant Care Specialist, I bring a wealth of personal and professional experience to every client. My own journey through motherhood, where I relied heavily on the support of fellow mothers, underscored the critical need for community and compassionate guidance.
This personal understanding fuels my dedication to providing empathetic, tailored care through Doula Co. MKE. We offer comprehensive support, including emotional and mental health resources, newborn care education, and vital self-care strategies during the postpartum period. My unwavering belief is that no parent should navigate this transformative time alone.
Beyond individual client care, I am deeply committed to strengthening the Milwaukee doula community, fostering mentorship, and breaking down barriers to ensure every birth worker can thrive. Together, we can build a stronger, more supportive environment for families in Milwaukee.
