NACPM is delighted to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors: Patricia Gagui, Connie Perkins, and Chautauqua Ellison! This now makes a total of 13 members, with two of them serving as public members. Read about each new Board member below…

Patricia Gagui, CPM
Patricia Gagui, CPM, LM, has dedicated her career to strengthening community-based maternity care through education, mentorship, advocacy, and clinical practice. After beginning her journey as a birth doula in 2018, she became a Certified Professional Midwife and Virginia Licensed Midwife while founding Maple & Moon Midwifery, where she provides home birth care to families across the Mid-Atlantic region.

In addition to clinical practice, Patricia serves in admissions and student support within midwifery education and has spent years developing educational programs, mentoring future birth workers, and building pathways into the profession. Her work has consistently centered on helping students succeed while also recognizing that strong educational experiences depend on healthy, sustainable support for the preceptors who generously invest their time, knowledge, and energy into training the next generation of midwives.

Patricia believes the future of the CPM profession depends on creating educational systems where students are better prepared, preceptors are better supported, and newly licensed midwives enter practice with the confidence, skills, and resources needed for long-term success. She is passionate about strengthening mentorship, improving collaboration across the profession, expanding access to quality midwifery education, and fostering thoughtful solutions that benefit both practicing midwives and those preparing to join the profession.

As a Board member, Patricia hopes to bring a collaborative, forward-thinking perspective grounded in both clinical experience and educational leadership, helping ensure that the CPM pathway remains strong, sustainable, and accessible for generations to come.

Connie Perkins, CPM
Connie Perkins (she/they) is a mother, midwife, and activist, specializing in full spectrum, trauma-informed reproductive care. She has over 20 years of experience supporting families through the childbearing year and sees birth as a potentially transformative, ceremonial event, enriching our communities and honoring our lands.

As a midwife and educator, Connie is committed to the growth of access to midwifery-based care and equitable, safe education for midwifery students. Connie brings a unique perspective to midwifery education and training: They trained as a PEP student in a busy rural practice in Michigan and then also completed a MEAC-based program. Connie has also worked as adjunct academic and clinical faculty for several different midwifery institutions and with students pursuing many different educational routes.

“Growing up as a mixed-race kid on the Rez, I saw firsthand the ripple effect that quality perinatal care and family support had on the entire community, and the lasting impacts that the lack of it left as well. Those experiences continue to guide my work as a midwife and and my passion for student midwives and midwifery education. I am excited to be a part of shaping our collective voice and to support the continued work of creating a sustainable and equitable midwifery profession not just for midwives and families, but also the generations to come.”

Chautauqua Ellison, CPM
Chautauqua Ellison is an educator with more than 28 years of experience in early childhood education. She is also a graduate of A Wombman's Way Warrior Midwife Training and a community midwife, committed to advancing birth justice and culturally rooted care for Black families.

Through her work with Spiritual Edge Traditional Birthing, Chautauqua is passionate about preserving the legacy of traditional Black midwives, strengthening community-based midwifery, and ensuring families have access to compassionate, culturally responsive maternity care.

“As I step into this board role, one of my priorities is supporting efforts to advance Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) legislation in North Carolina. I am also committed to elevating the voices of student midwives, particularly those navigating their education and preceptorship experiences. I believe the future of midwifery depends not only on legislative progress, but also on creating supportive learning environments, fostering professional accountability, and ensuring aspiring midwives have opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.

I recognize that I am continuing to learn the legislative and policy landscape, and I welcome that opportunity. I come to this position ready to listen, ask thoughtful questions, learn from experienced colleagues, and contribute the perspective I bring as a community midwife, educator, and advocate. I believe effective leadership does not require having every answer. It requires a willingness to listen, the courage to speak when something needs to be addressed, and a commitment to ensuring that voices and experiences that are often overlooked have a place at the table.

My personal journey has shaped how I understand resilience, representation, and advocacy. From navigating childhood in foster care to becoming an educator and midwife, and living beyond a challenging prognosis following a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, I have learned the importance of perseverance, purpose, and community. These experiences continue to inform how I show up in leadership spaces—with humility, determination, and a desire to make a meaningful difference.

As a board member, I look forward to collaborating with my fellow members, state organizations, students, practicing midwives, and community partners to strengthen our profession, advance equitable midwifery policy, and support the next generation of birthworkers.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve, learn, and contribute. My goal is to help ensure that as we work toward a stronger future for midwifery, we remain mindful of the people at the heart of this work: the midwives, the students becoming midwives, and the families and communities we serve. I come to this work ready to listen, willing to learn, and committed to advocating for meaningful change.”

About NACPM
NACPM is a mission-driven, values-based membership organization representing Certified Professional Midwives in the United States. Founded in 2001, NACPM has adopted a public policy agenda for promoting access to midwives and the integration of CPMs into the perinatal care system in the U.S.; addressing barriers to practice; supporting equitable reimbursement and licensing of CPMs in all U.S. jurisdictions; promoting equity and social justice in midwifery and perinatal care; supporting quality care through clinical practice resources; and engaging in state and federal advocacy to improve the health of all childbearing people.

About the NACPM Board
The NACPM Board of Directors works collaboratively with NACPM’s Executive Director and staff to steer our organization's success. Board Members are either elected or appointed. The Board appoints two women of color who are CPMs as well a two public members.

Expectations of Board members include:

Join two all day NACPM Leadership Team meetings each year, fall and spring plus travel days/time. All meeting expenses are paid by NACPM.
Contribute approximately 2 - 6 hours each week to the work of the Board
Support fundraising and membership growth to ensure the viability and sustainability of NACPM
Participate in NACPM’s ongoing equity work to become a more racially and socially just organization, including structured conversations and trainings for our team.

NACPM accepts nominations of CPMs and public members on a rolling basis to be considered to run for appointment and/or election to its Board of Directors depending on the time of year and available openings. NACPM by-laws are available here. Learn more about the Board and its nomination process here.