2025 AABC Election Results

AABC recently held elections for the Board of Directors, with members choosing from a strong slate of candidates for Director and Alternate Director. We’re pleased to announce the newly elected leaders:

Directors

 Cheryl Bradshaw, BSN, RN, IBCLC, - Cheryl joined The Midwife Center (Pittsburgh, PA) in 2003 after a decade in pediatric and neonatal intensive care. An IBCLC since 2009, she became Nurse Coordinator in 2012 and now serves as Client Care Services Director, leading nurses, medical assistants, and front office staff. Her passion for birth center care began in 2000 and she’s been active with AABC since 2016, co-chairing the program committee, serving on the standards committee, and helping launch the Pennsylvania chapter. Cheryl lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, three children, and many pets, and enjoys sewing, hiking, disco roller skating, and donating blood.  

Claudia Jennings, BS -  Claudia brings a decade of diverse birth center experience, specializing in operations and sustainability. She spent seven years in administrative and operational roles at a freestanding birth center and midwifery practice, followed by four years consulting with Primary Maternity Care. An expert in operations management, billing and coding, and doula services integration, she works with birth centers, hospitals, payers, and state agencies to advance community-centered midwifery care. Claudia has led initiatives in birth center integration, payment model analysis, legislative advocacy, and workflow restructuring. A dedicated AABC committee member, she is a strategic, cross-sector leader driving systemic change in maternity care. 

Ashley Jones, MSM, LM, CPM - Ashley is a passionate advocate and leader in birth center care. After graduating with top honors from the Midwives’ College of Utah (BS 2017, MS 2019), she became sole owner of True North Birth Center in Poulsbo, WA, in 2021. Under her leadership, the center nearly doubled its birth volume and staff, building a sustainable midwifery business model that serves more families with holistic, community-centered care. Ashley co-founded and now leads the Washington Association of Birth Centers, advancing state and federal advocacy, including the MIDWIVES for Service Members Act, to expand access to midwifery care nationwide.

Suzan Ulrich, DrPH, CNM, FACNM - Suzan has been a midwife since 1983 and an educator for more than 40 years. As Director of Midwifery Education at The George Washington University, she launched a new distance nurse-midwifery MSN program in 2024. Previously, she spent 13 years at Frontier Nursing University and served nine years on the Board of Review for ACME, where she is now a senior site visitor. Suzan directed the North Shore Birth Center (1991–2000) and has held leadership roles with ACNM and AABC. A 2008 ACNM Fellow and 2012 Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow, she is dedicated to advancing midwifery education and practice. 

Alternate Director

Michelle Gabriel-Caldwell, PhD, CD, CBE, PPD, CLE - Michelle is a nationally recognized birth advocate, doula, and educator with over 20 years of experience supporting families through culturally centered, evidence-based maternity care. She is Owner of Baby, Please Birth Services Agency LLC and Director of Doulas & Education at The Birth Center of New Jersey, leading clinical integration, training, and community engagement. A DONA-certified doula, NBDA Instructor, and childbirth educator, Michelle has supported over 500 births and taught more than 2,500 families. She chairs New Jersey’s Perinatal Health Equity Initiative and serves on the NJ Maternal Care Quality Collaborative, advancing equitable, midwifery-led care statewide. 

Congratulations to these new and returning leaders. Their terms begin at the end of the AABC Birth Institute in September.