A Board of Directors serves as the leadership of the Association of Christian Birth Professionals.  Within the Board, directors may also hold office.  The Board, officers, nominations, elections, and other Association matters are governed by the bylaws.

Board Members are committed to:

  • Keeping the Association’s mission at the forefront
  • Steering the organization toward a sustainable future
  • Making decisions as a group of peers

Having an equal vote, equal commitment, and equal responsibility to the Association

Ireena Keeslar, CPM, LM, CDEM, AS

Ireena worked as an assistant in labor and delivery before becoming a nurse. She taught popular childbirth classes to both Amish and non-Amish for over 20 years and now has been practicing midwifery in a rural Michigan-Indiana community for over two decades, including helping start four different free-standing birth centers. She has written journal articles, served on state midwifery boards, and been involved with conference planning for over 15 years. Married since 1980, Ireena enjoys spending as much time as possible with her five children and growing number of grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys knitting, sewing, crocheting, photography, gardening, drawing, and painting.

Ireena serves as Co-Chair of ACBP. The Chair maintains the Association’s mission and values and acts as its public ambassador.

Pamela Golliet, CPM

Pamela has been involved in many facets of birth work for over 35 years. She’s been an OB nurse, a childbirth educator, a doula, a lactation consultant, and a home birth midwife. She’s married to her best friend, Steve, and they have two grown children. She has lived all over the world following her family in the United States Air Force. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband and her pets. She reads, sews, and has an additional business doing longarm quilting.

Pamela serves as Co-Chair and Treasurer of ACBP. The Chair maintains the Association’s mission and values and acts as its public ambassador, and the treasurer performs general oversight and protective management over all aspects of the organization’s finances.

Connie Mullen, CPM, LM, CCE

Connie is a semi-retired prenatal and postpartum fitness instructor, doula, birth assistant, childbirth educator, midwife, and midwifery school teacher. She is a licensed midwife in Florida, a Florida Outreach Childbirth Education Program (FOCEP) Certified Childbirth Educator, and a BLS instructor with additional past credentials through several organizations as a certified childbirth educator and/or doula. She also volunteers with crisis pregnancy centers and has served at a home for unwed mothers. Home for Connie is now Eagle River, Alaska, where she enjoys exercising and hiking in its beautiful mountains. 

Connie serves as an ACBP Director-at-Large, taking on responsibilities and tasks as needed within the Board.

Kathy Nesper, CCE 

Kathy Nesper has been involved in birth work since the mid-1970s as a lactation peer counselor, childbirth educator, and doula. She is passionate about applying truth from the Bible in helping parents and birth professionals encounter God in the birth journey, which led her to co-found and direct a Christian childbirth education program for many years. Kathy lives in the Central Valley of California with her husband of more than fifty years, DW. She loves to read, study the Bible, spend time with her family and friends, and cheer for her six grandchildren at their soccer and softball games.

Kathy serves as ACBP’s Parliamentarian, Secretary, and Professional Support Liaison. The Parliamentarian is the reference person for rules of order and proper procedure within the Board and the Association, and the Secretary manages the Board and Association records and administrative functions. The Professional Support Liaison provides a voice within the Association for Birth Professionals who are not primary care providers or who serve families in a different setting than the majority of members.

Kristin Schuchmann, CPM, LM

Kristin is a second-generation midwife serving childbearing families since 1989 and is currently a Florida-licensed CPM with a vibrant home birth practice in southwest Florida. In addition to her work as a childbirth educator, doula, lactation counselor, and midwife, she is the founder and executive director of Heritage School of Midwifery and Charis Childbirth, an international school for aspiring Christian midwives, childbirth educators, birth and postpartum doulas, and lactation counselors. Kristin and her husband, Todd, have four adult children and an ever-growing number of grandchildren. When not teaching or “midwifing,” she enjoys traveling, singing, playing piano, preparing nutritious and delicious gourmet meals, being outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with her family.

Kristin serves as an ACBP Director-at-Large, taking on responsibilities and tasks as needed within the Board.