2023 ACBP Conference and Pre-Conference Speakers

Kristin Schuchmann, CPM, LM, a second-generation midwife and graduate of Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery, is a practicing home birth midwife in southwest Florida.  Kristin is fulfilling a dream to see maternity care and birth outcomes improve globally as the founder and executive director of Charis Childbirth, Inc., an international school that trains Christian childbirth professionals, and as the founder and executive director of Heritage School of Midwifery & Natural Health Sciences located in North Port, FL.  Having benefitted from close relationships with respected, skilled midwives, including her own mother, Kristin finds great satisfaction in mentoring and passing along the knowledge, skill, and wisdom she has attained over the years.  When she is not “working”, Kristin enjoys sitting on the beach, hiking in the mountains, singing, gardening, and preparing “gourmet” healthy meals.  Kristin’s greatest passion and love are for her family and she is thoroughly enjoying grandmotherhood.

Bobbi has been a nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner since 2000. She has a BSN from BGSU and a certificate in Midwifery and Women’s Health Practitioner from Frontier University in Hyden, KY. She also received her Master’s in Midwifery from the University of Philadelphia in 2001.

Bobbi has been married 27 years to Don and they reside in Montpelier, Ohio. They have 2 daughters, Kaitlyn and Kelsey. Their family attends Life Changing Realities Fellowship at both locations: Edgerton and Angola. There she serves in the Café as a Champion and is active in the development of the women’s ministry, Treasured. She assists women in health care needs full-time in Angola, Indiana at Cameron OB/GYN.

Stephen Griffith has worked as a budtender, and in sales, and directly with the community in a licensed dispensary helping the consumer to pick the product that works best for their needs. Being a budtender or worker in the marijuana (cannabis) field does not mean they consume all of the products.  That is a damaging assumption many consumers make. Products change often in this growing industry, and keeping up with that change to best help the consumer is a goal Stephen has.

Many consumers want to use the product for one or more of the following:  pain, seizures, anxiety, insomnia, arthritis, and even help with other addictions to get the person thru that addiction.  and other ailments, but do not know what they should use.  Many of those do not wish to smoke a joint!  His job is to help you find the product that is best for you with the emphasis on healing or helping you to have the best active life for a quality life.

The pressure to keep up with these changing strains and products is immense.  Often the cost to do so would not pay to educate the employees.  Stephen has made it a goal to do his own research as much and as more than the ‘on job training’ he has received so he can help the consumer.

Cannabis sativa contains many active compounds (remember GOD made the plant!) the best known are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).

Information will be presented in an easy-to-understand manner for those of us who may have a client use Cannabis.

Kirsten lives in rural NE Indiana with her husband and five children. She began her studies in 2010 at a local DONA training seminar and has completed her certification through Birth Arts International. She has attended births and feels confident in all settings; hospital (medicated and non-medicated), free-standing birthing center, and home. Kirsten also has personal experience with infertility and loss, which brings a unique understanding to the journey that lies ahead. She feels the experience of bringing life into this world is a sacred and life changing event that every parent will remember for the rest of their life. Her goals are to provide the information and resources you need to make the best decisions for your birth. She respects your wishes and will support you in these choices.

I took my first lactation course in fall of 2017 and I began working with mothers almost immediately as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor through WIC (Women Infants & Children). I taught classes, met one-on-one with clients, trained other professionals, and even had an intern at one time.  I attended conferences and seminars; I was so blessed by my time there.

In 2020 I left WIC to gain experience specializing in tethered oral tissues and pursue private practice. God has always opened the right doors at the right time, and I now run my own faith-based private practice trusting Him to guide me along the way

To play a small part in one of the most vulnerable, but empowering stages of life, and to witness their triumph as they meet and exceed their infant feeding goals is an honor and blessing.

Lauren has a BA in Religious Studies from North Central College.  She completed her Certified Lactation Counselor training in 2017 and received her IBCLC certification in 2020. She works for Sacred Space Midwifery and Michiana Lactation serving families in northern Indiana and southern Michigan.  She enjoys spending most days with her three children and husband home schooling, nature walking, and adventuring.

Jody has been a nurse since 2014, first working as an LPN and then subsequently earning her RN degree.

Her clinical experience includes practicing as a staff nurse for medically fragile children at A Rosie Place, as well as working as a float nurse and cardiac nurse at Elkhart General Hospital. These experiences helped drive her passion for pediatric care and for children with special healthcare needs.

Jody has been with the Community Health Clinic since 2018, working as the Newborn Screening Coordinator. She helps coordinate care for newborns with abnormal newborns screenings for Inborn Errors of Metabolism, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Outside of work, Jody enjoys spending time with her family. Together, Jody and her husband have six children who keep them busy with sporting events and other extracurricular activities throughout the school year.

Nicole Bertsch, MS, CGC, is a board-certified, licensed genetic counselor. She has been at the Community Health Clinic since 2020, providing genetic counseling services to patients and their families.

She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Northwestern University in Illinois and completed her Master’s degree in Genetic Counseling at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Her previous experience includes working at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and at the Parkview Cancer Institute in Ft. Wayne, IN. Nicole is a member of the Indiana Network of Genetic Counselors.

Outside of work, Nicole enjoys drinking coffee, going to fitness classes at the YMCA, playing soccer, and spending time with her husband, Josh, their daughter, Anastasia, and mini Bernedoodle, Oliver.

Jared returned to the CHC in September 2019; he previously served as the Executive Director from 2013-2016 and as a member of the Board of Directors. Jared began his career in healthcare as an emergency room nurse.

Since then he has served in many leadership roles in healthcare. Most recently he was the Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Parkview LaGrange Hospital in LaGrange Indiana. Jared has also served as adjunct faculty in the Nursing program at Goshen College, teaching leadership to senior nursing students. Jared earned undergraduate degrees in Nursing from Goshen College, and in Economics and Business Administration from Manchester College. In 2011 he completed a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Jared lives in Middlebury, Indiana with his wife, Karla, and their three children, Evan, Kora and Graysen.

Jordan grew up in Elkhart, Indiana, and has served as a youth and worship pastor in Oklahoma, California, and now “back home again in Indiana.” He founded MidWest with Chey and others as a vehicle to share the deeply moving original music that he describes as “simply my life so far put to song.” That includes three “Letters to Him” EP albums written to their son, Elliot, and Little Flock, featuring a cover photo of their daughter, Birdie. Jordan also creates and records personalized songs for special occasions (including “Kathleen,” created for ACBP board member Kathy Nesper’s milestone birthday).

Jordan and Chey are passionate about developing leaders and serving Jesus alongside others and hope every dream, prayer, and reflection in their music “inspires you and brings joy to your heart.” As a family, they love going for walks and discovering new places to eat and drink coffee.

Joyce has been practicing midwifery in rural Montana since 2004. She has dedicated herself to bringing quality care and health education to all her clients and their families. Over the years, she discovered a passion for teaching, training new midwives, and most recently, God has put her on a new path teaching abroad in low-resource countries.

As a Master Trainer in Helping Babies Breathe and Helping Mother’s Survive, Joyce is excited to share this life-saving education to practitioners, students, missionaries, and more. Joyce’s passion is that every student she trains can go on to not only save a life, but pass on the knowledge to others, leading to less lives lost due to childbirth across the world. She is a mother of 11 and grandma to 21. When she is not teaching or traveling, she enjoys spending time with her large family, gardening, and cooking.

Adventures of a midwife blog address:

hpps://blogbird.wixsite.com/adventuresofamidwife

More information to come.