Kathleen Chiocca	BIO: I am a mom to two grown children, a nurse, a Passion for Birth educator and I have been an LCCE for over 30 years. I love the enthusiasm of new educators and look forward to working with new LCCE candidates. TIP: It may seem trivial but your professional appearance IS important when you teach a class. Just before you start a class series, pick out 6 "teaching outfits" to wear for your classes and tuck them away in your closet so that you don't have to scramble for "what to wear" on class night.
Nikki Wellensiek	BIO: Originally from Utah, I gave birth in 1998 at University of Utah Birthcare Healthcare under the loving care of CNM's. Because of this, I acquired a passion for birth, beginning my journey with Lamaze a few years later. Currently, I teach classes both independently and with hospitals promoting Normal Birth throughout Denver, Colorado. TIP: Ask for help! Don't be afraid to ask questions while writing your curriculum. Keep in close contact with your coordinator and program staff during all phases of your certification process. These relationships will prove to be invaluable.
Sue Wilhelm	BIO: I became a Labor and Delivery nurse as soon as I graduated from nursing school in 1975. After attending childbirth class with my son in 1977, I became passionate about childbirth education. I completed the seminar through ASPO/Lamaze in CO at that time but was unable to complete the certification process due to moving to AZ. I continued to teach childbirth classes throughout my career. I finally was able to complete the Lamaze certification process in 1986 with Debbie Amis and Jeanie Green as my mentors. Even though I am now an Assistant Dean at UNMC College of Nursing, I still conduct childbirth classes in the summer. It is my favorite nursing occupation. Young parents are always eager to learn more about childbirth and they are very inspiring. I am very proud of the evidence based practices of Lamaze and I am proud to be a certified Lamaze instructor. I emphasize the quality education that is the foundation of Lamaze to each of my Obstetrics students. I promote Lamaze to all of the childbirth educators that I come in contact with as well.
Teri Shilling	BIO: I became certified 16 years ago (easy to remember because the pregnancy test turned + at the seminar for my daughter!). I was living in West Virginia at the time and there were four Lamaze educators in the whole state and the coordinator lived in PA and the closest program was in NC. I felt so isolated. So I volunteered to become the WV coordinator and started getting involved with Lamaze. It was a door opener. Now, many years later we have moved to 4 different states and it has been great to connect with the coordinator in each one. I am a place holder for a coordinator in Washington so let me know if YOU are interested. TIP: Develop a support network of other educators to help you stay energized (and to be a sounding board when things you are teaching are being challenged or class length is being cut, etc.).
Eileen Frederick	BIO: Forty-five years ago, my operating room supervisor asked me, a first time expectant mother, “How are you going to have your baby?” My reaction was, “Wow, that’s a strange question coming from a nun. She then told me about “the classes” that they were just starting there at St. Mary’s Hospital in St. Louis. The classes were based on the newly released book “Thank You, Dr. Lamaze”. Four children, eight grandchildren, and thousands of Lamaze students later, I am still grateful for that chance encounter that shaped my vision of how birth can/should be. TIP: Do a community assessment. Find out what/who is already in your community, who might offer you support, mentor you, refer expectant couples to you. Find where the gaps are, where you might find your niche.
Sheri Deveney	BIO: Sheri Deveney is a DONA certified birth doula, DONA approved birth doula trainer, breastfeeding counselor and Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator living and working in Penticton BC, Canada.  She has been married to her husband David for 24 years and they have 3 sons ages 22, 20, and 17.  TIP: Go through the study guide with a highlighter and anything that doesn’t seem to flow logically for you, highlight.  Then transfer those things to a notebook using many different colored highlighters. As weeks tick down, whittled the note book down to 5 or so pages and study those the night before the exam.
Renece Waller-Wise	BIO: I am a licensed perinatal clinical nurse specialist, and have been teaching childbirth education classes for over twenty years.  I am currently the Education Coordinator for the Family Birth Center for the Women's Center of Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan, AL.  I am also adjunct faculty with Troy University, Troy, AL. TIP: I was an L&D nurse prior to taking the exam.  So my tip is for L&D nurses to focus a lot of attention to the normal aspects of birth, and alternative methods to relieve pain, since these will be the areas that an L&D nurse will have the greatest deficit.  In other words, don't focus attention on learning "obstetrics" because as an L&D nurse that is already known.
Joyce DiFranco	BIO: My name is Joyce DiFranco and I am the Candidate Coordinator for California. I began my career with Lamaze 35 years ago beginning as a parent member and currently I am the co-director for Birth Pathways. In 2009, I will be Chair of the Education Council. We have 2 sons and one granddaughter.  TIP: My tip would be to do one thing at a time and not worry about all of the requirements at once.
Diane Leyba	BIO: I am a mother of four who has lived in Colorado most of my life. Educating expectant families is truly a life-giving career….I couldn’t imagine doing anything else! TIP:My advice for incoming candidates is to get organized and set small, achievable goals for yourself. The certification process can be challenging, but I promise it will be well worth your effort!
Kathryn Konrad	BIO: Kathryn is a nurse educator and childbirth educator in Oklahoma City, OK. Kathryn has been a labor and birth nurse since 2000 and a childbirth educator since 2005. She is currently working on her masters of science with an emphasis in nursing education and her IBCLC. TIP:Work with a mentor! A mentor can provide great teaching and study tips in addition to the support you need as an educator.
Marsha Barr Reed	BIO: I have taught prepared childbirth classes since 1989, and have been certified with Lamaze since 2003.  For 13 years I've been a community educator (my ideal job!) with a hospital in Alexandria, and balance that with volunteer activities and my family.  I am married and have 2 children, now in college.  TIP:Set an unbreakable time with yourself for study each day and week; make it as important as any other appointment.
Sabine Douglas	BIO: I am a mother of two. I have been employed by St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho since1993 as the first "non-RN" Lamaze Educator. I am certified as a CPR/FA Instructor (1993), Birth Doula (2006), and was inducted as a FACCE (2001). TIP:Connect with a Doula group in your area early on. You can learn a lot about comfort measures and how all care provider need to work well together. We as childbirth educators can make a difference.
Maria Brooks	BIO: Maria J. Brooks is a proud mommy of two, a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator as well as a DONA Certified Labor Doula. She and her family moved to Philadelphia in 2006 after 10 years living in New York City. It was there Maria found her perfect "job". After the life-changing birth of her daughter, Maria found the role of a doula, advocate and teacher to be an appropriate fit for her gifts of compassion and joyfulness. She is and continues to teach in Manhattan as well as the Philadelphia area. Maria believes in the importance of a mother trusting her own inner wisdom to guide her choices in childbirth.  TIP: I like to keep in mind that every woman comes to birth with their own set of baggage. It’s not our job to judge that baggage. Our job is to help them let go of what they are capable of and remind them that they are strong and capable women no matter the history, giving them a safe atmosphere to explore (possibly completely new) possibilities and replace the past with the truth that birth is normal natural and healthy.
Sue Galyen	BIO: I’ve been a certified Lamaze Instructor for 27 years. I cannot imagine not being involved with mothers, babies, and birth. I am currently teaching Advanced Labor Support Classes for couples who are planning normal, natural birth. I became a certified Hypnobabies Instructor in 2007 and have been the doula for 2 Hypnobabies couples I taught this year. I also work part-time with high-risk hospitalized antenatal patients providing bedside education for families. TIP: Read the best. Attend conference to learn and network. Believe in the power of birth.
Christine Zamaripa	BIO: I graduated from nursing school in 2000 and was fortunate enough to get a position in Labor and Delivery on the unit I had interned on.  I have been helping moms to have positive birthing experiences in the hospital setting ever since. I began teaching about 2 years into my nursing career. About 3 years ago I took over coordinating our patient education classes here at the hospital.  I also teach at the local community college during summer and winter quarter in the hospital setting.  I bring nursing students to Labor and Delivery for there clinical experience.  I also am the proud mother of three kids.  It was my own experiences of birth that have helped me to continue to support and seek normal birth experiences for women within the hospital setting.  TIP:As a new educator, don't ever be afraid to step away from the slide projector, get those moms and their support persons down on the floor, empathy bellies on, practicing massage and learning more about what they want from their birth experience.
Judy O’Connor	BIO:  Judy O'Connor, RN BS FACCE LCCE MA is a practicing childbirth educator and consultant in perinatal education. She has taught childbirth and new parent classes since 1972. In 1973 Judy received her childbirth educator certification from ASPO/Lamaze and made her first continuing education presentation at the NAACOG Regional Conference in Chicago, IL. Her works have been published in many childbirth education journals and media formats. Judy's Lamaze certification exam, class syllabus and other original works are part of the permanent collection of the "History of Childbirth Education in the United States" in the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College, Harvard University.  TIP: Read or work on some aspect of the certification process everyday.  The job is less daunting and much more manageable when broken down into tasks.  I'm a list maker.  Checking off the daily accomplishment was a morale boost.
Jan Madsen	BIO: I’ve been teaching and coordinating Lamaze classes for the past 26 years.  I’ve served as the Nebraska state candidate coordinator for 24 years. I am a registered nurse with work experience in L&D, home visits for new moms, and in teaching nursing at an Associate Degree program.  My favorite part of coordinating programs is the chance to implement new ideas and create new programs to meet the changing needs of expectant and new parents.  My favorite aspect of teaching is to share in the excitement of new parents when they have experienced a positive birth, of which they felt a part of the decision making and outcome.  I am married and the mother of three—two daughters and a son.  I love to write poetry and I love to connect with other individuals. TIP:My suggestion for anyone going through Lamaze certification is to observe as many different teachers and classes that you are able to while training.  Different instructors will provide you with a wealth of information and teaching ideas.  It will help you feel more confident as you start teaching and remember how other teachers responded to various situations.
Elena Carrillo	BIO: Founder and Director of the Perinatal Centre "Nabor Carrillo" Founder of ANIPP( Mexican Association of Childbirth Educators) Program Director of Lamaze /Universidad Anahuac Certification Program Lamaze International Board of Directors ( 2004-2007) DONA International Board of Directors (1997-2007) Doula Trainer Doula to more than 2,500 mothers CIMS Ratifier and active member to date TIP: When we are faced with a new challenge or just before starting something new we may sometimes feel alone and overwhelmed. It is not uncommon to have doubts about the process and ask ourselves once more, is it worth it? This is specially true when the challenge we are facing is going through a Certification program, probably in a foreign language and being physically thousands of miles away from the organization Headquarters. I know exactly how you feel. It was the same way I felt 18 years ago. I was an experienced certified childbirth educator in Mexico, but wanted to bring Lamaze to my country as I thought that Lamaze CBE represented the crème of childbirth education. It wasn’t easy, at the time all materials were in English and the seminar was also taught in English; but we were a group of stubborn Mexican CBE trying to reach our goal. Looking back now I feel that becoming a LCCE has been a turning point in my professional life. I honestly believe that LCCEs are making a difference not only in my country but around the world. Every day I see more people from different backgrounds, cultures and countries coming together seeking Lamaze certification. They want to reach childbearing women and their families and help them have a normal and happy birth experience. So hang in there, you can do it! Fell free to contact me, I’ll be very happy to walk by your side in one of the most exciting and rewarding paths in your life!
Pat McCarthy	BIO: Pat McCarthy was certified with Lamaze in 1984, and has taught over 1900 couples to date. Currently Pat teaches at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and does private classes in childbirth as well as relaxation, stress management and conquering ring nerves for athletes.  As Lamaze coordinator since 1987, Pat has seen the program evolve from the national one through affiliation first with the University of Toronto and now with The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences
Tonya Daniel	BIO: My name is Tonya Daniel and I have been accompanying families through their birth journeys since 2000.  I became Lamaze certified in 2005. Currently, I work with the NC Division of Public Health as a Program Consultant in the Perinatal Health and Family Support Unit.   I'm excited about being the Candidate Coordinator for NC and VA! Pursuing certification from any agency can be an overwhelming task if there isn't anyone around to guide you through.  Sometimes you need someone physically to be there, not just over the phone.  It was for that reason that I switched my pursuit of certification to Lamaze.  They were widely known and their local networks were strong.  When I felt I was sinking, it was encouraging to have someone close by to reach out their hand and pull me to shore. (Thanks, Tara!) Now, it's my turn. :-) I also experienced the Lamaze philosophy first hand.  I am a mother of 5 beautiful children (one angel from a preterm delivery)...all experiences where I was empowered to have the births I could be proud of.  I am wife to a wonderful man who stood by me through every contraction, every wave of emotion... He was the ultimate support person! (I'm still trying to recruit him as a certified educator!)  TIP: Never be afraid to reach out and ask questions.  We've all been where you are.