Candace Hurley, Founder and Executive Director

Tracy Hoogenboom, Managing Director

Nancy Veeneman, Operations Director  

Maggie Parke, Online Coordinator  

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Medical Advisory Board

Thomas J. Garite, M.D. is the retired Edward H, Quilligan Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California Irvine. He is a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Maternal Fetal Medicine. He currently holds three primary positions in addition to being Professor Emeritus. These include:

• Editor In Chief Emeritus, American Journal of Obstetricians and Gynecology
• Director of Research and Education for Obstetrix, Pediatrix Medical Group.
• Chief Clinical Officer for Perigen Inc, A national patient safety company.

He has published over 120 original journal articles, and a similar number of abstracts, chapters and invited articles and is author or co-author of five textbooks. He remains active in clinical research, primarily through coordinating multi-center trials with the Obstetrix Medical group and continues to focus on those areas where he has been active throughout his career. These include intrapartum and antepartum fetal assessment through fetal heart rate monitoring, prematurity in general, but especially premature rupture of membranes and the infectious etiology of prematurity, and the management of labor.

 Dodi Gauthier, M.Ed, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, is the Perinatal Educator and a direct care nurse at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara. Graduating from a diploma program in Wisconsin, she received both her BSN and M.Ed at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her career has been committed to the care of women throughout their reproductive year. In addition to her position as a hospital-based educator, Dodi also is a life support instructor teaching NRP, BLS, and ACLS-OB. She is also privileged to assist in providing both education and protocol review regarding emergency childbirth for the Santa Barbara County’s EMS providers.   She is an active member of AWHONN and received the organization’s highest honor, the Distinguished Professional Service Award, in 2014. In addition to her work with Cottage Health where she sits on several house-wide committees, she is an instructor with NCTI and teaches paramedic and EMT students both the obstetrics and neonatal courses. In 2017, Dodi will celebrate her 40^th year of caring for pregnant women and their families.

Sheryl Parfitt has 40 years of extensive experience in labor and delivery, newborn care, postpartum nursing care, and education. She is NCC certified in Inpatient OB and serves on many nursing related educational committees and boards. She is an instructor for the Arizona Perinatal Education Coalition, a member of the Arizona AWHONN Advisory Board, and Chair of the Arizona AWHONN Conference Planning Committee.  Sheryl is actively involved in multiple departmental research projects and is a contributing author in "Manual of High Risk Pregnancy and Delivery" by Elizabeth Stepp Gilbert, 2011 and "Core Curriculum for Maternal-Newborn Nursing, 5th ed" by Susan Mattson, 2016.  She has also been published in AWHONN's Nursing for Women's Health and JOGNN.  Sheryl is an American Heart Association ACLS & BLS instructor offering the ACLS OB course at her institution.  She is also an AWHONN certified instructor for Intermediate and Advanced Fetal Monitoring.  Sheryl has a passion for nursing education and enjoys lecturing on varied obstetrical topics.

Dr. Jick is part of Fair Oaks Women's Health, a group that specializes in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Bryan S. Jick, MD, FACOG is a Board-Certified Ob/Gyn physician. He has a special interest in high-risk pregnancy and has delivered more than 200 sets of twins.