Board

REACHE Conference Board Members

REACHE is the Regional Association of Childbirth Educators of Puget Sound. The REACHE board meets monthly to plan and organize an annual conference on topics of interest to childbirth educators and other professionals in the birth community.

The purpose of the REACHE board is to further the quality of childbirth education by providing regular educational opportunities for childbirth educators, regardless of their affiliation, and to stimulate interest in the educational needs of new and expectant parents.

Current Board Members:

Catherine Berglund, MPH. Catherine is a childbirth instructor for Overlake Hospital. She teaches in both English and in Spanish. She has a graduate degree from UW in Maternal & Child Health, enjoys keeping abreast of evidence-based practices, and is fascinated by birth in various cultures. She is the founder of Good Eater 4 Life, which is a program that helps parents feed their babies and toddlers so that they grow up to be good eaters. Catherine is the mother of one delightful 9-year-old son.  She serves as REACHE’s Speaker Liaison.

Barbara Decker specializes in the prenatal field, Prenatal Bonding(BA), CBPF (TheGreatestPregnancyEver), and Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology Educator through APPPAH, Association of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health. She has been a childbirth educator for over 44 years, doula, and doula trainer (CAPPA). HypnoBirthing Practitioner, Register Hypnotherapist (WA), Advisor for Prenatal Pregnancy Attachment (CAPPA) and co-author of a new paradigm in childbirth education called Empowering Pregnancy. She is a mother of two, stepmom of three, and grandmother of six. Educating parents before or during gestational period is her real passion.

Angela Ertel came to this calling after the birth of her own daughter in 2010, and has an extreme passion for birth, the much needed support during pregnancy and labor and a woman’s right to choose how and where she births her children.  She is a PALS Doulas certified Birth Doula with extensive training in natural childbirth and possible interventions during labor, newborn breastfeeding and other postpartum needs. Angela also has a Lactation Cookie business, offers Placenta Encapsulation, and holds certification in Midwifery Birth Assisting with NW Birth Assistants.  Angela has her degree from the Art Institute of Seattle in Culinary Arts with a focus on Baking and Pastry and an AA Degree from Shoreline Community College with a focus on Music. She is a Washington State native and lives in Lynnwood along with her husband and two children, Heidi and Lowen, and a third on the way.

Ruth Herren has been a Childbirth Educator for 6 years and earned her BA from University of Washington, Tacoma with non-profit management. An enthusiastic Bradley Method Instructor, Ruth and her husband, Joe enjoy teaching couples how to stay healthy and low risk through nutrition and exercise. She joined REACHE because she is especially passionate about empowering vulnerable populations during the sacred time of pregnancy, birth and postpartum. Ruth is also a mother of four incredibly remarkable children.

Amy Kretz joins REACHE with 10 years experience as a self-employed birth doula, current childbirth educator at EvergreenHealth, and primary caregiver for her three young boys. She obtained a bachelor of arts degree in speech communication at the University of Washington in 1997. Amy completed doula training at the Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations at Bastyr University (formerly Seattle Midwifery School) in 2004 and Childbirth Educator training with Great Starts, Seattle in 2009. Amy is DONA and ICEA certified. Amy is passionate about labor and delivery and feels extremely privileged to take part in this personal experience with mothers and their families. When she is not working, Amy enjoys spending time with her husband and three sons and cheering for her beloved Washington Huskies.

Katie Rohs, CD(DONA), LCCE, Board President Katie is a DONA certified Birth Doula and Lamaze® certified childbirth educator and teaches for the Great Starts program of Parent Trust for Washington Children. She has also been trained in disability advocacy by the ARC of King County, and is a Parent Trainer through the Finding Your Voice program of the Washington State Education Ombudsman. Katie draws from her experiences with a late-pregnancy loss of twins and as the mother of a child with multiple disabilities to help expecting families empower themselves and advocate for their growing family during their birth and in years beyond. She also works as Penny Simkin’s administrative assistant, is President of the Board of PATTCh, an organization bringing awareness to traumatic childbirth.  She is the mother of nine year old twins, and an avid Husky fan.

Melissa Shaffer is a childbirth educator at Swedish Medical Center, the prenatal educator for Seattle Indian Health board, a labor support doula, and the lead instructor for the childbirth educator training at Seattle Midwifery School. She is the mother of three children.

Sara Temba is a registered nurse working at a delightful maternity unit in the Seattle area. Her education also includes a biology degree and certificate in midwifery from the Seattle Midwifery School. She is a member of AWHONN, the national organization for obstetric nurses. Her passions include evidence based care in the maternity setting and obstetric care in the developing world. She joined the REACHE board because she wants to help bring together the many people who help mothers bring their babies into the world. She loves what she does and loves the people she gets to work with each day. She lives in Seattle with her fantastic husband and adorable preschooler.