Meet our Team

Co-Facilitator and Founding Member
Heather (she/her) is a proud Detroit native and licensed midwife in the states of Michigan and Wisconsin. Heather's passion to become a midwife was fueled by the home birth of her eldest daughter. She is now the mother of 4 and grandmother to 5, three of which were born into her hands, also at home. Heather began her home birth practice, Birth Beautiful Detroit, in 2015 and co-founded The Mosaic Midwifery Collective which supports moms/parents-to-be and students of midwifery with resources and knowledge with an emphasis on Black and Indigenous persons reclaiming their birth culture. Heather believes in the long-standing history, safety and one-on-one care that midwifery and home birth provide. She is bilingual in English & Spanish and a current student of Arabic.

Director of Midwifery Education, Lead Facilitator, and Founding Member
toni@detroitmidwiferyschool.com
Toni (she/her) is a Certified Professional Midwife in Northern Mississippi, but according to her clients and colleagues, she's the baddest midwife in the state and a trailblazer for the next generation of birth workers. Toni uses her 20+ years of knowledge and experience to support the entire family as they embrace natural birth, healing, and herbalism. Toni is an advocate for those who are often overlooked or uninformed and is fiercely grounded in issues that advance and uplift maternal health and equity for all. As a community member, she is an intuitive visionary for creating services and opportunities for the marginalized. As a mentor, Toni openly shares knowledge to encourage and empower like-minded birth workers to safely support families with best practices. Both a teacher and a student, Toni is a voice of reason for those who have lost their connection to self and nature, inspiring and planting seeds of wisdom wherever she goes. An approachable and empathetic listener with an endearing sense of humor, she is loved and appreciated by many far and wide.

Director of Operations and Founding Member
admin@detroitmidwiferyschool.com
Rory (she/her) is a Michigan native with a BA in Sociology and a knack for bringing people together. Teaching English at an international language school in Miami gave her the opportunity to design curricula aimed at helping students achieve their career, academic and personal goals, as well as assist with its reaccreditation status. Once a mother, she felt called to help build a community of care around birth and postpartum. She feels lucky to have found her passion project of advocating for the midwifery model of care, creating greater accessibility to midwifery education, especially for marginalized groups, and contributing to a grassroots project based in Detroit. Co-running the household of a bicultural family affirms her belief that raising children is an act of radical hope.

Liz (she/they) is a linguist and consultant who dedicates themselves to positively transforming educational experiences with inclusive curricula as well as supporting Metro-Detroit birthers and families as a doula, childbirth educator and midwifery assistant. It is her aim to work in tandem with their local communities to decolonize and reclaim midwifery and birth spaces as safe sacred spaces for all.
Motivated by their own birthing experiences and the intersections between her professional and personal spheres, Liz became involved in birth work to advocate for, empower, and defend the rights of all birthing folks regardless of their color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, languages spoken, religion, or socio-economic status.
Liz’s work is grounded in the belief that families require access to care providers who also hold these values and utilize the practice of informed consent to support intuitive, instinctive birthing. Liz is currently conducting graduate research to investigate how linguistic patterns between patients and care providers affect birthing outcomes and satisfaction. Her work as a Michigan Education Policy Fellow, a program for children to explore language fundamentals and variation while honoring Black English, is being implemented throughout the city of Detroit.

Rachel (she/they) is a queer full spectrum birthworker, reproductive and sexual health educator, and menstrual literacy guide. She is based locally in Southeast Michigan, and recently completed a Masters of Professional Studies in Sexual Health at the University of Minnesota. Rachel was brought to this work, like so many of us, by their personal experiences, healing journey and drive for political activism. She is passionate about reproductive and birth justice; and about being devoted to a praxis that is self-healing, community healing and cultural healing all at once.

Danny McNeal (he/him) is a consultant whose career is a testament to his commitment to making a positive impact on society. With a diverse background spanning senior living, healthcare, automotive, consumer, and financial sectors, Danny has dedicated over three decades to serving the Detroit community. His involvement with the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program underscores his dedication to aiding those in need, providing invaluable tax assistance to low-income individuals, persons with disabilities, and non-native English speakers. Moreover, his early contributions as a volunteer for the Detroit Business and Industrial Development Corporation highlight his long-standing commitment to fostering economic growth. As a Finance Director for a non-profit organization and the operator of a highly-rated nursing home, Danny has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in managing complex operations. His professional credential as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) further solidifies his authority in financial matters. Inspired by Benjamin Franklin's wisdom, Danny's life work reflects the profound belief that investing in knowledge and community service yields the greatest returns.

Janay (she/her) is a passionate public health leader with over a decade of experience advancing health equity and addressing the social drivers of health in historically marginalized and underserved communities. Her goal centers on creating innovative, community-driven solutions that improve health outcomes in maternal and child health while pushing to advance the public's wellness and economic prosperity. She currently works with State Medicaid agencies to promote equitable access to care, ensuring that public projects align with both policy objectives and community needs. In previous roles she's managed research teams focused on reproductive justice oriented access to contraception and developed comprehensive training for community health workers. Honoring the intersectionality of the people she serves through her work, Janay believes that we show up in the world as full, multifaceted individuals deserving of respect and it is imperative that the programs and policies that serve us recognize and respond to those identities.