The AWHONN Board of Directors assures effective leadership and sound management; establishes strategic direction; oversees business required to carry out the mission and goals of the association; sets core program and fiscal functions; and appoints panels and committees.

Board of Directors Point of Contact: leadership@awhonn.org
Cheryl Bellamy DNP, MS, BSFS, RN, CNM, CNS-C, President

Cheryl Bellamy is a Perinatal Clinical Nurse Specialist at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Michigan. She has over 20 years of experience in obstetrics with focus in the clinical areas of Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, High Risk Antepartum, Normal Newborn, and Women’s Health. Cheryl trained as a certified nurse midwife and is regularly invited to present on a host of clinical topics related to the care of women and newborns.

Cheryl’s 15+ years of AWHONN leadership experience includes: National Board of Directors;  Michigan & Detroit Chapter Leader; Chair-National Awards of Excellence Committee; 2012 Emerging Leader; Maternal Morbidity/Mortality Task Force, and the DEI Committee; Past Member-Public Policy Committee; Writing Teams-Racism and Bias in Maternity Setting Position Statement, and Standards and Guidelines of Professional Nursing Practice; Designated Instructor-Intermediate & Advanced Fetal Monitoring Courses; Author- Fetal Heart Monitoring Principles and Practice (2-chapters) 

Cheryl served as Co-chair-Michigan Safe Sleep Action Committee; Advisory Board-Michigan Obstetrics Initiative; Facilitator-Unconscious Bias & Respectful Maternity Care (local/state); Member-SE Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative; and Primary Investigator-Impact of Nursing Labor Support on Reducing Cesareans.  

Rose L. Horton, FAAN, NEA-BC, RNC-OB, President-Elect

Rose Horton is the Specialty Director Emory Decatur Hospital in Decatur, Georgia.

Rose L. Horton, MSM, RNC-OB, NEA-BC, FAAN Joined AWHONN in 1999, served on Nominating Committee (twice), DEI Taskforce, BOD, President, RMC Toolkit Team lead, Synova Associates Executive Nurse Leader Advisory, Count the Kicks Executive Board Regis University, MSM, BSN.

Julie Zimmerman MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, Secretary-Treasurer 

Julie is a staff nurse at UnityPoint – St. Luke’s Hospital Birth Care Center in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Julie has a BSN and MSN in Women’s Health from the University of Iowa College of NursingFor over 40 years, she has been a staff nurse at UnityPoint – St. Luke’s Hospital Birth Care Center in Cedar Rapids, IA. Julie also serves as nurse residency program facilitator.  She teaches EFM and POEP AWHONN programs and was previously an educational outreach coordinator 

Veritta Henderson, PhD, FACCE, C-EFM, Director

Veritta Henderson, PhD, FACCE, C-EFM, is the Director of Northside Hospital Gwinnett Women’s Pavilion in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She has been a perinatal nurse on Mother/Baby and Labor & Delivery units early in her career. She worked in Public Health and accepted a wide breadth of leadership positions over her 31 years as a women’s health nurse.

Dr. Henderson speaks on the local, state, and national levels about perinatal nursing, and is a researcher and published author on the topic of perinatal preceptorship. She is passionate about maternal morbidity and mortality, perinatal disparities, and the education of nurses. Veritta has been active in her GA chapter of AWHONN and worked as the Newsletter Editor and Membership Coordinator for her chapter. She has been a member of AWHONN for many years and was the Chair for the AWHONN VTE in Pregnancy Advisory Board in 2018, helping co-write the practice brief. Veritta is a journal peer reviewer, a college professor, an advocate for the patient and the healthcare team that cares for women and newborns. Dr. Henderson has a PhD in Nursing from Walden University, a MSN from Gonzaga University, and a BSN from University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Katrina J. Johnson, MSN/Ed, RN, Director

Katrina has served in the roles of nurse manager, assistant nurse manager/educator and simulation coordinator in women’s and perinatal health.  She has been an AWHONN member for over 15+ years.

Katrina is a passionate, committed patient advocate of women and newborns by supporting them through equitable, culturally sensitive care.  She actively promotes healthcare equity and best practices to improve the outcomes of underrepresented mothers and their newborns through education and advocacy.

Katrina has served in the roles of nurse manager, assistant nurse manager/educator and simulation coordinator in women’s and perinatal health.  She has been an AWHONN member for over 15+ years.  Katrina is currently an adjunct professor at West Coast University, an AWHONN intermediate and advanced fetal monitoring instructor/mentor, Neonatal Resuscitation, BLS instructor and TeamSTEPPS master trainer.

Elizabeth Kester, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Director

Elizabeth is the Nursing Director of the labor and delivery unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Elizabeth is a nurse leader and passionate advocate for women’s rights and patient-centric empowered birth experiences. She is the Nursing Director of the labor and delivery unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Elizabeth serves as the Marketing Director for March for Moms, a national advocacy organization that promotes policies ensuring every family can grow with dignity and support. Elizabeth has experience delivering care in maternity services in vastly different settings, from rural critical access hospitals to large academic medical centers.

Elizabeth holds an advanced degree in communications, with a specialization in marketing and design, having enjoyed a successful career in advertising prior to transitioning to women’s health nursing.

Debbie Ketchum, DNP, MAOM, RN, NEA-BC, RNC-MNN, C-EFM, Director

Wife and mother to two children. Currently a Doctor of Nursing practice leader as a director of nursing practice across the continuum of care including women’s and children’s for St. Luke’s Health System.

A nurse of 28 years starting as a commissioned officer with the U.S. Army and has worked at large academic, rural settings and ambulatory primarily focusing on obstetrics, the care of women and children, and leadership.

Elizabeth A. McIntire, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, C-EFM, Director

Beth earned her BSN from DePauw University and her MSN-WHNP from Indiana University.  She has 39 years of inpatient perinatal and women’s health nursing.  Outpatient experience consists of maternal fetal medicine and general OB/GYN practices.

Her achievements include developing the largest maternal transport program in Indiana and being a finalist in the Indianapolis Business Journal Health Care Hero Award.  She has lectured extensively on fetal heart rate monitoring, perinatal safety, high-risk obstetrics, and maternal transport. Beth is the IU Health Ball Service Line Leader with strategic and operational oversight of level III perinatal service.

Shellie R. Nelson, RN, MS, Director

Shellie is currently in her final stages of studies for her PhD in Nursing Science.

Shellie Nelson, RN, MS has faithfully given her time to Women’s Services as a nurse, charge nurse, manager and director. Her clinical experience includes an outstanding academic background which includes; a BBA in accounting from Prairie View A&M University, a BSN in nursing from Avila University, and a Master’s of Science in Health Systems Management from Texas Woman’s University.  Shellie is currently in her final stages of studies for her PhD in Nursing Science.

Amber Weiseth, DNP, MSN, RNC-OB,  Director

Amber Weiseth is a Research Scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Director for the Delivery Decisions Initiative at Ariadne Labs. In this role, she leads a research and advocacy portfolio focused on improving dignity and safety in childbirth and reducing racial and ethnic disparities.

Amber has been an obstetric nurse for 20 years, specializing in maternal-child health, quality improvement, and systems innovation.  

Prior to joining Ariadne Labs, Amber served as Assistant Director for Maternal-Infant Health Initiatives at the Washington State Hospital Association where she led safety and quality improvement in the state’s birthing hospitals.

Ex-Officio Directors

Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH, EMBA, RNC-NIC, IBCLC, Past-President

Shakira Henderson, PhD, DNP, MS, MPH, EMBA, RNC-NIC, IBCLC, has been a longtime volunteer with AWOHNN at the local, regional, and national level.

Dr. Shakira Henderson is a hospital-based nurse researcher, health educator, and certified neonatal nurse. Currently, she is the Vice President, Research Officer/Clinical Research Integration Officer for UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine. She holds dual doctoral degrees, PhD and DNP, master’s degrees in public health, anatomical sciences, and advanced neonatal nursing practice with a sub-specialization in nursing education. She has been awarded two national AWHONN awards – leadership and practice.

Jonathan Webb, MPH, MBA,  Chief Executive Officer