In sixth grade, I won second place in a school-wide, photography contest for our local newspaper. The photo was a blurred close-up of a dewy, blue chicory flower in a hotel parking lot. I showed my grandfather my work, as photography had always been the one bond besides blood that we truly shared. He told me he loved it and I knew he meant it. To this day, the photo remains framed in my grandparent’s dining room…

An introduction…I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend who advocates for safe and respectful maternity care for women in the United States and around the world in my day-to-day role as founder and CEO of Every Mother Counts.

What do you do? I do my best to be my best in each of these roles. And sometimes, though rare, I achieve all of this at once.