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MEAC Hires New Executive Director

We are pleased to announce the selection of our new Executive Director, Martha O’Connor. Martha brings incredible experience to MEAC, having worked sixteen years in credentialing, including directing accreditation programs for Occupational Therapists and Chiropractors and developing certification examinations for Occupational Therapists/Occupational Therapy assistants. She also spent twelve years as a practicing Registered Occupational Therapist and taught for more than eight years before earning her Doctorate in Higher Education Administration. Martha brings particular expertise in organization, strategic planning, budget, public speaking, teaching, conflict resolution and oversight/collaboration with teams and committees. She is eager to learn more about midwifery in the United States and is looking forward to meeting all of you!

Martha will assume her duties in early January, 2008. Our Administrative Assistant, Michelle Gober, will maintain the MEAC office in Flagstaff through March, while Martha will divide her time between Flagstaff and her home in Scottsdale. We anticipate re-locating the office to the Phoenix area in April. You may contact Martha via email at executivedirector@meacschools.org or the regular office phone number.

We also want to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to Mary Ann Baul, who was a founding member of MEAC and has served as our Executive Director for more than a decade. Mary Ann has truly been our midwife – nurturing, educating, facilitating, defending and leading MEAC through our early years, developing standards for accreditation, earning U.S. Department of Education recognition, monitoring the accreditation status of the programs institutions accredited by MEAC, and supporting the work of our volunteers and Board of Directors. She has served with integrity, kindness, resolve, and a passion for midwives, women and their families. Fortunately, for the families of Flagstaff, our loss is their gain as Mary Ann will now be able to turn her full attention to her midwifery practice– see http://www.womancaremidwifery.com/.

We look forward to sharing more news about MEAC in the coming months.

Happy New Year!

MEAC Highlights 2007

• In August, the MEAC BOD approved new Standards of Accreditation, the culmination of a year of focused work.

• The revision of our Accreditation Handbook has been completed, and we are underway with the updating of our Site Visit materials.

• In 2006, there were 582 students enrolled in MEAC accredited programs. 77 students graduated. In 2006, MEAC schools turned out 65 new CPMs.

• From 2004 –2006, there were a total of 197 graduates. Of these, 173 took the NARM exam, and 97% of that cohort passed. Half of the graduates also took their state exam and got licensed.

• At the beginning of 2007, there were 422 students actively enrolled in MEAC programs.

• Our operating budget is comprised of approximately 80% revenue from the schools’ sustaining fees, and 20% grants and donations. About 1% comes from the support of our sister organizations.

• We have one new school beginning the process of accreditation, and four other potential candidates. We offer these schools one on one support through our Accreditation Specialist.

• We will have four renewal of accreditation applications due in this fiscal year.

• We are writing a grant to fund a “Future of Midwifery Education Summit”, which will involve educators, policy makers, and midwives in an important national dialogue.

• We invited our sister boards to a training on our new Standards, and continue to work toward greater transparency and collaboration with other boards.

• We have submitted our application for a renewal of recognition with the US Department of Education (USED) and will attend the meeting of National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity in Washington, DC, in December. The USED analyst was in attendance at our Fall meeting to observe.

• We have had two resignations from the BOD, Jodie Palmer and Allison Israel, and are actively searching to fill these vacancies through Spring, 2009.

• At this time, having adopted our new standards, submitted our petition for recognition to the USED, strengthened the board, established the position of Accreditation Specialist, and had several years of operating in a fiscally sustainable model, our Executive Director is stepping down. A new Executive Director will be hired by the beginning of the year, and Mary Ann will be instrumental during the training and transition period.