February 1, 2025
Governor Maura Healy announced the 9 member board appointees that will serve as the Registration of Midwifery Board. The Board is an entity that will serve the CPM community through many duties. Some of the tasks include, but are not limited to adopting and promulgating regulations governing licensed Certified Professional Midwives, administer the licensing process for CPMs, develop practice standards for CPMs and receive and investigate complaints. The board includes 5 Certified Professional Midwives with at least 5 years as an experienced CPM and MEAC accredited education, 1 Obstetrician, 1 Maternal Fetal Medicine Physician with experience working with midwives, 1 Certified Nurse Midwife and 1 Consumer. Massachusetts Chapter of NACPM members selected to serve are Kristen Brennen, Zev Colson, Rebecca Herman and Nicole Pegher. Jessica Petrone, member and past co-president of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance, has also been selected to serve on the board. Kristen Brennen CPM, LM Kristen is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Licensed Midwife (RI) who has been providing compassionate, community-based midwifery care since 2015. As the founder of Greater Springfield Midwifery she is dedicated to making home birth accessible to families in the Lower Valley towns, ensuring that every community has a midwife who is nearby, invested, and accountable. Kristen’s midwifery philosophy is rooted in the belief that birth is not just about babies—it is about building strong, connected communities. She recognizes that each individual approaches pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with their own unique wisdom, and she honors that by providing personalized, culturally humble, and evidence-based care. Her practice supports families holistically, emphasizing nutrition, movement, emotional well-being, and community resources to set parents up for a healthy and joyful transition into parenthood. Kristen has attended and managed over 300 births throughout her midwifery career. She served for four years as a partner midwife with River Valley Midwives (Northampton) before founding Greater Springfield Midwifery in 2022. Her dedication to culturally responsive and inclusive care means she listens first, makes no assumptions, and supports each birthing person in a way that reflects their values and lived experiences. For Kristen, how we give birth matters. When people are heard, respected, and given choices, they emerge from the experience feeling strong, whole, and empowered. She is honored to walk alongside families on their journeys, ensuring that home birth remains a safe, supported, and accessible option in the communities she serves. |
MA Policy Reform:
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Zev Colson CPM
Zev is a nonbinary Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) dedicated to providing full-spectrum midwifery care throughout the reproductive lifecycle. As the founder of Lumen Midwifery, Zev offers home insemination, comprehensive home birth care, postpartum support, and well-person care, ensuring that clients receive affirming, individualized, and community-centered midwifery services.
Zev’s practice is rooted in the belief that midwifery is both a personal and collective act of liberation. They are committed to addressing the health inequities that disproportionately impact BIPOC communities, queer and trans individuals, disabled folks, and other historically marginalized groups. Through deep interpersonal connection and a commitment to the midwifery model of care, Zev works to expand access to safe, affirming, and empowering reproductive health care.
A graduate of Maternidad La Luz, a MEAC-accredited midwifery school in El Paso, TX, Zev became a Certified Professional Midwife in 2018 and was originally licensed in Tennessee. They spent two years as a staff midwife in a high-volume home birth practice, then transitioned into fertility care and birth equity work. In 2024, Zev returned home to Boston with their partner, Sean, and their twins, Ocean and Sequoia, to continue their mission of providing accessible and inclusive midwifery care.
Through Lumen Midwifery, Zev creates a responsive, connected, and client-centered space where all people—regardless of gender identity, race, or background—can receive the respectful, evidence-based care they deserve.
Zev is a nonbinary Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) dedicated to providing full-spectrum midwifery care throughout the reproductive lifecycle. As the founder of Lumen Midwifery, Zev offers home insemination, comprehensive home birth care, postpartum support, and well-person care, ensuring that clients receive affirming, individualized, and community-centered midwifery services.
Zev’s practice is rooted in the belief that midwifery is both a personal and collective act of liberation. They are committed to addressing the health inequities that disproportionately impact BIPOC communities, queer and trans individuals, disabled folks, and other historically marginalized groups. Through deep interpersonal connection and a commitment to the midwifery model of care, Zev works to expand access to safe, affirming, and empowering reproductive health care.
A graduate of Maternidad La Luz, a MEAC-accredited midwifery school in El Paso, TX, Zev became a Certified Professional Midwife in 2018 and was originally licensed in Tennessee. They spent two years as a staff midwife in a high-volume home birth practice, then transitioned into fertility care and birth equity work. In 2024, Zev returned home to Boston with their partner, Sean, and their twins, Ocean and Sequoia, to continue their mission of providing accessible and inclusive midwifery care.
Through Lumen Midwifery, Zev creates a responsive, connected, and client-centered space where all people—regardless of gender identity, race, or background—can receive the respectful, evidence-based care they deserve.
Rebecca Herman CPM, LM
Rebecca is a Certified Professional Midwife, public health specialist, and global advocate for reproductive health and rights. With more than 15 years of experience spanning the United States, Central and Eastern Africa, and South Asia, she works at the intersection of midwifery, public health, and trauma-informed care to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes worldwide.
Rebecca specializes in perinatal care for survivors of sexual trauma and in strengthening connections between community and formal health systems to expand access to high-quality, preventative, and therapeutic women’s health care. She is a trainer of trainers for the WHO’s health sector response to violence against women and integrates evidence-based midwifery, community mobilization, and rights-based approaches into her work.
Rebecca’s practice, Global Skye Midwifery, provides individualized care to families across northeast Massachusetts and the Seacoast region of New Hampshire. Since 2005, she has attended births in home, birth center, and global health settings, blending herbal, allopathic, and intuitive care to support diverse communities.
Rebecca holds degrees from the National College of Midwifery and Boston University School of Public Health. She currently serves as Co-President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the NACPM, is a member of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance, and is a New Hampshire Certified Midwife. Through her clinical practice, consulting work, and international advocacy, Rebecca is committed to the transformative power of rights-based sexual and reproductive health care. She continues to develop programs that empower midwives, expand access to care, and strengthen the reproductive health landscape worldwide.
Rebecca is a Certified Professional Midwife, public health specialist, and global advocate for reproductive health and rights. With more than 15 years of experience spanning the United States, Central and Eastern Africa, and South Asia, she works at the intersection of midwifery, public health, and trauma-informed care to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes worldwide.
Rebecca specializes in perinatal care for survivors of sexual trauma and in strengthening connections between community and formal health systems to expand access to high-quality, preventative, and therapeutic women’s health care. She is a trainer of trainers for the WHO’s health sector response to violence against women and integrates evidence-based midwifery, community mobilization, and rights-based approaches into her work.
Rebecca’s practice, Global Skye Midwifery, provides individualized care to families across northeast Massachusetts and the Seacoast region of New Hampshire. Since 2005, she has attended births in home, birth center, and global health settings, blending herbal, allopathic, and intuitive care to support diverse communities.
Rebecca holds degrees from the National College of Midwifery and Boston University School of Public Health. She currently serves as Co-President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the NACPM, is a member of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance, and is a New Hampshire Certified Midwife. Through her clinical practice, consulting work, and international advocacy, Rebecca is committed to the transformative power of rights-based sexual and reproductive health care. She continues to develop programs that empower midwives, expand access to care, and strengthen the reproductive health landscape worldwide.
Nicole Cisneros Pegher CPM, LM
Nicole is a Certified Professional Midwife and Licensed Midwife (RI) with over a decade of experience providing holistic, evidence-based care to families across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. As the founder and sole proprietor of South Shore Home Birth Midwifery, she has been a trusted care provider for families from Boston to Cape Cod, specializing in personalized home birth services, prenatal and postpartum care, and patient education. She's a graduate of the MEAC accredited program at Birthwise Midwifery School and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
Nicole’s midwifery journey has taken her across diverse communities, from urban centers in Boston to underserved populations in Rhode Island, and even into the homes of the Wampanoag people. Her approach to care is deeply informed by her Cuban heritage, her early work in the Philippines at Mercy Maternity Center, and her time serving Amish families in Pennsylvania. She is committed to culturally responsive midwifery care and to fostering greater diversity in the profession, including prioritizing precepting aspiring midwives of color.
Beyond her clinical practice, Nicole is an active advocate for midwifery and maternal health policy. She served that role through her years long support of the passage of Massachusetts’ Maternal Health Bill, has served the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) as a volunteer complaint review committee chair and currently serves as Vice President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM).
Nicole’s work has always centered on the belief that birth is a universal experience that transcends race, culture, and socio-economic background. Every birthing person deserves respect, autonomy, and compassionate, safe care. Through her practice, advocacy, and mentorship, Nicole is committed to strengthening midwifery and expanding access to community-based birth options for all.
Nicole is a Certified Professional Midwife and Licensed Midwife (RI) with over a decade of experience providing holistic, evidence-based care to families across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. As the founder and sole proprietor of South Shore Home Birth Midwifery, she has been a trusted care provider for families from Boston to Cape Cod, specializing in personalized home birth services, prenatal and postpartum care, and patient education. She's a graduate of the MEAC accredited program at Birthwise Midwifery School and the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
Nicole’s midwifery journey has taken her across diverse communities, from urban centers in Boston to underserved populations in Rhode Island, and even into the homes of the Wampanoag people. Her approach to care is deeply informed by her Cuban heritage, her early work in the Philippines at Mercy Maternity Center, and her time serving Amish families in Pennsylvania. She is committed to culturally responsive midwifery care and to fostering greater diversity in the profession, including prioritizing precepting aspiring midwives of color.
Beyond her clinical practice, Nicole is an active advocate for midwifery and maternal health policy. She served that role through her years long support of the passage of Massachusetts’ Maternal Health Bill, has served the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) as a volunteer complaint review committee chair and currently serves as Vice President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM).
Nicole’s work has always centered on the belief that birth is a universal experience that transcends race, culture, and socio-economic background. Every birthing person deserves respect, autonomy, and compassionate, safe care. Through her practice, advocacy, and mentorship, Nicole is committed to strengthening midwifery and expanding access to community-based birth options for all.
Jessica Petrone CPM, BSN
Jessica Petrone is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Registered Nurse (RN) with nearly two decades of experience supporting families in both home and hospital birth settings. Her journey into midwifery began with the birth of her own child, igniting a passion for physiological birth, patient advocacy, and holistic maternity care. Since 2006, she has been attending births across Massachusetts, blending traditional midwifery wisdom with modern clinical expertise.
Jessica earned her degree in the Science of Midwifery from the National College of Midwifery in Taos, New Mexico, completing a two-year apprenticeship in the Boston area before becoming a Certified Professional Midwife in 2009. Committed to expanding her knowledge, she later obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), including a six-month preceptorship in a high-volume, high-risk maternity unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. This dual training allows her to provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and client-centered care that honors both the art and science of midwifery.
Jessica is a longtime leader in midwifery advocacy. She served four years as Co-President of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance (MMA) and continues to represent the organization on the Postpartum Depression Task Force for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Jessica is also co-founder of Birth Matters Midwifery Care, the largest group home birth practice in the Commonwealth.
For Jessica, midwifery is more than a profession—it is a calling rooted in generations of family wisdom. Coming from a lineage of midwives and healers, she is honored to carry forward this tradition and provide families with the personalized, respectful, and empowering care they deserve.
Jessica Petrone is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and Registered Nurse (RN) with nearly two decades of experience supporting families in both home and hospital birth settings. Her journey into midwifery began with the birth of her own child, igniting a passion for physiological birth, patient advocacy, and holistic maternity care. Since 2006, she has been attending births across Massachusetts, blending traditional midwifery wisdom with modern clinical expertise.
Jessica earned her degree in the Science of Midwifery from the National College of Midwifery in Taos, New Mexico, completing a two-year apprenticeship in the Boston area before becoming a Certified Professional Midwife in 2009. Committed to expanding her knowledge, she later obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), including a six-month preceptorship in a high-volume, high-risk maternity unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. This dual training allows her to provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and client-centered care that honors both the art and science of midwifery.
Jessica is a longtime leader in midwifery advocacy. She served four years as Co-President of the Massachusetts Midwives Alliance (MMA) and continues to represent the organization on the Postpartum Depression Task Force for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Jessica is also co-founder of Birth Matters Midwifery Care, the largest group home birth practice in the Commonwealth.
For Jessica, midwifery is more than a profession—it is a calling rooted in generations of family wisdom. Coming from a lineage of midwives and healers, she is honored to carry forward this tradition and provide families with the personalized, respectful, and empowering care they deserve.