SECTION CHAIR: Stacey Iobst, PhD, RNC-OB, C-EFM, CNE
Stacey earned her BSN at the University of Maryland School of Nursing in 2007. From 2008 to 2019 she was a staff nurse at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland, primarily in the labor and delivery unit where nearly 10,000 babies are born each year. In 2018 Stacey completed her PhD at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Her dissertation was focused on provider practice and cesarean birth in low-risk women. While a Senior Research Associate at the Uniformed Services University Graduate School of Nursing in Bethesda, Maryland, Stacey conducted qualitative research on shared decision-making among low-risk women during labor and birth. During the summer of 2020 Stacey was a Junior Fellow at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality where she examined disparities in care of rural women diagnosed with postpartum depression. She is currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Towson University in the Department of Nursing. Since joining AWHONN in 2013, Stacey has held the positions of Montgomery County, Maryland Chapter Coordinator and Maryland Section Social Media Editor. She currently serves as a Corresponding Member of the Research Advisory Panel. Contact Stacey at this link.
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SECTION SECRETARY/TREASURER: Amy Brown, BSN, RN, CPST
Amy earned her BSN from Stevenson University. She worked as a Labor & Delivery nurse for 13 years at University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). Currently she coordinates the Childbirth Education program, is the coordinator for the hospital for Baby Friendly, and co-chaired the OB Transitional Care program at UMMC. One of her passions is bringing equality and access to healthcare to women across the state. Through education and the OB Transitional Care program she is trying to improve many aspects of care for at-risk populations, including decreasing infant and maternal mortality. Contact Amy at this link.
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WEBMASTER / SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR : Annette Morales, RN, C-EFM
Annette was previously an active member of AWHONN Maryland Montgomery County Chapter. She has worked on labor and delivery at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring for 26 years where she has been a charge nurse and safety nurse. Annette has been actively involved in several shared governance councils including Perinatal Patient Safety, Resource Council, and Maternal Child Shared Governance. She has also been involved in planning and coordinating Critical Events Team Training (CETT) drills. Annette is currently earning her baccalaureate degree in nursing from University of Maryland Global Campus. Contact Annette at this link.
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LEGISLATIVE COORDINATOR: Beth Audet, BSN, RN, C-EFM, RNC-OB, FNE A/P, SANE-A
Beth has thirteen years of clinical experience including eleven years as a labor and delivery nurse and nine years in forensic nursing. She is the immediate past President of the Maryland Chapter of the International Association of Forensic Nurses. Beth was on the steering committee for the AWHONN Maryland/Virginia annual regional conference in 2018. She recently earned her baccalaureate degree in nursing from Southern New Hampshire University and serves both as a charge nurse and preceptor for new nurses in the clinical setting. Contact Beth at this link.
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EDUCATION COORDINATOR: Laura Garifo, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Laura is an experienced nursing professional development specialist focused on perinatal nursing. Driven by evidence-based collaborative practice, Laura has a passion for educating healthcare providers of all experience levels. Her 12-year nursing career has included nurse externship, registered nurse in Labor and Delivery as well as Postpartum, assistant director of Labor and Delivery, and for the past 2 ½ years as a nursing professional development specialist at MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center. Laura currently serves as the co-chair of the MedStar Health Perinatal Nurse Practice Council, coordinator of the MedStar Health Perinatal Educators Collaborative, and chair of the Women and Newborns Center Education Council. Laura earned her BS in Psychology in 2003, BSN in 2012, and MSN in Nursing Education in 2021. Contact Laura at this link.
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MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR: Crystalyn Fallin, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Crystalyn has eleven years of clinical experience, including 9 years as a labor and delivery nurse. She has worked in both community and tertiary care settings. In 2010, she initially earned her Associate’s degree in nursing 2010 at Anne Arundel Community. She obtained her RN-to-BSN at Notre Dame of Maryland University in 2015 and completed her Masters of Science in Nursing for Health Service, Leadership, and Management in 2019. In 2021, she transitioned to a management role as Assistant Director of Nursing for MedStar Harbor Hospital Women and Infants’ Unit. Her focus remains to facilitate evidence-based, collaborative care to improve maternal morbidity and mortality by working closely with nurses, providers, and patients. While attending her first AWHONN convention in 2022, Crystalyn completed the AWHONN Intermediate Fetal Heart Monitoring Instructor Training course.
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STUDENT LIAISON: Stacia Moreno, BSN, RN
Stacia earned her ABSN at George Washington University-SON in 2015. She started her nursing career in Labor and Delivery at George Washington University Hospital and currently she works at St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Md. Stacia also works as an adjunct clinical instructor for George Washington University-SON. In 2017, Stacia started the BSN-DNP at George Washington University-SON. Upon graduation, she plans to focus on clinical research concerning postpartum cardiomyopathy in African American women. She was recently honored as one of the inaugural recipients of the George Washington University-SON Distinguished Alumni Award. She has been a member of AWHONN since 2016. Contact Stacia at this link.
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Chapter Coordinators
EASTERN SHORE CHAPTER COORDINATOR: Jaimi Hall, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM
From Salisbury, Maryland, Jaimi is a highly engaged and dedicated obstetric nurse with over 24 years of experience in all aspects of perinatal nursing. She earned her BSN from Salisbury University in 1995 and began working in obstetrics the following year. Jaimi completed her MSN from Walden University in 2008, specializing in nursing education, and taught maternal-child nursing at the baccalaureate level for several years. From 2010 to 2019, Jaimi held the role of clinical specialist for a Women’s and Children’s Division and is experienced in patient safety and quality improvement initiatives, evidence-based practice, perinatal risk assessment as well as staff education and development. She is actively involved in Maryland’s Perinatal/Neonatal Quality Collaborative, serving as a faculty advisor and steering committee member for the past eight years, and in 2016 was named the AIM-AWHONN Maryland State nurse leader. Jaimi is nationally certified in both Inpatient Obstetrics and Electronic Fetal Monitoring and has been an active AWHONN member for over 18 years. Jaimi currently works at the Birthing Center at Shore Regional Health in Easton, Maryland and is a regular presenter for Sidelines High-Risk Pregnancy and Support Network’s webinar series. Contact Jaimi at this link.
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BALTIMORE CHAPTER CO-COORDINATOR: Judith Coombs-Haylett, MSN, RN
Judith began her nursing journey with an Associate’s degree in nursing over 35 years ago. Since then she has worked in labor and delivery across various tertiary facilities as well as community-based settings. Since 2002 she has worked at the University of Maryland Medical Center labor and delivery unit, where she is a Senior Clinical Nurse l (SCNl) and a permanent charge/resource nurse. Judith also works at the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON) as the Clinical Coordinator for maternal, newborn, and women’s health in the Family and Community Health department. She developed a passion for teaching through precepting over the years and decided to head back to school where she obtained an MSN degree with a concentration in education at Stevenson University. As an experienced clinician and clinical instructor, Judith has previous experience teaching in maternal, newborn and women’s health nursing for Howard Community College, UMSON, and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She has filled in at Bowie State University as an OB lecturer and taught two semesters of the Foundation of Nursing Lab at Bowie State. Judith has been a member of AWHONN for several years and has participated in some of the annual conferences which never fail to inspire and rekindle her nursing spirit. Contact Judith at this link.
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WESTERN MARYLAND CHAPTER COORDINATOR: Sherrie Burkholder, MHA, MSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Sherrie began her nursing career as a diploma nurse, in Pennsylvania, then earned her BSN, MSN and MHA through the University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL. Her passion has always been in obstetrics. Sherrie has worked at the bedside and progressed into leadership as assistant nurse manager, nurse manager and education specialist in the field of obstetrics. She has worked in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Sherrie became an AWHONN member in 1987, when the organization was NAACOG, after passing her NCC certification exam – Inpatient Obstetrics. She is active as an AWHONN Fetal Heart Monitoring instructor for both Intermediate and Advanced courses. She is also an OPS Instructor. Sherrie is past secretary/treasurer and section leader for Maryland. Contact Sherrie at this link.
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Vacancies:
NEWSLETTER COORDINATOR
LEGISLATIVE COORDINATOR
ANNE ARUNDEL CHAPTER COORDINATOR
MONTGOMERY COUNTY CHAPTER COORDINATOR
PRINCE GEORGE’S CHAPTER COORDINATOR
SOUTHERN MARYLAND CHAPTER COORDINATOR