Omare Jimmerson is an advocate, a community educator, a program creator, a mentor, and a leader. Omare is the Executive Director of the TBEI, and was previously the Deputy Director of Parks, Culture and Recreation at the City of Tulsa, where she ensured Tulsans were best served by various systems including education, healthcare and social services through the pandemic. Omare is the Co-Founder and previous Program Director of Strong Tomorrows, a school-based initiative for expectant and parenting students that provides guidance, support, and information. She is also on numerous nonprofit boards in Tulsa, and is currently the Board Chair for Reading Partners. She is proud of her Nigerian heritage being the first generation born in the States. Omare earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Oklahoma.

Shamika has served families for over 20 years, in related fields ranging from birth support, childcare, education and child welfare. With a BA in Sociology from Langston University, Shamika currently serves as both a community-based doula and the supervisor for the rest of the TBEI Doula Team. She is passionate about bringing birth back into the community to support parents in controlling their own experience.

Ashlee is an experienced birthworker and is certified in both birth and postpartum work. After having her own children, Ashlee became increasingly interested in birth and postpartum doula work, deciding to fully make the move to full-time in November of 2019. She has an overwhelming passion to help mothers go through and come out of the experience of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum feeling empowered and proud of every decision they have made. Ashlee is a Doula every day to her friends and family in so many ways and is so excited to be able to extend that service to the women of the Tulsa area. Ashlee currently serves as both a community-based doula as well as supervisor of the Community-based Doula Hub Program.

As the Hospital Quality Improvement Officer for TBEI, Hannah provides ongoing training and technical assistance to key hospitals in Tulsa County. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, she brings to TBEI a decade of program management and process improvement experience in nonprofits and the public sector. Hannah also trained as a doula through TBEI and serves on the policy committee for the Coalition of Oklahoma Breastfeeding Advocates.

Rebecca Cherms comes to TBEI with a passion for reproductive rights, closing the gap in racial inequities, and criminal justice reform. Rebecca is a proud Tulsa native with a BS from Northeastern State University. In her role as Executive Assistant she uses her 20 years of customer service along with her 5 years of HR and Claims management in problem solving and assisting TBEI in a multitude of ways.

Martyne is an experienced educator and comes to TBEI with a passion for birth autonomy and maternal mental health support. With a BA from Northeastern State University and an MA from the University of Oklahoma, Martyne previously worked as a college instructor before joining TBEI as the Training Coordinator. She has a deep love for teaching and student engagement and is so excited to use her education background to support TBEI’s doula training program.

Mariana came to Tulsa, Oklahoma, as a teenager from Chicago, Illinois, and joined the Strong Tomorrows program at Nathan Hale High School where she graduated. Having previously served in the education field as a teacher’s assistant, she currently serves her community in helping to guide students as a community-based doula. Mariana serves expectant and parenting teens. She is also the first Strong Tomorrows alumna to join the TBEI Doula Team.

Brittany is a Tulsa-area native, proud to be born and raised here with strong ties to family and church. With a self-described “soft spot” for the people who live in North Tulsa, she is delighted to be serving moms in our community with her caring doula services.

Natalie is a graduate from Oklahoma State University and has an Associate Degree in Dietetic Technology from Oklahoma State University in Okmulgee. She has over 10 years of experience working with women who are pregnant, going through childbirth and postpartum needs as a Nutrition Assistant for Women Infant and Children (WIC. As a Certified Lactation Specialist, she looks forward to this experience to continue serving women in her community as a Certified Doula.

Fernande (they/them) comes to TBEI with 17 years of community organizing in areas of LGBT+ right, decriminalization, anti-racism education and care giving. Serving as the Community Engagement Specialist, they build collaborative relationships with community stakeholders to advance TBEI's mission with creative event curation. As the parent of three, they are dedicated to building a future in which birthing people are fully supported and empowered.

As the Program Specialist, DeShara V serves Black women as a community-based doula as well as constructing a safe space to mitigate isolation and stress for them through Queens Village Tulsa. She is a mother of three lively boys and wife to an even more lively husband. While she studied Business Administration - Legal Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma, she later found her passion in addressing the maternal health disparities in her community. Her mantra in life is to do everything on purpose with purpose and that is fully what she intends to do in every space and encourage others to do the same.

Jennifer grew up in Sand Springs, Oklahoma and earned her BS in Psychology from Oklahoma Christian University. After working abroad for 11 years as an educator and mentor, she returned to Oklahoma to continue teaching and serving. Jennifer is a full-time community-based doula with TBEI and eager to give back to her community as she serves Natives in the Tulsa area. She is diligently striving to advocate and promote the value of others while being intentionally aware of cultural differences, disparities and global perspectives. She is inspired daily by her husband and two sons.

Kiawanna was born in Tulsa Oklahoma, raised in Des Moines Iowa. She is a Wife, Mother, Healer and Wombman to seven boys and men. They have provided her with 18 years of joyous alignment of healthy experiences, love, grace and all things possible. She has worked with women in all phases of their lives from family planning and fertility to postpartum for many years. Kiawanna's goal is to cultivate self love and appreciation for who women are and what they can DO. Kiawanna finished high school in Des Moines a year early and has an associates in accounting with a bachelors degree in business. She serves as an advocate for O.P.Q.I.C to assist with maternal communications in the hospitals. Her stars align for the future of the Feminine.