Nashira Baril(she/her) a Black cis woman, is the daughter and great-granddaughter of midwives, who birthed both of her children at home and has experienced firsthand the transformative experience and liberation of midwifery support. She is the project director of Boston’s Neighborhood Birth Center, the city’s first freestanding birth center start up. With a master’s degree in Maternal and Child Health from Boston University School of Public Health and nearly 20 years’ experience designing and implementing public health strategies to advance racial equity, Nashira brings head and heart to the design and implementation of public health strategies that advance justice and equity. Nashira also works at Human Impact Partners doing capacity-building for health equity and racial justice and has a small consulting practice focused on training and organizational development for equity. Nashira is originally from Connecticut and resides in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston with her husband and two kids. (nashira@neighborhoodbirthcenter.org)