Meet the Board

President
Jasmin Tecson, RM, BHSc    

Jasmin became president of the AOM Board of Directors and the Ontario representative on the Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) Board of Directors in May 2020. Previously, she served on the Board as the South East Regional Coordinator, Treasurer, President-Elect, and acted as Chair of the Audit and Hospital Integration Committees. Jasmin is a midwife with Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto and holds privileges at Sunnybrook Hospital, Scarborough Health Network, and the Toronto Birth Centre. Jasmin initiated and assisted with drafting the Equity Statement for the Midwifery Education Program. She is committed to social justice and equity principles alongside clinical excellence and to ensuring Ontario midwifery remains vital and empowered. Her local, provincial, and international activities reflect her interest in relationship-building through knowledge sharing. Tecson was a content expert and webinar presenter for Best Start Health Nexus' prenatal education project, and an instructor in Tanzania for CAM's Midwives Save Lives program. She embraces the ongoing challenge of personal decolonization and continually strives to better understand her responsibilities as a settler on Turtle Island. More simply, she aims to eat more vegetables, drink more water, and dance more often.

President-Elect
Althea Jones, RM, HBA, BHSc

Althea Jones is a registered midwife with 10 years of experience. For Althea, maternal health is much more than a career, it’s a passion and a calling that she has dedicated herself to. She has taken a leave from clinical practice to found Womb & Wellness, a network that addresses the gaps in maternity care by helping clients connect with complementary services, resources and support. More recently, Althea launched Ancestral Hands Midwives, a non profit organization with a mission to improve the outcomes and experiences of Black people during the perinatal period. Althea completed her Bachelors of Health Science in midwifery from Toronto Metropolitan University and prior to this, she earned a Bachelors of Science in Biology from the University of Arizona where she attended on a soccer scholarship. In her spare time Althea enjoys learning new skills, traveling (pre covid) and spending time with her family which includes her two amazing daughters who were both born at home into the hands of midwives.

Vice President
Bounmy Inthavong​​​​, RM 

Bounmy is a 2015 graduate from the McMaster Midwifery Education Program. She comes to the AOM Board as a new member in 2018. Much of what shapes Bounmy today has evolved from a young age as a first-generation Lao refugee discovering the inequalities of being a woman. As a midwife, Bounmy seeks to provide an individualized approach to care that ensures a safe and supportive environment that empowers clients and their families. She believes that all people have the right to dignified and respectful care regardless of cultural, social or economic circumstances. Bounmy is grateful for all the midwives she has worked alongside and the many families that she has cared for in Windsor-Essex County, Waterloo Region and Peterborough. Prior to midwifery, Bounmy completed her joint Bachelor of Science in Biology and Geography from the University of Waterloo. During her spare time, Bounmy enjoys testing her culinary pallet, back country camping and making desserts for family and friends. 

Secretary
Natasha Singleton-Bassaragh, RM

Natasha is a registered midwife from Peel Region who is in her 2nd term with the AOM board. She holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from York University, as well as her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Natasha’s enthusiasm for obstetrics is centred on empowering new parents to be confident in their ability to not only carry a pregnancy, but to birth their families, and parent them successfully with the knowledge and instincts that they inherently hold within.

She is also motivated to maximize the retention of knowledge and skills, and reduce the brain drain in Ontario midwifery, that is due to the attrition of midwives who are ill or have been injured. With a lens on equity for disabled midwives, Natasha is confident that we can create spaces for our colleagues who have had to leave clinical practice for these reasons, but still wish to have a career in midwifery. Natasha is a past midwifery client whose son was caught by the welcoming hands of her husband, as guided by the wise and skillful hands of their midwife. She is looking forward to continuing her work on
the AOM board in the coming years.

Treasurer
Brittany-Lyne Carriere, RM

Brittany-Lyne is in their first five years of practice, yet is a seasoned birth worker. Joining the Board as a Midwifery student, B-L is now a senior board member and your Treasurer. Brittany-Lyne received two degrees from Laurentian University (Women, Gender & Sexualities, and Midwifery) and started their Midwifery career at an urban Indigenous practice. Since then, Brittany-Lyne worked at Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong, an Indigenous COVID-19 Centre, and now practices as a Rural & Remote Locum Midwife. Brittany-Lyne is particularly interested in advancing midwifery care in perinatal loss and abortion provision. Outside of midwifery, they are known to consume heaps of thriller novels and chocolate. When feeling active, you can catch them cycling, tearing it up on the dance floor, or tending to their garden, cats and chickens.

Board-appointed Member at Large
Dione Amsterdam, RM

Dione was born and raised in Toronto and is of Guyanese decent. She received her Bachelor of Health Science in Midwifery from Toronto Metropolitan University and also holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a Minor in Sociology from McMaster University. She is currently serving her first term on the Board of Directors for both the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) and The Toronto Birth Centre (TBC). Additionally, Dione works as an Assessor at the College of Midwives of Ontario (CMO) and serves as the Chair for the Quality of Care Committee at TBC. Dione is passionate about learning and teaching. She gives back to her community by working as a Mentor for Black Midwifery Students and is a Clinical Preceptor and Adjunct Faculty Member at the Midwifery Education Program (MEP). She also works as an Emergency Skills Workshop Instructor. Dione loves being a midwife and has a special interest in working with racialized communities as well as uninsured and non-status clients. She strives to provide advocacy and empowerment for clients and to help improve birth outcomes. Dione is a Practice Partner at Community Midwives of Toronto where she has worked since 2007.

Member at Large
Isuri Herath, RM

Isuri Herath is a registered midwife working at Family Midwifery Care of Guelph. Before she became a midwife, she completed her BA at Carleton in English Literature and Women’s Studies, and then her Master's in Immigration and Settlement Studies at what is now Toronto Metropolitan University. Her research focused on the experiences of midwives providing care to uninsured immigrants in Ontario. Her research brought her to the desire to expand the traditional Ontario midwifery model to serve diverse populations, especially racialized newcomers. She especially loves debate and dialogue around the core values of midwifery and how these values can be applied to providing culturally safe care to marginalized populations. In her free time, she enjoys baking, competitive trivia, and organizing board game nights.

Member at Large
Kathleen Perecko, RM, MHS

Kathleen graduated from the midwifery program through Laurentian University, and holds a graduate degree in Health Studies with a Teaching Focus through Athabasca University. Her capstone project was written on obstetrical trauma in maternity care and healing-aware practices for maternity care providers, which has foundationally influenced her practice. Kathleen's approach to midwifery includes being intentional with the relationships she builds with families in her care, encouraging non-hierarchical and collaborative relationships with families and colleagues, and working within a social justice framework. Kathleen is particularly passionate about opportunities to engage in research, mentor students, and teach. She currently practices with a wonderful group in the beautiful Muskoka's on traditional Anishnaabeg territory, Midwives of Muskoka. 

Kathleen has worked in BC, Ontario, and in the Northwest Territories; she has worked in team and solo models; in contract and government employee models; in rural and urban settings; on islands and in the far north. She loves being a midwife and the politics of midwifery. When Kathleen is "not working," chances are she is running after her three young kids, enjoying a big cup of coffee or trying to take a nap.

IMAC-appointed Member at Large 
Tewahséhtha Brant​, RM

Bio coming soon!

IMAC-appointed Member at Large 
Tammy Roberts​, RM

Bio coming soon!

Member at Large 
Kelly Graff​, RM

Bio coming soon!

Member at Large
Summer O'Neill, RM

Bio coming soon!

Student Member at Large
Ashley Theriault​, Midwifery Student

Bio coming soon!