About the Midwives Association of Florida (MAF) |
Mission:
Promote the health and wellbeing of low-risk healthy families by empowering Midwives through advocacy, connection, and education.
Vision:
- Midwifery Model is the standard of care for low-risk pregnancies
- Every family is assured the conditions for optimal birth
- Integration of Midwifery Care in Maternity Systems
Goals:
- Establish system for inter-professional communication and collaboration between Maternity Stakeholders
- Support Midwives through opportunities for continuing education and connection
- Improve Birth Equity by addressing racial and social disparities
- Increase Midwives in Florida
- Lobby to protect the practice of Midwifery
- Advocate for reproductive health care and birthing options
Our Leadership |
 | President: Audrey Luck, LM is a Licensed Midwife in Sarasota, Florida. She was born and raised in Florida and knew since the age of 4 that she wanted to work with pregnant people and babies. She is a first generation American and her Haitian parents instilled in her the concepts of innovation, persistence, and resilience. She believes these concepts are necessary to achieve sustainable and actionable change. Audrey did her undergraduate studies at Florida State University and majored in Biology and Women’s studies; and minored in Chemistry and Psychology. She graduated from the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in August 2013 and has been licensed and practicing Midwifery in Florida since. She's had the privilege of practicing Midwifery in solo and group practices across the state which has helped to ignite her interest in the improvement and sustainability of Midwifery practice. Audrey is happy and grateful to be a mother to her 8 yo son, William, who was born at 33 weeks via c/s. Her pregnancy and birth experience catalyzed her curiosity to better understand and improve social determinants of health and its impacts in pregnancy and communities. Audrey did a Midwifery mission trip to Haiti in early 2020 in the town her dad grew up. She is passionate about increasing birth equity and its positive global impact through empowering Midwives around the world. Audrey believes, "Peace on earth begins with birth". |
| Vice President: Amanda Mann, L.M. is currently the Executive Director of the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery and in practice with Lakeland Midwifery Care. Amanda came to midwifery with more than 15 years experience as a teacher, and school administrator. She has a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in creative writing and is a graduate of FSTM. Since 2004, Amanda has been involved in birth as a sister, a doula, a birth assistant, a student midwife, and most importantly, as a mother. Amanda fervently believes that birth is an essential life process that has the potential to transform, inspire, and engage. As a lifelong citizen of the greater Lakeland area, she believes that midwifery is the intersection of her greatest passion and her community’s greatest need. Amanda is married with four boys, and enjoys reading and working at her local midwifery clinic. |
| Secretary: Cori Lynn Duarte, LM, CPM, was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, and has been passionate about women’s reproductive health since she can remember. A graduate from The University of South Florida with a B.S. in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, she has studied the trends for maternal and fetal health extensively. In 2014, she began attending The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery, and graduated in August 2017. Joining the Labor of Love team as a first year midwifery student, she learned how to give compassionate and competent care, and has worked there ever since! Cori is very excited to be working as a full time Licensed Midwife with Labor of Love Birth Center and is ready and willing to serve Florida Midwives in a larger scope. Currently, Cori serves as the Board Secretary for the Foundation For Florida Midwives. |
| Treasurer: Tamara Taitt, MS, LMFT, LM, Therapist, Midwife, Consultant, has a varied background in reproductive health activism and has been working in perinatal health for the last fifteen years. Tamara received a BA from Princeton University in Psychology with minors in African-African Studies and Women’s Studies. After graduating from Princeton, Tamara moved to Miami, Florida to pursue her passion for traditional care applications in community health at Miami Dade College’s Midwifery Program. Following completion of her Associates in Midwifery Sciences, Tamara spent five years working in the maternal child health field with a focus on reducing perinatal health disparities, improving black infant health and implementing fetal infant mortality review followed by five years working in home based community mental health services for at risk families. Tamara earned a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Nova Southeastern University and completed three years of PhD coursework in Family Therapy with research interests that centered on perinatal mental health and birth trauma before leaving her program to open a pregnancy & parenting resource center, The Gathering Place and later a birthing center, Magnolia Birth House. Tamara has a nourished her long-standing professional interest in the sustainability of the midwifery profession by serving on a variety of national boards. She was the Southeast regional representative on the board of the Midwives Alliance of North America for seven years and is a past board member for the Foundation for Advancement of Midwifery. Tamara currently serves as the Board President of the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery and is the Director of Student Life, Equity & Access at the Midwives College of Utah. |
