Board of Direct Entry Midwifery

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Practitioner information

The following regulated profession is overseen by the Board of Direct Entry Midwifery. Learn more about applying for a license, associated fees, laws, rules and more by following the link below:

• Licensed Direct Entry Midwives

About the board

The Board of Direct Entry Midwifery oversees the practices of licensed direct entry midwives (LDMs) in the State of Oregon. LDMs supervise the conduct and labor of childbirth, advise the parent as to the progress of childbirth, and render prenatal, intrapartum and postpartum care.

The Board of Direct Entry Midwifery consists of seven members appointed by the governor and subject to confirmation by the Oregon Senate:

• Four licensed direct entry midwives
• One certified nurse midwife
• One physician practicing obstetrical care or education at the time of appointment
• One public member

Terms of service are three years or until a successor is appointed and confirmed. If a member serves two consecutive full terms, a period of at least three years must elapse before the individual is again eligible for appointment to serve on the board.

Board members

Meredith Mance

Chair

Meredith Mance

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 6/30/2026
McMinnville

​Meredith is a CPM, Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife, and Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She received her bachelor's from the University of Southern California in 2009, and went on to pursue midwifery through the Association of Texas Midwives' Midwifery Training Program, starting in 2013.

Prior to moving to Oregon, she worked as a Staff Midwife and Supervisor at the Austin Area Birthing Center in Austin, TX. She now lives in McMinnville, OR with her husband and co-owns Wilder Midwifery, which offers culturally compassionate home birth services for families in the Willamette Valley.

Meredith Klein

Meredith Klein

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 6/30/2025
McMinnville

Once I awakened to my midwifery calling, there was no turning back. I moved to Eugene, Oregon in 1996 to attend a three-year training program at the Oregon School of Midwifery, and 25 years later I am still moved, inspired, and challenged professionally in service to birthing families.

I earned my Certified Professional Midwife credential and Texas license in 2000, and between now and then have traveled a circuitous path from Austin to Philadelphia and back to Oregon's Willamette Valley. I have worked in birth centers and at home, as a Spanish interpreter and public health educator, as well as given birth in both an operating room and with my midwife sisters in a birth center.

I have held licenses in three states as well as worked in Pennsylvania where midwives were unregulated. I have served as a preceptor to midwives, and on boards of local and state advocacy groups. Activism has always been a part of my professional landscape, and I look forward to serving on the Oregon Board of Direct Entry Midwifery as part of that inspiration.

Lynette Pettibone

Lynette Pettibone

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 2/13/2026
Tigard

Lynette graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelors degree in Psychology in 1995. Since 2001, following the birth of her first child, Lynette has worked with growing families as a Childbirth Educator and Doula in private practice. She became a passionate advocate for providing options in childbirth and maternity care, which then lead her to a career as a licensed direct entry midwife. In 2016 she graduated from Bastyr University with a Masters degree in Midwifery.

Lynette is currently a community midwife and owner of The Bridge Birth and Family Services as well as an assistant midwife with several practices in Oregon and SW Washington. She is a member of the Oregon Midwifery Council, Midwives of Washington State, the National Association Certified of Professional Midwives and serves on several committees with the American Association of Birth Centers. Lynette hopes to utilize her skills, experience, and dedication to increase access and improve the quality of midwifery care through out Oregon.

Christine Morales

Christine Morales

Term: 2nd Full
Term end: 2/28/2026
Salem

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Lennon Clark

Lennon Clark

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 2/15/2027
Salem

My passion for birth began when I was invited to my sister-in-law's birth when I was just 18 years old. This experience changed me, and I knew I had found my calling. Shortly after this, I began studying midwifery and spent many years learning and training with a homebirth midwife in Salem, Oregon. In 2008, I became a Certified Professional Midwife and an Oregon Licensed Direct Entry Midwife. I currently have my own homebirth practice, based in Salem.

Mischa Ronick

Mischa Ronick

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 2/15/2027
Portland

Mischa Ronick is a family physician in Portland, OR. Originally from Colorado, he moved to the Pacific Northwest, where he earned his bachelor’s degree from Lewis & Clark College and his doctor of medicine from Oregon Health & Science University. He completed his family medicine residency training at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, primarily based at a federally qualified health center (FQHC). Prior to returning to Portland, he lived in Belize for a year, providing medical care and directing a primary care clinic with his wife in the rural southern Toledo District.

His professional areas of interest include providing primary care for patients of all ages as well as continuity pregnancy, obstetrical, and newborn care. He has particular experience treating patients with substance use disorders during pregnancy. He enjoys working as part of a multidisciplinary clinical team to seek to address his patients’ mental, physical, and social health factors. He lives in SE Portland with his wife, a 3-year-old son, and their dog.​

Rebecca Fisher

Rebecca Fisher

Term: 1st Full
Term end: 6/4/2027
Eugene

Rebecca (Becky) practiced as a Direct Entry Midwife for 20 years in north central Washington. She was an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant for 10 years and a Childbirth Educator for 30 years. She received her education at the New College of California in San Francisco, which included attending the Holistic Life University in San Francisco and the Maternity Center in El Paso, Texas.

She had a private practice, working with families in both Washington and British Columbia. During this time, she worked at a community health clinic, organizing and developing their Maternal-Child Health Program, including writing and then piloting the first Maternity Case Management program in Washington State. Becky also participated in the Washington State committee to develop the rules for licensing Direct Entry Midwives.

After a career in healthcare administration for women’s health, primary care, and multi-specialty care in both Oregon and California, Becky is currently residing in Eugene, Oregon, and employed at Oregon State Hospital.​​

Board Recruitment

Are you interested in serving as a volunteer citizen board member? HLO-regulated boards seek new members as current board member terms expire.

Current vacancies and how to apply

For board recruitment questions or the appointment process, contact the Oregon Governor's Office of Executive Appointments at 503-378-6829.