Meet Our Staff, Board and Crew

Meet Our Facilitators

Leah Deragon
Emily Murray
Jodi Phinney
Shannon Mackey
Kara Kaikini
Paula Norcott

Meet Our 2017 Board Of Directors and Committee Chairs

Vice Chair: Stephanie Sukeforth

Stephanie Sukeforth has worked in development and the non-profit sector for ten years. She is currently the Planned Giving Coordinator for The Salvation Army’s Northern New England Division. Birth Roots played an instrumental role providing loving and unconditional support after having her baby. It’s her hope to give back and help new mothers share in this experience. She lives with her husband and daughter in Scarborough.

Treasurer: Stephanie Walsh

Stephanie Walsh is a certified public accountant with a background in finance, accounting and tax preparation, specifically for not-for-profit and healthcare organizations. She worked for 5 years in public accounting and is currently an auditor at MaineHealth. She is a proud wife and mother to aand a daughter. She also enjoys volunteering on the Birth Roots Finance Committee and as Room Mom at her son’s not-for-profit childcare center. Her passion for serving on the Birth Roots board comes from a desire to give back to an organization that provided wonderful experiences for both she and her husband as they navigated the first years of parenthood.

Secretary: Wendy Richards

Wendy Richards joined the Birth Roots board in 2016. Wendy is an attorney that focuses on tax-exempt organizations of all kinds, and is also a mom to an exuberant toddler. Wendy holds an A.B. degree from the University of Chicago and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin. Before discovering her love of tax law, Wendy had a brief career as a microbiologist. When she isn’t wrangling a toddler into a car seat or reading tax regulations, Wendy likes to listen to podcasts, read novels, and spend her time around interesting and positive people.

Ellen Coughlin-Quinn

Ellen and her husband moved to Maine (from Boston) last year looking for a close-knit community to call home. She is a proud mom to a son and a daughter. She works for a health insurance company and has her Masters in Public Health. After having her son, Ellen realized how important strong community connections are to new parents and young families. She is proud to be a part of an organization with the unique niche of helping new parents and young families as they navigate through the excitement and challenges of having young children.

Johanna Hill, DC

Johanna Hill, DC, is a chiropractic physician specializing in pregnancy and pediatrics and has been a member of the Birth Roots board since 2012. In a prior life, she worked in non-profit development at a large outdoor history museum, as well as in strategic development for two other start-up community-focused nonprofits. Her passion for Birth Roots began when she first set foot in the oxytocin-rich space and felt that she had found her flock – not as a parent (yet), but as a birth professional. She is the proud mama of a little girl.

Kristina Burks Halliday

Kristina Burks Halliday is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing supportive individual therapy at her private practice in Saco. She has a particular clinical interest in perinatal mental health and wellness and is engaging in training focused on maternal mental health.  Her passion for Birth Roots is formed in the recognition, both professionally and personally, of the positive impact that a supportive community has on families in the transition to parenthood. She has a history of volunteerism with organizations dedicated to serving women and children. She is the grateful mother to two daughters and one son, all of whom continue to be lovingly supported by their “flock” formed at Birth Roots.

Deirdre Wadsworth

Board Emerita: Leigh D. Baker, D.O. 

Leigh D. Baker, D.O., is an Osteopathic manipulation specialist who enjoys treating pregnant women, infants, and children. In 1989, as a family physician looking to improve pediatric advice, she took a Connection Parenting class and has been an advocate of Community Supported Parenting ever since. She has been an essential member of the the Birth Roots board since 2007. “I consider my work at Birth Roots public service to the health of our community. It’s a way of promoting mental wellness in the world that has incredible potential.”