Conference Program
Beloved Birth 50 by 50 - Invitation to Courageous Collective Action
Saturday Keynote Address
DATE: Saturday, September 13, 2025
TIME: 9:00 am - 10:00 am
FACULTY: Leseliey Welch, MPH, MBA - CEO & Co-Founder, Birth Center Equity
In a moment when the U.S. birth care system is failing far too many families, Birth Center Equity (BCE) is calling the field to courageous, collective action. Midwives are already leading the way toward better birth in the U.S.—delivering expert, compassionate care in the face of systemic barriers. But midwives can’t do it alone. BCE is inviting leaders in every sector and community to an audacious goal: By 2050, 50% of babies in the U.S. will come into the world with the care of midwives. This keynote introduces Beloved Birth 50 By 50 - a bold, shared goal to rally the financing and public support to support midwives and grow the midwifery care infrastructure that all families deserve. Learn how this goal will be activated across six pathways - from financing and workforce development to culture change - and how we can engage allies across sectors to make midwifery care the standard, not the exception.
Faculty
Leseliey Welch, MPH, MBA
Leseliey Welch is a public health strategist, social entrepreneur, writer and professional dreamer whose guiding value is Love. As a founder of Birth Detroit and Birth Center Equity, her work is grounded in making communities stronger, healthier and more free – starting with ensuring all people have access to all safe birth options. Birth Detroit opened its first freestanding community birth center in 2024, and Birth Center Equity is a national effort to invest in Black, Indigenous, people of color-led birth centers at scale to make birth centers a real option in all communities. Leseiley has two decades of leadership experience in city, state and national health organizations, including having served as Deputy Director of Public Health for the City of Detroit. Leseliey earned her degree in Women’s Studies, Masters in Public Health and Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan, and is an Aspen Institute Ascend Fellow.