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
Birth centers in the US currently function as an alternative model of maternity care available to a very limited number of families. At its best, the birth center model can provide safe, respectful, and satisfying care, reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, decrease costs, and create a more sustainable work environment for midwives. This makes the model a natural solution to our current maternal health crisis, yet efforts to expand access to birth centers have had mixed success. In this session, we will examine the position of birth centers within the larger maternity care system, take an honest look at strengths and vulnerabilities, and describe a path forward for birth centers to play a key role in transforming maternal health in the US so that we can truly serve the needs of women, birthing people, and their families.
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.