Meet Our Doulaing the Doula Team

Our Team

Meet the Doulaing The Doula Support Team

We are thrilled to introduce you to our support team. Together, with Dr. Amy Gilliland, this incredible team keeps our trainers and research moving forward, to ensure timely, culturally attuned, trauma informed, and evidence-based course work and workshop experiences. It is such a joy to work with such dedicated people who have their own dreams and who want to come together to support each other and our own goals as professionals! When you work with Doulaing The Doula, you are in great hands!

LeKecia L. Lovett

Director of Operations
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LeKecia L. Lovett

Operations Assistant

LeKecia L. Lovett is the CEO and Founder of Encompass Solutions, LLC. Encompass Solutions is a community-based organization that is a sound resource and safe place for expecting mothers (and their families) who are at higher risk for poor pregnancy and childbirth outcomes. She has also served as the Home Visitation Program Manager for Mental Health America of WI Strong Families Healthy Homes Program that was designed to nurture and support families, parent(s) and/or caregiver(s) living with mental illness. LeKecia is devoted to identifying and the eradication of maternal and child health disparities, and is an active licensed Foster Parent. LeKecia brings an administrative background and desire to nurture doulas to her position as Director of Operations. She is responsible for the details and daily running of our organization.

Amanda Echols, CBD, BDT(DTD)

Birth Doula Training Faculty
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Amanda Echols, CBD, BDT(DTD)

Birth Doula Training Faculty

Amanda Echols, CBD, BDT(DTD) has attended over 200 births, has been in full time practice since 2016, and is the owner of Faithful Haven Wellness Collective. She is the parent of five children. Amanda is one of our most experienced Foundations Coaches. Amanda holds an associate’s degree in Health & Wellness, and is a Wisconsin state certified Chiropractic Technician & Chiropractic Radiography Technician. For more about Amanda, click here.

Jenny Lindley, B.A., AAHCC, CHES

Birth Doula Training Faculty
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Jenny Lindley, B.A., AAHCC, CHES

Birth Doula Training Faculty

Jenny Lindley, B.A., AAHCC, CHES is a birth doula with over twenty years of experience. She is also a veteran Bradley Childbirth Instructor and Certified Health Education Specialist with further nutrition certification. Jenny has been assisting at Doulaing The Doula trainings for over fifteen years. She’s a veteran who loves answering new doulas’ questions

Tamara Thompson, CLC

Foundations of Doula Practice Coach
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Tamara Thompson, CLC

Foundations of Doula Practice Coach

Tamara has been a leader in the African American Breastfeeding Alliance for many years, is a founding member of the WI Doulas of Color Collective and co-founder of the Harambee Village community based doula program. She is now a part of the Maroon Calabash Doula Program in Milwaukee, and a midwifery student at the Midwives College of Utah. She is a graduate of the UW-Madison Odyssey Project. After taking her DTD doula training in 2015, Tamara lost no time in becoming a leader in the doula community! She also trained in 2014 as a traditional birth worker with Ms. Shafia Monroe of the Center for Traditional Childbearing. Tamara’s aspiration is to be a midwife with her own free standing birth center. She has been featured in an interview by Our Milky Way, and is the mother of seven children.

Emili Butrin

In-Person Training Assistant
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Emili Butrin

In-Person Training Assistant

Emili Butrin has been a birth doula for over 10 years, working on staff at the Columbia Center Birth Hospital of Mequon, WI, (now Ascension St Mary’s) from 2012-2018. Emili has been assisting at Doulaing The Doula trainings for the last couple years, and enjoys encouraging budding doulas on their path! Emili wears many other hats, too: mother of three boys, a partner, a poet, a painter, an aspiring energy healer, and a barista – just to name a few! Emili is one of our regular in person training assistants!

Mandi Wagnild

Birth Doula Training Faculty
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Mandi Wagnild

Birth Doula Training Faculty

Mandi Wagnild, “is a ceaseless advocate for evidence-based care and patient rights in her daily life, even outside of her professional life. Mandi is well-respected in the community… for her willingness to reach out to anyone seeking more birth-related information for a cup of coffee and conversation. She lives her passion and purpose with integrity, and it is my firm belief that every expecting mother needs a ‘Mandi’ in her life.” – Erika, second time mom in Italy.

Katy Sticha

Lead Project Assistant
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Katy Sticha

Lead Project Assistant

Katy keeps the DTD world running; she likely assembled your binder and took care of all the tiny set up details so I didn’t have to. With over thirty years in office leadership, catering management and preschool teacher experience, Katy brings the right mix of how to run things to our business. She is an excellent coordinator in that she can see the big picture as well as the small details. For years, Katy did on call AT NIGHT childcare so I could attend births as a doula. I’m still grateful! Katy has a Standard Poodle, Rebel that keeps us busy at the office. He was born on International Women’s Day, during the pandemic.

DeAnna Tharpe

Birth Doula Training Faculty
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DeAnna Tharpe

Birth Doula Training Faculty

DeAnna Tharpe started her journey into birth work in 2010 as a Baby Planner, then becoming a Certified Child Safety Educator, Certified Doula, and Perinatal Bereavement Specialist. DeAnna is an Advocate for the March of Dimes, she’s currently a member of the State of WI F.I.M.R (fetal infant mortality review committee), and president of the Wisconsin Doulas of Color Collective. DeAnna administers a doula support program with Froedert Hospital in Milwaukee under a Wisconsin Department of Health Services grant. DeAnna is in our Mentoring Program to become a DTD Birth Doula Trainer.

Jaime Healy-Plotkin

Director of Postpartum Programs
Foundations Coach
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Jaime Healy-Plotkin

Director of Postpartum Programs
Foundations Coach

Jaime Healy-Plotkin, Director of Postpartum Programs, is a Certified Postpartum Doula and trained as a birth doula with Amy Gilliland. She holds a Master’s in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and enjoys researching and organizing information. Her postpartum practice serves families in the Madison, Wisconsin area.

Our Community Partners

Harambee Village Doula Program
We regularly offer birth doula training workshops for the program, and they have helped us to create our certification process.

Wisconsin Doulas of Color Collective
We work together to create and support high quality doulas and our mutual objectives to address racial inequities.

Roots4Change Raices para el Cambio Co-op
We work together for our mutual goals. They offer trained doulas and community health workers to serve our Latin communities.

Kathy Oppegard Coaching
Kathy provides fun, play centered motivational coaching for our Certification Coaches.

UW Madison School of Human Ecology Center for Community and NonProfit Studies
The CommNS and SoHE supports all of our community change endeavors through connection and education.

Our Team

Meet the Doulaing The Doula Support Team

Our Community Partners

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