Our Team
Hear a message from our founder!
Board of Directors
Founder & Executive Director
Liz Farmer (she/her)
Liz Farmer is a second generation Jewish American anthropologist, activist and birth worker. Liz holds a BA in Biological Anthropology and an MA in Cultural Anthropology. During her studies she researched the detriment of over medicalization of birth in the US versus how withholding medical care in the Global South negatively affects birth outcomes. She worked for several years in the nonprofit world, including at American Jewish World Service and Bend the Arc. After graduate school she went on to become a birth and postpartum doula, providing private paid care to high income clients while volunteering with marginalized, historically underserved communities. Liz started Portland New Family Fund because she believes doula care is one of the most important pieces in improving the abysmal birth related outcomes in the U.S.
Board Secretary
Mauro SiFuentes, EdD (he/him/they)
Mauro Sifuentes, EdD, is an accomplished community organizer, educator, and researcher. His work focuses on culturally-responsive pedagogy towards the wellbeing and healing of youth and families from immigrant, low-income, Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities. Traversing the fields of nonprofits, K12 public education, community colleges, universities, and grassroots organizations, Mauro's leadership stewards innovative responses to systemic issues by prioritizing historical context, community wisdom, and collective visioning for lasting social change.
Board Member
Ashley Brown (she/her)
Born and raised in Portland, OR, Ashley is the mother of two lovely young girls. She has worked in property management for thirteen years. She was interested in joining the Portland New Family Fund Board of Directors because of her own experience of racism and inequity in the Portland maternity care system.
Board Member
Arija Iverson, MD (she/her)
Arija Iverson, MD, FAAP, is a board certified pediatric hospitalist in Portland, OR, with a special interest in neonatal health and wellness. She believes the key to a healthy child is a healthy family, which begins with equitable access to quality prenatal and postpartum care
Board Member
Dacia Fusaro (she/her)
Dacia Fusaro is Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Portland, OR.
Board Member
Jaq Law (they/them)
Jaq Law holds a degree is in BioEngineering. They have moved through a few different career paths and currently work in software but their greatest achievement and heart and soul is their 6 year old child. She has brought Jaq joy beyond their wildest imagination. Going through the journey of pregnancy, birth and postpartum was both amazing and terrifying. Jaq wanted to join the board of the Portland New Family Fund because helping birthing people, especially vulnerable folks in a sometimes problematic healthcare system is a beautiful way to affect change.
Board Member
Deborah Zuniga Goldberg (she/her)
Deborah Zuniga Goldberg, a second-generation Jewish and Latina mother of two, is a communications consultant who helps nonprofits increase their visibility and impact through ethical storytelling and digital strategies. Her consulting practice is guided by a deep commitment to movement building. Driven by her belief that all birthing individuals and their families deserve quality prenatal and postpartum care, Deborah considers it an honor to serve on the board of the Portland New Family Fund.
Staff
Development Operations
Leah Woods (she/her)
Leah has 20 years of experience in Business Operations and Customer Success. With professional expertise in entrepreneurship, education, and the arts, Leah comes to PNFF with a personal mission to improve maternal health outcomes for Portland folks. After experiencing a difficult outcome with her first birth, followed by two wonderful doula-assisted birth experiences, she has looked for a way to make a difference for other birthing people and new parents and has found it with PNFF!
Support Group Facilitator
Wendy Sue Horn (she/her)
Wendy Sue Horn is a licensed clinical social worker based in Portland, Oregon. Her private practice, Resource Counseling Center, specializes in treating trauma, anxiety, dissociation, parent support and perinatal mental health. A seasoned clinician helping individuals, adolescents and parents since 2005, expert in the field of EMDR therapy and perinatal mental health, Wendy Sue Horn is committed to serving the needs of her community in various ways. Wendy facilitates the PNFF doula support group, which allows the doulas working with PNFF clients a space to process systemic oppression and learn more trauma informed care skills.
Client Liaison
Tierra Salmon (she/her)
Tierra is a midwife and doula in Portland, OR. She helps run the application process for potential PNFF clients.
From a very young age, Tierra’s friends knew she was someone they could call on their
childbearing journey, but it was not until she became pregnant with her oldest child in 1998 that she discovered midwifery would be where she would ultimately land. She knew all birthing
people deserved to be cared for the way her midwife cared for her. Being deeply listened to, and having their intuition guide them through their birthing experience.
During the course of her life friends and family often turned to Tierra for pregnancy, postpartum advice, and labor support, and in 2012 she took ICTC's Full Circle Doula training with Mama Shafia Monroe. She started serving her community as a doula right away while attending college classes to prepare for midwifery school. In 2015 Tierra began a midwifery apprenticeship while simultaneously attending Mercy In Action's distance midwifery program, and is a Traditional Midwife, doula, placenta encapsulator, and postpartum ritualist today.
Tierra considers birth work her greatest love next to the children she has birthed. She also
organizes with the Northwest Reproductive Justice Collective and is one of its founding
members. In addition, she has consulted with several local agencies around housing justice,
economic justice, and birth justice. Her niche is a collaborative model that centers the voices of
those most impacted while partnering with organizations that work to fill the needs of, build capacity for, and create equitable practices for marginalized communities.
She believes that all birthing people are the most powerful person in the room. She believes that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are the most sacred of times in one's life that deserve loving care, informed choice, and support of those choices. She is a staunch advocate for Birth Justice, body autonomy, liberation, and systems change work.
Tierra has three children and loves spending her downtime with them, going hiking, roller
skating, and swimming, digging into her garden, browsing through farmers markets, cultivating plant medicine, and snuggling up with a good book!
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Programs Operations
Sarah Howard (she/her)
Sarah was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, but school and work have taken her all over the world. However, she found pregnancy, birth, and postpartum has been one of the most rewarding and scariest phases of her life. She is so excited to work at Portland New Family Fund helping birthing people have a positive and supportive experience through this life change. When not working, you can find Sarah exploring The Gorge with her dog, daughter, and husband, hosting family and friends for dinner, or wine tasting.