Our Board
Jeanne “Gia” Bartolomeo, MBA, Professional Doula
Community Doulas Interim Executive Director & Doula Mentor
Gia, a native Mainer, enjoyed a 32-year career in IT and Education in Massachusetts and Connecticut until 2008, when she returned to Maine to retire. Since then, she has been consulting with non-profit corporations and small businesses, positioning for growth and serving on boards in Maine and Massachusetts.
In 1981, Gia began assisting birthing women without partners as a volunteer while living in Hartford, Connecticut. She received formal doula training through DONA in 2009, and since then, she has served birthing women and families in hospital and home births throughout New England. She retired from attending births in 2020 to focus on mentoring and supporting new doulas.
Rebecca Goodwin, Professional Doula, Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), Spinning Babies® Practitioner (SpBAP)
Community Doulas President & Doula Mentor
Rebecca is a dedicated doula and Licensed Massage Therapist with over two decades of experience in the Greater Portland area. Since 2000, she has been supporting families through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, and became a certified Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner in 2019. Through her unwavering commitment to birth work, Rebecca has earned a respected presence in the medical birthing community, where she strives to create positive and memorable experiences for every family she serves.
Rebecca is also the founder of Birth Alliance, a practice focused on providing compassionate, holistic care to families throughout the birthing process. In addition, she is one of the co-founders of Community Doulas (formerly CDBP) and currently serves as the Director of Mentors, guiding doulas-in-training to develop their skills and knowledge.
When she’s not supporting families, Rebecca is an accomplished triathlete and spin instructor. She resides in North Yarmouth with her husband and two children.
Jessica Ruscetta, CD(DONA), CPD, CLC, LCCE
Community Doulas Program Director & Doula Mentor
Jessica is a dedicated and experienced doula who has been supporting families since 2013. As the Program Director for Community Doulas, she leads with a passion for providing equitable and compassionate care, uplifting both doulas and the diverse communities they serve.
Certified in both birth and postpartum doula support, Jessica also holds credentials as a Certified Lactation Counselor, Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, and Placenta Specialist. Her holistic and heart-centered approach has helped countless families feel confident and supported throughout their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences.
Jessica is the founder of Rooted In Birth, a private practice where she continues to offer personalized care rooted in respect, empowerment, and informed choice.
She lives in Poland, Maine, with her husband and their three children—her greatest inspirations for the work she does every day.
Sunshine Jelly, CD(Kriya), Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), Newborn Care Specialist (NCS), Doula Mentor
Sunshine brings over 30 years’ experience as a massage therapist and 20 years assisting women and their loved ones during labor, birth, and postpartum.
She studied natural healing and massage at New Mexico Academy of Massage, Santa Fe, and received her LMT in 1993
She returned to New England to raise her daughter while studying to become a doula with DONA. Sunshine began her doula practice as a doula on staff at Maine Medical Center in 2000. Sunshine continued her education in birth work and postpartum and received certification as a Newborn Care Specialist. She is a founding member of Community Doulas (formerly CDBP) and serves as the lead mentor in our postpartum services.
Sunshine enjoys walking, travelling in New England, and spending time with her adult daughter. She lives in the Portland area with her pup and two cats.
Jennifer Sligh, CD(DONA), PCD(DONA), Community Doulas Secretary
Jeni is a birth and postpartum doula serving families in Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire through her practice, Jeni Family Doula. Since completing her DONA training in 2019, Jeni has been committed to providing compassionate, evidence-informed support to families throughout their birthing journeys.
Originally on the path to becoming an OB/GYN, Jeni has always sought to combine her nurturing energy with a passion for empowering families through informed decisions. After discovering the profound impact of doula work, she chose to make it her full-time career and has never looked back.
As a doula, Jeni offers calm, nonjudgmental, and informed support from pregnancy through birth and into the postpartum transition. She believes that when doula care is used preventively, it fosters an uplifted, informed, and more restful experience for families during this transformative time.
Kelci Adams, Professional Birth & Postpartum Doula, Lactation Counselor, Childbirth Educator
Kelci is a dedicated Full-Spectrum Doula, Lactation Counselor, and Childbirth Educator with over 12 years of experience supporting hundreds of families. Her journey into birthwork began after assisting her cousin through an intense labor and delivery, where she discovered the profound comfort a grounded and present doula can provide during such a transformative experience.
Kelci believes that every birthing person deserves a loving advocate and access to the best possible care throughout their journey into parenthood. Through her practice, Lupine & Poppy, she offers compassionate, personalized support to families at every stage of their birthing journey.
After beginning her practice in Maine, Kelci expanded to New York City, where she served many families in the greater Metro Area. She is now back in her home state, continuing to care for the families of Maine while sharing daily adventures with her husband and their two children.
Laurie Wood, CD(ProDoula)
Laurie has been a certified doula since 2022 and is currently completing her full spectrum doula certification through BADT. She grew up in Massachusetts but spent summers on Chebeague Island in Casco Bay. Her love of Maine led her to move her family here in 1992. Before becoming a doula, she spent 30 years as a public school educator, working closely with children and families through meaningful milestones. She has a blended family of six grown children and nine wonderful grandchildren who keep her closely connected to both the joys and challenges of raising children in today’s ever-changing world.
Laurie's own positive birth experiences—including the birth of her first child with the support of a midwife—deepened her belief in the need for compassionate, informed care. She is passionate about providing supportive birth services to all families in Maine.