OUR TEAM
The passionate and dedicated people that bring our work to life. Say hello to the people behind Birth for Humankind.
Chief Executive Officer
Cate joined Birth for Humankind as CEO in July 2025.
Cate brings over 25 years of experience across community services, strategic advocacy and service design in Australia and abroad. She is deeply committed to enabling communities to thrive, ensuring they are not just heard, but actively leading the decisions that shape their lives.
Cate has held senior leadership roles across youth homelessness services, business transformation initiatives with the aged care and disability funding reforms and embedding inclusive quality frameworks across all levels and of service design and community engagement strategies.
Her work is grounded in deep collaboration and co design with communities, government and the sector to build strong partnerships, drive strategy and deliver outcomes that reflect community priorities.
Case Support Officer
Amber joined the Birth for Humankind team as Program Officer in June 2024 and has been actively volunteering as a doula at Birth for Humankind since February 2022. Amber has extensive experience across various administrative, marketing and EA roles within the not for profit sector, Amber is committed to changing lives and empowering individuals.
In addition to her role at Birth for Humankind, Amber is a birth and postpartum doula supporting families across Melbourne.
Amber believes that every birthing person has the right to an empowering birth experience, regardless of their circumstances.
Case Support and Engagement Lead.
Ingrid’s journey with Birth for Humankind started as a volunteer in 2018, and her passion for the organisation’s mission has grown from there. Ingrid is an experienced midwife and maternal and child health nurse. She also has worked as an enhanced maternal and child health nurse, providing case management to families experiencing complex disadvantage in the community.
Ingrid believes that all birthing people deserve access to safe and respectful maternity care. She deeply values the support and advocacy a doula can provide to improve health equity for birthing people experiencing disadvantage.
With any time she has off, Ingrid loves to dance and cuddle with her tiny poodle, Herbie!
Supporter Engagement Lead
Jess joined Birth for Humankind in December 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Public Health and Health Promotion from Deakin University and brings experience across health promotion, project management, creative campaign development, copywriting and communications.
She is passionate about creating opportunities for Birth for Humankind to build strong partnerships that strengthen its vital programs and services. Jess is deeply committed to the organisation’s purpose of fostering a more respectful and equitable health system and reducing barriers caused by structural disadvantage.
Doula
Farzana's former career was as a Midwife in her country of birth, Afghanistan.
She trained as a doula with Birth for Humankind in 2017 and started volunteering 2018 - making her one of our longest serving doulas. Farzana is currently working as a doula as part of our employment pathways program for doulas from multicultural backgrounds.
Farzana is studying a diploma in mental health. She is motivated by increasing her get higher knowledge of how to care for women who are in need of support physically and emotionally.
Digital Communications & Doula
Betsy is a birth and postpartum doula with a background in science, fitness, nutrition, yoga & Pilates. She joined Birth for Humankind in 2021 as a student of BFH's foundational doula training (on the bicultural doula scholarship program) and stayed on as a volunteer.
Betsy was one of the first doulas to take part in BFH's Employment Pathways Pilot Program, that commenced in April 2023.
Betsy likes to approach pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period using trauma-informed practices, evidence-based information, mother’s/parent’s intuition, and her cultural background (Colombian) with high respect for women & birthing people and their incredible bodies.
Betsy strongly believes in providing accessible and equitable pregnancy, birth & postpartum support, especially for marginalised communities which have limited access to family or community support.
Betsy is passionate about supporting families through pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period in a way that makes birthing people feel validated, seen and empowered to make the best decisions for them and their family. She values knowing that her presence can make a difference to these families by helping them navigate a system that is not always kind to BIPOC women and traumatised communities.
Our volunteers
We have a dedicated team of over 40 volunteer doulas who speak more than a dozen languages between them. They’re compassionate and highly-skilled women who are registered and retired midwives, student midwives, and doulas working in private business. Our volunteer doulas are the heart of our organisation, and without their support our work would not be possible. If you are a qualified doula or midwife, we would love to hear from you – apply to join our team at any time.
We are also grateful for the commitment from our office-based volunteers, who work across various projects to support Birth for Humankind and our work.