Meet Our Team
MEET OUR TEAM
Staff
Nancy Koerber, CPM, CPC- Executive Director- Nancy has a unique background that includes experience in both the clinical and administrative foundations of midwifery and healthcare management. She became a Certified Professional Midwife credentialed through the North American Registry of Midwives in 1995. Nancy co-founded and co-owned New Dawn Midwifery from its inception...
Nancy has been blessed to have always had the support of her husband of 40 years, John, her three children and five grandchildren as she followed her calling. She became inspired to help other women find options after her first experiences giving birth. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys traveling, gardening, and meeting with other midwives. She is excited to be part of the birth center team bringing this alternative to Western North Carolina.
Angela Logan, RN, MSN, CNM- Midwife- Angie has known since she was young that she had an overwhelming need to take care of women and their families. Everything crystallized on a trip west as she overlooked the canyons of Yellowstone Park that she needed to become a nurse-midwife. Her path being clear, Angie went to Georgia Southern University to obtain her undergraduate degree in nursing...
She worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse for 6 years at a local hospital before going back to school. She graduated from East Carolina University in 2010 with her MSN and became certified in midwifery. Angie proudly worked for New Dawn Midwifery for several years.
Angie prides herself on being attentive and present for her “mamas”. She loves water babies. Angie is very knowledgeable about birth and takes every opportunity to share her knowledge with her clients.
Angie has two adorable young children whom she dotes on. On her downtime, Angie gardens with her family and spends hours in her kitchen canning all her yummy produce. She also has a small backyard barnyard with rabbits, chickens, ducks and goats. When she is not attending births, gardening or canning, she enjoys hiking, swimming, canoeing, and snowshoeing.
Melissa Poole, RN, MSN, CNM- Midwife- Melissa has been drawn to the care of mothers and babies since childhood, but from the moment she was thrown into supporting a woman through labor for the first time during nursing school, she was hooked and knew where she belonged!
Originally from metro Atlanta area, Melissa moved to NC to attend Queens University of Charlotte and NC has been her home ever since. After graduating from Queens, she worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte for nearly 7 years, however she knew she could do more for women and families to support them before and after their births, so she completed midwifery school at Frontier Nursing University in 2011.
When studying and working as a nurse midwife, Melissa has worked in various settings including OB\GYN offices, hospitals, out-of-hospital birth centers, public health clinics and international volunteer work. She moved to Asheville in 2017 to participate in the unique model of care and mission of WNC Birth Center.
Rani Khan, RN, MSN, CNM- Director of Midwifery- Born at home, Rani has a long history with midwifery and women’s healthcare. She apprenticed as a home birth midwife in Ann Arbor, while obtaining her nursing degree at University of Michigan. She completed her Master’s in Midwifery at Emory University, as well as a post-master’s Certificate in Nursing Management and Leadership in 2013. She has...
Melissa Hicks, MD- Medical Director- Dr. Hicks is a faculty member at the Department of Family Medicine at MAHEC. Her areas of special interest include the full scope of family medical care, including caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth, along with the family.
Amanda Rizner, BSN, RN - Amanda has had a passion for women’s health and childbearing families since 2010 when she became a birth doula. In 2012, Amanda studied with Ina May Gaskin
Amanda is honored to be able to assist women and their families through the birth process, and believes deeply in the strength of birthing women. On her days off call, Amanda enjoys mountain biking with her husband, Jamie, and their two dogs, Carmela and Kippy.
Meredith Fowler, RN- Meredith’s passion for women’s health led to her becoming an RN, and began with a home birth midwifery apprenticeship. She has over a decade of experience as a home birth assistant and doula, and aspires to become a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM).
Asha Oakes, RN, IBCLC - Asha was raised in West Virginia where she fell in love with the birth process as a young girl attending her siblings' births. She is the mother of two lovely children who were fortunate enough to have had a midwife in attendance when they entered this world.
Kelly Heinerth- Office Manager- Kelly has been passionate about midwifery care since the birth of her son in 2006. She spent several years employed as the receptionist at a local midwifery practice where she
Growing up in eastern NC, the mountains have always held an allure for Kelly, but she made them her home in 1997 when she attended Mars Hill College. She is happily married to Michael and mom to three lovely children. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, reading, baking, and watching movies with her family.
Kelly is excited to be part of the WNC Birth Center family and looks forward to providing compassionate care to the families in our community.
Emily Accrocco - Client Care Coordinator - Emily has always been fascinated by pregnancy and childbirth. After the doula-assisted birth of her daughter in 2010, Emily was introduced to the amazing world of birth work.
Board of Directors
Debbie Aiton, BSN, MPH- President
Jan Brunk, BA, OB/GYN-NP- Secretary
Barbara Levin, MPH, MD
Judy Major, MPH
Steering Committee
Pat Durham, BS , LCCE, DONA(CD) ret.
Martha Dysart, CNM
Jennifer Furigay, RN, BSN
Suzie Engel, MS Midwifery, RNC, HTP