Board Members
Leʻa Minton
MSN, APRN, CNM, IBCLC
Board President
Leʻa Minton, MSN, APRN, CNM, IBCLC currently serves as the Board President of Midwives Alliance of Hawaii. Since 2012 she has participated with the organization in multiple board positions, midwifery events such as annual meetings, and shared in educating legislators regarding midwives and the importance of midwifery for the health of Hawaii. She was a Fellow in the Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership program, with a focus on integrating midwifery care into healthcare. Leʻa currently works as a certified nurse-midwife and lactation consultant at University Health Partners of Hawaii where she runs the Midwifery Integrated Home Visitation Program (MI-Home), is the Interim Treasurer of Breastfeeding Hawaii; a core team member of the Hawaii Maternal Infant Health Collaborative; a member of the Hawaii Maternal Mortality Review Committee; and a member of the MedQuest Advisory Committee.
Richard H. W. Chong
Board Treasurer
Richard Chong, is a native of Hilo, Hawaii. He currently serves as the Financial officer for Midwives Alliance of Hawaii. He retired from active duty with the Air Force, May, 2015, in the rank of Lt. Col. Richard had a well commended and long career in the Air Force. Currently, Richard works as the Program Manager and liaison for the Maui High Performance Computing Center in Maui. Mr. Chong holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from the University of Washington and a Master of Arts in Education Administration from Touro University. Richard is a math-man at heart, who finds crunching numbers “relaxing’. He is a vocal homebirth supporter, and he enjoys being able to help make a difference in women's health and birth choices for families in his home state.
Melissa Walsh-Chong
LM, CPM
Maui Island Representative
Melissa Chong, CPM, LM has served as Maui Island Representative with Midwives Alliance of Hawaii since 2016. She is a midwife, massage therapist, childbirth educator, and lactation educator. Melissa has four children, ranging from teens to toddlers, and a supportive partner, Richard. As an avid supporter and consumer of midwifery care, all of her children were born at home with loving midwives. Melissa’s passion for teaching was ignited over 20 years ago when she worked for 10 years as an instructor and director at a massage therapy program. At Zen Den Midwifery, she gives back to the local Maui Community by hosting free community based clinics, classes, and as a client advocate. Her passion is to seek ‘best care’ for all. Melissa uses her keen understanding of the importance of accountability, professionalism and education, which drives her to be involved in the decision making arenas. Melissa hopes to see all the Hawaiian Islands support a thriving midwifery community with improved access to care, safety and education for all.
Taylor Hamil
MSM, LM, LMT, CPM
Hawaii Island Representative
Taylor Hamil MSM, LM, LMT, CPM currently serves as the Hawaii Island Representative for Midwives Alliance of Hawaii. She has been a licensed midwife since 2011 and has been serving families on Hawaii Island since early 2021 at Banyan Birth LLC. Coming from a community where licensed midwives are well integrated into the broader healthcare system she is committed to improving access to care, collaborating across healthcare professions, and fostering families’ choices in Hawaii. In addition to advocating for families, Taylor is passionate about teaching the next generation of midwives and has been a preceptor to many students enrolled in MEAC programs.
Current Openings: Board Vice-President, Board Secretary, Student Midwife identifying as BIPOC, Kauai Representative, Oahu Island Representative
Email us at midwiveshawaii@gmail.com