Board of Directors

Nancy Huhta Comello, Founder/President

Nancy graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a registered nurse and has worked with pregnant women, laboring and postpartum women, and newborns since starting her nursing career. She became a nurse-midwife in 1998 (Frontier School of Nurse-Midwifery and master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University) and taught baccalaureate nursing students for 17 years before starting her current position as an obstetric outreach educator for UnityPoint Health-Meriter and UW Health. She completed the Doctor of Nursing degree in 2016 from Frontier Nursing University.

Nancy holds certifications in fetal heart monitoring, inpatient obstetrics, and maternal newborn and teaches breastfeeding classes, along with childbirth preparation for families expecting multiple infants. She also teaches newborn resuscitation, Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics, and is a master trainer of the Helping Mothers & Babies Survive programs. She received the 2018 AWHONN (Association of Women’s Health & Neonatal Nurses) Clinical Education Award. Whether educating midwives, nurses, physicians, or families, Nancy stresses the importance of evidence-based birth practices and compassionate, high-quality care—before, during, and after birth.

Nancy has been married to her husband, Dave, for +40 years, and has three adult children and two grandchildren.

Mariana Bertholin Rivera de Petersen

Mariana, who was born in Guatemala, has a degree in education for adults from University UNIS. She became a LaLeche League Leader in 1983 and has dedicated her life to helping mothers who want to breast-feed and establish mother support groups and accredit new leaders, not only in Guatemala but in all Latin America.

In 2002 she became an international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC) and worked at a public hospital with the goal to certify it as a Baby-Friendly Hospital. Under her supervision, a milk bank and breastfeeding clinic were established, as she is an expert in kangaroo mother care.

She is bilingual (English-Spanish) and has helped her country with many opportunities as an interpreter. She is married to Carlos Petersen and is the mother of three adult children and a grandmother of three.

David W. Comello, Secretary/Treasurer

Dave graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an occupational therapist and has lived in the Madison area most of his life. He enjoyed working in community mental health and rehabilitation, including work-related injuries. He currently manages and provides care for senior adults through his own business, Dave’s Helping Hands.