Meet Our Staff
Kenzie Johansen
Brenda Keep
APRN, CNM, WHNP-BC
Founder, Executive Director, and Lead Midwife
Brenda Keep was raised in South Dakota before moving to Texas as a teenager. She is happily married with six children and seventeen grandchildren. She has always had a vision for midwifery. Brenda Keep is a dedicated healthcare professional with over thirty years’ experience in a variety of settings. The last sixteen years she has worked in the area of women’s health/ labor and delivery. She takes pride in her profession and served as a Nurse in different communities across Texas and Oklahoma. Mrs.Keep received her Bachelor’s Degree in 2004 from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma. In 2013, she received her Master’s Degree from Frontier Nursing University. Brenda is a Certified Nurse Midwife/Women’s Healthcare Nurse Practitioner who desires to serve women and their families in the Waco and surrounding areas. She has a passion to show the heart of God through her service to the community. Her birthing experiences include hospital and home births. Brenda desires to empower women by them being a partner in their healthcare decisions. She believes in the midwifery model of care which promotes shared decision making in all healthcare choices. Brenda is an active member of the American College of Nurse Midwives and plans to join the American Association of Birth Centers.”I have a passion for women and women’s health. My heart is to serve the underserved and give women a choice to have the birth and healthcare they have always dreamed of. It’s such a blessing to see my dream come to fruition through our Birth Center and Women’s Health Clinic.”
Mike Keep
Co-Founder, Vice President, and Maintenance Director
Mike Keep is Co-Founder and Vice President of Waco Birth Center and Clinic. But that is only the beginning of his many talents. Mike has been a wonderful partner and supported Brenda’s dreams for the 30 years they have been married. He is gifted in construction and oversees all improvement projects at the Birth Center. Mike splits his time between the Birth Center and his ministry, Walking In Freedom Waco which is an inner healing and deliverance ministry. ”It's incredible to see families united and bonded together in the home-like atmosphere of Waco Birth Center & Clinic. These are the children of the future and will bless our communities, our states and our country.”
Kenzie Johansen
Assistant Director, Birth Assistant, Medical Assistant, Social Media Manager and Birth Photographer
Kenzie is our Assistant Director, Birth Assistant, Medical Assistant and Staff Birth Photographer at Waco Birth Center and Clinic. She is responsible for all program planning, organizing, creative projects, operating and staffing. She enjoys Improving efficiency and effectiveness of all internal operations. Kenzie not only performs all of those responsibilities, she is also our Staff Birth Photographer for WBCC clients. Ms. Johansen has the honor of being one of our midwife Brenda Keep’s Many Grandchildren. Kenzie graduated from Crawford High School in 2019. After she graduated she started working at Waco Birth Center and Clinic. She has been an active member at Acts church and a Waco resident her whole life. Kenzie enjoys Coffee, Botanical Medicine and Beekeeping. Her interests are in Medical Missions and living a self-sufficient lifestyle. Kenzie has been to Haiti and Indonesia for Mission work and hopes to travel to more places in the future. She dreams of owning a farm and possibly a coffee shop in the future! “I’m convinced I have the coolest job in the world. I’m so blessed to be able to serve all the women and families at Waco Birth Center and Clinic whole-heartedly!”
Hannah Hulsey
LM, CPM, MSM
Midwife
Hannah’s midwifery journey began after the births of her first 2 children, Laila and Archer. Hannah delivered 2 of her children while serving in the Air Force as a medic. Hannah felt a call to the birth world long before having children, and it was only strengthened after her own births. Hannah left the Air Force shortly after having her son in 2013 to return to school to become a midwife. From there Hannah attended Bastyr University where she received her Masters of Science in Midwifery. While in school Hannah spent 2.5 years learning from Susan Lawler at The Birthing Inn in Tacoma, WA. She believes this experience was invaluable and feels truly blessed to have been able to learn the “art of midwifery” from someone so gifted. Hannah is a compassionate, warm midwife who is passionate about making true connections with every family. She believes every pregnancy and birth experience is as individual as every person is, and strives to give personalized care to every family. Hannah recently received the same amazing care when she gave birth to her 3rd child, June, at home with Brenda Keep as her midwife. Hannah feels deeply called to midwifery and sees this as so much more than just a profession. When Hannah is not with other families she can be found with her own family, at the gym, or snuggling with her cats or her dogs. Hannah is licensed through the state of Texas and is also a Certified Professional Midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). “Working with Waco Birth Center has been such an answered prayer in my life. I love our clients deeply, and feel so honored to be invited into their birth space. I’m also beyond grateful for the amazing care I received in my own pregnancy and birth.”
Sheila Tickett
Billing Manager, Staff Doula and Birth Assistant
Sheila is our Billing Manager, Staff Doula and Birth Assistant. She oversees all insurance billing for Waco Birth Center & Clinic and offers great prices for Birth Doula Services. She is passionate about supporting women and their partner through one of the most amazing life events. She is married and has 2 children. Sheila is one of Brenda’s daughters and the youngest of her 6 children. Sheila has been with us since the doors opened in 2016. Her positive attitude and fun personality always brings so much joy to whoever she meets. She enjoys spending time with her family and going on spontaneous adventures. ‘Working here has changed my life in the best ways. I am able to homeschool my daughter and work with my family. I continue to grow in different areas of business and I’m incredibly thankful for that.”
Alyssa Tickett
Office Manager, Birth Assistant, and Medical Assistant
Alyssa is one of our office personnel, birth assistants, and medical assistants. Alyssa is our Office Manager, Birth Assistant, and Medical Assistant. As the office manager she oversees our front desk office. She will be the first face you see when you come in the door. She is in charge of scheduling, collecting payments, client communication via email and phone and ordering labs. She was raised in Waco, Texas and has always loved learning about delivering babies. She is another one of our midwife Brenda Keep’s many grandchildren. Alyssa has worked in the office for a couple years, but has been a medical scribe at the births since we opened in 2016. Ms. Alyssa loves to help bring life into this world. Alyssa is an active member at Acts Church in Waco, Tx. Her interests include photography, knitting and crocheting. She makes all of our homemade baby hats and clothes that we sell at the birth center. She dreams of living on her own land, owning horses and being a homemaker who sells her homemade bread, handmade clothes, and other crafts. “It’s such an honor to work here and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.” -Alyssa
Misty Tickett
Biller
Misty is one of our Billers here at Waco Birth Center and Clinic. She is responsible for filing insurance claims and verifying your insurance benefits with your insurance company. Misty oversees all Medicaid billing. Her friendly attitude and smiling face always makes you feel at home. If you need help with billing, Misty is there to make your experience as wonderful as possible. Misty is Our midwife Brenda’s daughter-in-law. Misty and her husband have 3 children and have been Waco residents their whole lives. This family puts God first in all they do and are active members of Acts Church in Waco, TX. We are so privileged to have such a dedicated and loyal biller with a true heart for serving the women and families of Waco and the surrounding areas. “I love working here because I get to be surrounded by my family. Just like Sheila, I have the opportunity to homeschool my son. I’ve had the ability to learn new things through experience and I will forever cherish the wisdom I’ve gained from this job.”
Sharea Johansen
HR Manager and Bookkeeper
Sharea Johansen is the HR Manager and Bookkeeper for Waco Birth Center and Clinic. Sharea oversees all the financial ins-and-outs of the birth center and maintains good working relationships between clients, providers and staff. She has wonderful communication skills and she is a vital part of our team. She is married with 3 children. Sharea is Brenda Keep’s oldest daughter. In addition to working here, she is also the Worship Pastor for Acts Church, a wedding and family photographer, and homeschools her children.
Jennifer Meyer
Student Midwife
Jennifer is our student midwife who is being specially trained under Brenda Keep, the lead CNM. She was redeemed as a wife in 2016 when she married her husband, Shane. Between the two of them, they have 6 children ranging all the way from 26 down to 8 years old. Jennifer believes that God planted the desire to take care of pregnant mommas in her heart as early as 6 years old when her mom became pregnant with her first little brother. With her strong faith that the Lord brought her to Waco Birth Center with a purpose and her big heart, she plans on following closely behind Brenda in order to learn as much as she can. She’s excited to get to show the love of Jesus as she gains her skills & experience.
Tonja Carpenter
IBCLC, RLC, PCD (DONA)
Tonja is an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, Registered Lactation Consultant, and a Postpartum Certified Doula with DONA International. She has completed the Master IBCLC Class, has completed training in Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy with a focus on breastfeeding infants, and has completed a course in infant massage with a focus on basic myofascial release. Tonja is trained to assess oral lingual function in the breastfeeding infant using the Hazelbaker and Martinelli assessments, the Tethered Oral Tissues Screening assessment, and the Murphy Sweep. She has been serving families and making moms happy here in Waco as a postpartum doula since 2015 and in lactation care since 2017. Tonja owns Postpartum Doula and Lactation Services of Waco which partners with the Waco Birth Center to
provide skilled lactation care and support for patients using Superior Medicaid as well as several other major health insurance companies, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, United Health Care, Tricare, and Cigna to name a few. Lactation Services of Waco is in-network with Aetna insurance separately from the birth center. Tonja has a team of doulas who work with her through the non-profit organization she founded, Community Doulas of Waco, and has Laura Jouret, IBCLC on her team at Lactation Services of Waco. She is a Baylor graduate and has been married for over 28 years to Vincent Carpenter, Sr. who has been serving in pastoral ministry for over 30 years. Tonja’s passion is supporting the whole family, surrounding them with care, and making moms happy!
www.Happywacomoms.com
office@happywacomoms.com
254-753-1987
Dr. Bill Mitchell
MD
Consulting Physician
Graduating from Texas Tech School of Medicine in 1992, Dr Bill Mitchell received his board certification training in Waco before entering private practice where he lives in Clifton, Texas. He has accumulated over 1000 deliveries in his career, with an emphasis on a holistic approach to the care of the family, always striving to be the doctor God called him to be. He now utilizes his experience to consult in an advisory role for nurse midwives and nurse practitioners, and practices Emergency Medicine. While chasing the characteristics of a Renaissance Man and not going gently into that good night, he is a Father to 7, a Rancher, a Commercial Pilot, Competitive Archer, Bowhunter, Fitness enthusiast, Veteran, Writer, Musician and Teacher.
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