NBDA Doula Workforce Summit & 10 Year Anniversary Gala
Rooted. Resourced. Rising
September 10–12, 2027
A national summit and anniversary gala bringing together doulas, birth workers, healthcare leaders, insurance companies, policymakers, funders, sponsors, and community partners to strengthen the future of Black maternal health, professional doula skill building, workforce sustainability, and systems level change.
Why this event matters?
The National Black Doulas Association Doula Workforce Summit & 10-Year Anniversary Gala is more than a conference—it is a national gathering focused on strengthening, advancing, and sustaining the doula workforce while celebrating a decade of impact in Black maternal health.
As the demand for culturally congruent birth workers continues to grow, doulas are navigating a rapidly evolving landscape that includes healthcare integration, reimbursement opportunities, workforce development, entrepreneurship, advocacy, and leadership. This summit creates a dedicated space for doulas, birth workers, healthcare professionals, community leaders, researchers, advocates, and partners to come together and address the future of the profession.
Throughout the event, attendees will engage in strategic conversations, workforce-focused learning opportunities, leadership development sessions, and collaborative discussions designed to help strengthen the doula profession and improve maternal health outcomes in communities nationwide. Participants will gain practical tools, industry insights, and meaningful connections that support both personal and professional growth.
The summit experience will feature keynote presentations, expert-led workshops, panel discussions, networking opportunities, a vendor marketplace, and conversations centered on innovation, sustainability, policy, business growth, and the future of community-based birth work. Attendees will also have opportunities to celebrate accomplishments, build partnerships, and connect with leaders driving change across the maternal health landscape.
As NBDA marks its 10-year anniversary, this gathering serves as both a celebration of how far the movement has come and a call to action for what comes next. Together, we will honor the legacy of Black birth work, invest in the future of the doula workforce, and continue building a stronger, more equitable maternal health system for generations to come.
This Is More Than a Conference
This is a call to gather, invest, strategize, celebrate, and build the future of the doula workforce.
The National Black Doulas Association Doula Workforce Summit and 10 Year Anniversary Gala brings together the people shaping maternal health, birth work, workforce development, reimbursement pathways, policy, advocacy, and community care.
Over one powerful weekend, doulas, trainers, healthcare leaders, insurers, policymakers, funders, sponsors, and advocates will come together for education, hands-on skill building, leadership conversations, wellness experiences, networking, and celebration.
Who This Summit Is For?
Doulas and Birthworkers
Student doulas and emerging birth workers
Midwives, nurses, lactation professionals, and maternal health providers
Hospitals and healthcare systems
Medicaid managed care organizations
Policymakers and elected officials
Foundations and funders
And many more! This is designed for individuals and organizations committed to strengthening the doula workforce and improving maternal health outcomes.
What Attendees Can Expect
Attendees can expect a weekend filled with education, connection, strategy, celebration, and community care.
Hands on doula skill sessions
Business development and career sustainability session
Policy, payer, and systems change discussion
Birth, postpartum, lactation, advocacy, and client care workshops
Documentation and reimbursement readiness conversations
Leadership conversations with funders, insurers, and healthcare partners
Wellness, rest, and community care experiences
Vendor marketplace and networking opportunities
Opportunities to connect with doulas and leaders from across the country
A formal 10 Year Anniversary Gala honoring NBDA’s legacy and future
Highlights may include:
Stay With Us in Atlanta
We’re excited to welcome attendees to Atlanta, Georgia for the NBDA Doula Workforce Summit & 10 Year Anniversary Gala. A discounted room block will be available for conference attendees at our official host hotel.
Official Conference Hotel
The Westin Atlanta Premimeter North
Atlanta, Georgia
Come for the skill-building. Stay for the community and impact.
Invest in the Future of the Doula Workforce
Supporting the National Black Doulas Association Doula Workforce Summit and 10 Year Anniversary Gala: Rooted. Resourced. Rising. is more than sponsorship. It is an investment in the people doing life saving, community rooted maternal health work.
This summit creates a meaningful space for funders, insurance companies, healthcare systems, policymakers, and community partners to move beyond conversation and into action.
Your partnership helps:
Expand access to professional education
Support hands-on workforce training
Increase affordability for attendees
Strengthen workforce development
Build sustainable systems support
Celebrate 10 years of Black doula leadership
We invite sponsors, hospitals, insurers, policymakers, foundations, and mission aligned organizations to stand with NBDA as we honor the past, resource the present, and build the next decade of Black doula excellence.
Why Be a Speaker?
Speaking at the National Black Doulas Association Doula Workforce Summit and 10 Year Anniversary Gala is an opportunity to help shape the future of the doula workforce.
This summit is not a passive conference. It is a working space where doulas, trainers, healthcare leaders, insurance companies, policymakers, funders, and community partners will gather to strengthen workforce sustainability, skill building, reimbursement readiness, policy alignment, and systems change.
Speakers will help bring practical tools, cultural grounding, lived experience, professional expertise, and solutions focused leadership into the room.
Your voice can help resource, sharpen, and move the doula workforce forward.
Why Be a Vendor?
Vending at the National Black Doulas Association Doula Workforce Summit and 10 Year Anniversary Gala is an opportunity to connect with a highly engaged audience of doulas, birth workers, trainers, maternal health leaders, community organizations, funders, healthcare partners, insurance representatives, policymakers, and mission aligned supporters.
This is not a passive conference. It is a working summit designed to strengthen, connect, and advance the doula workforce. Vendors will have the opportunity to share products, services, tools, resources, and community support with attendees who are actively building sustainable careers, stronger businesses, and deeper community impact.
This is a powerful space for vendors who believe in birth work, wellness, Black maternal health, community care, and workforce sustainability.
More than a conference, this is a movement.
About NBDA
The National Black Doulas Association (NBDA) is the #1 Black and BIPOC doula directory and training organization in the world, committed to advancing equitable maternal health outcomes and strengthening the doula workforce. NBDA maintains a comprehensive, professional, and accessible directory of doulas and aligned practitioners, making it easier for families to find culturally competent care and for birthworkers to grow their visibility and impact.
Through its training and mentorship programs, NBDA equips aspiring and practicing doulas with the tools, knowledge, and community needed to lead meaningful change. The organization also develops and implements programming designed to educate, support, and empower families throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.
At its core, NBDA is dedicated to advocacy—working to ensure that BIPOC families can move through birth and beyond feeling affirmed, safe, and empowered. Grounded in community, purpose, and legacy, NBDA continues to shape the future of maternal health by uplifting both the families it serves and the birthworkers who support them.