Concern about Midwestern US Regional Director of DONA.

I have been a member of the Twin Cities Birthing community for many years and I know Veronica personally and professionally. I've been embarrassed and shocked by the way she talks to expectant families. She's unprofessional and unethical. I cannot think of a poorer choice than Veronica to represent the state of MN and DONA.

Veronica has blocked other DONA douas who she does not like from accessing the DONA International Doulas of MN Facebook group. As the SPAR, she is the only Admin of this page and used her control to exclude others. Is this what DONA wants from leadership?

As a new parent Veronica was condescending and rude, and spoke ill of local providers. I felt very disheartened about local support. Her online presence is harsh and unprofessional. She openly speaks negatively about other birth professionals, uses the DONA mailing list for her own marketing and blocks DONA members if they disagree with her. Ethically, we can not have her represent DONA.

Veronica in one word has been toxic. She had showed behaviors that go along the lines of how not to behave as a professional.

Veronica is NOT a good representation of doulas of the Midwest. She has acted wildly inappropriately online towards other doulas, people, and providers. She is practically shunned from every local doula organization due to her inability to work with others and outright disrespect to anyone who disagrees with her. DONA should take a harder look at this candidate.

In addition to the concerns listed above and in the comments by others, I have been disturbed that Veronica has used the Twin Cities DONA contact list she has access to as the current SPAR (State/Provincial/Area Representative) to advertise/market her own for-fee classes at her business, BabyLove. This is unprofessional, and an abuse of a resource available to her as a SPAR.

I support this 100%. I have work on many levels with this woman over many many years and her behavior is mean, spiteful, and vandictive. Not the qualities of a fair loving. Caring doula!

Please do not allow this appointment to stand, in he name of DONA, doulas, and families all over our region.

Unfortunately I have found Veronica's comments and opinions -- both in person and in social media-- toward other doulas and simply with regard to how she thinks things should be done, to be pretty judgmental, critical and pushy. At the very least, she doesn't listen with respect when an opinion regarding doula work or parenting differs from hers.

As a fellow doula here in the Twin Cities, I have sat on the sidelines watching Veronica mistreat other doulas for years because it seemed too "dangerous" to speak up. No longer. Please do not allow her appointment stand.

Absolutely appalling behaviors from 1-A doula 2- A business owner 3- A DONA member and representative I am a proud DONA doula but WILL switch organization if nothing is done about this!

YES! I support this 100%

I have worked with this doula many times and have found her work to be very abrasive, manipulative and when her behavior is less then honorable she goes to social media and trashes individuals in a very public platform.

If DONA wants to have any claim as the "gold standard " of doula certification Veronica Jacobson will be removed from this position. She has shown herself to be the antithesis of DONA standards of ethics.

Her comments on social media show her to be petty and vindictive. And when someone who is supposed to be supporting women and families stoops to slandering children, that shows a decided lack of fitness for the job.

Veronica's divisive behavior makes it uncomfortable, if not downright impossible, for DONA doulas who are on her "enemy list" to attend DONA-related activities in the Twin Cities. Her selection as Regional Dir will only serve to worsen this. A leader is someone who works hard to bring others together. Over her tenure in the Twin Cities birth community, as well as previously in the southern portion of the state, Veronica has done nothing but create divides with her unfounded jealousy, nasty communication (social media and elsewhere), and ongoing labeling of others who disagree with her with words like "arch enemy." This is the antithesis of what a doula, and a leader, should be doing within her community. If her selection as Regional Dir stands, I will not be renewing my own DONA certification, and know that others will follow suit as well.

I've seen the posts that Veronica put on FB. They do not fit the standards of your organization.

I think that DONA would do well to find someone for this leadership role who embraces (and follows) the organization's code of ethics.

You can do better. Please reconsider and find someone that better represents what this wonderful organization is all about!

Out of fear of retribution I will keep my name off this. I have had the occasion to attend multiple of Veronica's classes and always left feeling belittled and judged by how I was parenting. I eventually stopped attending the classes and switched to a different group. I was then harassed. Is email and text message. Please do not allow this woman to be involved in your organization.