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MNPQC’s Waypoint Award

MNPQC’s Waypoint Award, formerly known as the Kunsche Award, is presented annually to an individual who has made meaningful contributions to MNPQC’s mission of improving maternal and infant health outcomes across Minnesota. Waypoint is a stopping point along a journey, which is a concept that can also reflect the many stages of the perinatal experience.

About the Waypoint Award

This award recognizes an individual whose work has positively impacted birthing families at one or many points of the perinatal journey—from pregnancy and birth, to postpartum and early parenthood. MNPQC honors how every family’s journey is unique, and their experiences may fall outside of traditional pathways, including families who have experienced infant loss, substance use during pregnancy or postpartum, or extended NICU stays. Through this award, we honor a dedicated individual who provides meaningful support at any stage of care, acknowledging that positive impact can take many forms and at many points along the way. 

Through their exceptional dedication, leadership, and service, recipients demonstrate a commitment to advancing system-level improvements in perinatal care. Nominees may come from a variety of professional backgrounds, including but not limited to social work, nursing, medicine, midwifery, doula care, public health, community advocacy, and related fields.

To honor their contributions, MNPQC will bestow the Waypoint Award print upon the recipient as a token of appreciation and recognition for their lasting impact on families and communities across Minnesota.

Congratulations!

2025 Kunsche Award Recipient: Rhonda Fellows

Congratulations to Rhonda Fellows, CAB-CB, CBE, LCE, MNPQC’s 2025 Kunsche Award recipient. Rhonda is an exceptional leader with more than 20 years of experience dedicated to advancing community-centered perinatal care. As the owner of Oily Doula and Co-Founder and CEO of the Community Aware Birthworker Continuing Education Organization, she has supported over 250 births, providing education, advocacy, and culturally centered care. In 2021, she co-developed a Community Aware Birthworker training program in the Twin Cities that addresses birth outcomes, implicit bias, and effective navigation of the healthcare system.

In addition to her direct service and training efforts, Rhonda has contributed to legislative advocacy for the Minnesota Doula Registry, helping develop tools and resources that support doulas in enrolling to bill Minnesota Medical Assistance and expanding access to care for families statewide. She has also collaborated with Liberty Homeplace through the Birth Justice Collaborative, further advancing birth equity. We are honored to recognize Rhonda’s tireless commitment to improving maternal and infant health outcomes.

About Rhonda

2025 Kunsche Award Honorable Mentions

We are also proud to recognize MNPQC’s 2025 Kunsche Award Honorable Mentions – Kristen Bewley, Mallory Cummings, Linda Hsiung Dech, Dr. Sommerness Reimer, and Sharonne Dolechek – for their outstanding leadership in perinatal health. 

Each of these incredible professionals has gone above and beyond in their commitment to supporting families across Minnesota. Their passion, innovation, and dedication to addressing the needs of Minnesota families have driven meaningful and lasting change. Thank you, Kristen, Mallory, Linda, Dr. Sommerness Reimer, and Sharonne, for your unwavering efforts to improve maternal and infant health. Your impact is felt far and wide, and we’re so grateful for your leadership

Kristen Bewley
Mallory Cummings
Linda Hsiung Dech
Dr. Samantha Sommerness Reimer
Sharonne Dolechek

Previous Recipients

2024: Shukri Jamale, Children’s Minnesota 

2023: Adrienne Richardson, MD, OB/GYN, Health Partners

2022: Anne Walaszek, MPH

2021: Phillip Rauk, MD, Fairview

2020: Melissa C. Bray, MSN Ed., BSN, RNC-MNN, PHN, CentraCare

2019: Yasuko Yamamura, MD; MHealth Fairview

2018: Jeanne Mrozek, MD; Maple Grove Hospital and North Memorial Hospital

2017: Cecilia Wachdorf, CNM, ARNP, PhD

2016: Cindy Koslowski, CFNP, MSN, MBA, RN; MHealth Fairview

2015: Sandy Hoffman, MS, RNC-EFM; Mother Baby Center of Abbott Northwestern and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

2014: Deb Peters, NNP; Essentia Health – Duluth

2013: Jill Bauer, MA, RN; Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

2012: Lynn Carpentier; Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare

2011: Heather Swanson, MD; CentraCare Health – Paynesville

2010: Tina Kippes, RNC, CLC; Mayo Clinic Health System – Menomonie

2009: Marianne Keuhn, BSW

2008: Kirk Ramin, MD; University of Minnesota – Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health

2007: Denise Palmer, RN; University of Minnesota Health

2006: Linda Christinsen-Rengel, NP-WH; Regions Hospital – The Breast Health Center

2005: Susan Boehm, RN, BSN, MS; Alere Health

2004: Jo Crosby, RNC, MS, NNP; Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

If you know of award winners prior to 2004, please contact us!

The Legacy of MNPQC’s Individual Award

The Kunsche Award is part of a longstanding legacy originally established by the Great Plains Organization for Perinatal Healthcare, Inc. (GPO), a regional organization founded in the early 1970s to advance perinatal healthcare outcomes. Minnesota was one of GPO’s member states.

Following GPO’s dissolution in the early 2000s, the Minnesota Perinatal Quality Collaborative (MNPQC) continued this tradition by presenting the Kunsche Award annually to Minnesota healthcare professionals who demonstrated a strong commitment to improving perinatal, infant, and family outcomes.

In 2026, MNPQC renamed and re-envisioned the award as the Waypoint Award to broaden its purpose and ensure individuals across Minnesota’s perinatal care community have the opportunity to be recognized and honored for their meaningful contributions.