Staff

Sheila Capestany, MPH, MSW
Executive Director
sheila@openarmsps.org

Sheila Capestany comes to this position with a broad range of experience and knowledge in the areas of social justice and public health. She has twenty years of experience in nonprofit leadership, development, and strategic planning, and holds a Master of Public Health and a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington. Most recently, Sheila served as Strategic Advisor in Policy, Planning and Evaluation for the City of Seattle Human Services Department. She is passionate about serving women and their families, and is honored to be a part of Open Arms. Sheila is married with three children.

Margarita Celis
Outreach Doula
margarita@openarmsps.org

Margarita Celis came to this country over 20 years ago from Peru with her 4-year-old child. Later, she and her husband had two more children in New York. Margarita says, “I did not have the best experiences having to give birth to my babies in a foreign country and with a language barrier. I wish I had the services that Open Arms provides, but this is giving me the strength and the compassion to see the need of these women in our community and make a difference.” She was involved in activities from her local WIC, and she became a breastfeeding consultant as well as a stay-at-home mom. She says, “Open Arms found me and I felt so lucky because this is the job that I really value, not only for the income that I can bring home but for the satisfaction I feel doing it.”

Yvette Dioubate, CD
Program Coordinator
yvette@openarmsps.org

Yvette Dioubate is the Program Coordinator for Open Arms and is a birth and postpartum doula. Her goals and passion are to support, educate, and empower underrepresented women, especially women and teens of color. She is currently working on her degree in Social and Human Services. Yvette is married with two children.

Hawa Egal
Outreach Doula
hawa@openarmsps.org

Hawa Egal is an Outreach Doula for Open Arms Prenatal Services. Her main goal is to create a safe and non-judgmental environment for families to share their hearts and souls. As an Outreach Doula, she wants to connect with and educate Somali women who have unique cultural needs, and guide them to having a healthy pregnancy. She continues to be with them to gently support and encourage them while they bond with their newborns. Hawa considers it an honor and a privilege to be a witness during this intimate time in women's lives. Right now she is working toward a degree in social work. She is the mother of a very beautiful and intelligent 9-year-old daughter, Shadia.

Libin Egal
Outreach Doula
libin@openarmsps.org

Libin Egal is a part-time Outreach Doula and Child Care Provider. Her main goal for being an Outreach Doula is to provide a culturally appropriate community. In this role, Libin is helping to create positive outcomes that greatly impact positive parent-child bonding and family advocacy. Libin is currently working on getting her CDA. Libin is married with a loving husband and five beautiful healthy kids.

Annie Moffat
WCELI Program Director
annie@openarmsps.org

Annie Moffat comes with loads of experience in maternal and child health. She is a midwife, birth doula and postpartum doula and still has a private practice as a postpartum doula. Annie recently worked at Seattle Midwifery school as both faculty and in admissions and helped begin and served on the diversity committee. Prior to SMS, Annie worked at the Puget Sound Neighborhood Health Centers as their OB Manager. In addition to teaching, program management and direct service to women, she designed and implemented a doula pilot project. Annie is uniquely experienced in both the doula/midwifery world and cultural competence work, and is well grounded in the community health/public health system in White Center. Annie is fortunate to be the mom of three fantastic boys.

Michelle Sarju, LM, CPM
WCELI Clinical Director
michelle@openarmsps.org

Michelle Sarju has been working with women and families for over 16 years. In the early 1990’s as a La Leche League Leader, she provided home visiting services for women having breastfeeding challenges. Over the last decade she has worked as a Midwife providing prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum care. She continues to advocate for high quality, women centered maternity care as well as ‘catching’ a baby every now then. Michelle lives in Seattle with her husband and three children.

Erica Sugita
Program Administrator
erica@openarmsps.org

Prior to joining Open Arms, Erica Sugita worked for the Seattle School District as a Scholarship Coordinator and for the Center for Career Alternatives as a Mentorship Coordinator. Erica was born and raised in Seattle and graduated from University of Washington. She is married and two young children.