Melissa Dobson
Melissa is a parent of three children, all adopted at birth, all prenatally exposed to alcohol and all amazing. She holds a PhD in biochemistry where she discovered genes involved in Vitamin B12 metabolism. From scientific bench work, she went on to expand her horizons as she realized she needed to shift her career so she could support her children while also pursing her career. For over a decade, she has ben an instructor at a polytechnic institute in a Bachelors of Technology Management program. Combining her passions of teaching, learning and supporting families like hers, she is embarking on a life that blends these three roles. She has various student projects that help support children with disabilities, including those with FASD; she keeps learning and thinking and trying ways to redesign systems for supports; and she is involved in numerous organizations and committees to support children with neurodevelopmental delays. All these are efforts to try and shift the needle for children like hers to flourish.
Joyce Fast
Joyce Fast lives in a small town in southern Manitoba with her 6 children and husband. She loves working in a personal care home for seniors as a Health Care Aide and been there since 2003.
Joyce’s compassion for the vulnerable led her and her husband to start fostering in 2010. Through this experience she started to learn about trauma, attachment and FASD. When one of her daughters was diagnosed with FASD in 2017, Joyce went in search of learning as much as she could to aide her own daughters development. This naturally led her to becoming a family supporter and FASD advocate in her community. In 2020 Joyce and Randy added 3 more kids to their home and work tirelessly to support and help their children.
Recently Joyce took her knowledge and skills and started working as an EA in her local school to support her kids and support the school. This has pushed Joyce to use and develop her knowledge and skills even more.
Seeing the struggles individuals with FASD face, and the misunderstanding of the diagnosis that many people have, has fueled Joyce to reach out and support and teach about the diagnosis. She has become a caring advocate for many families. This also led her to try helping on a larger scale and joined the FAC family. Joyce is excited to work alongside like-minded people and to help grow awareness and supports for people with FASD and those who support them.
FASD is hard and very misunderstood. Joyce is hoping to change the world’s views about FASD and bring hope to individuals living with FASD and help to teach people to be tolerant and understanding of those who are different and those who are living with FASD.
Marna Forsyth
Marna lives with her husband, Gary, in a small town in southern Saskatchewan and is a mom to 2 amazing neurodivergent children. Her daughter has graduated from college and is currently pursuing an MBA while working in the non-profit sector. They adopted their son when he was a baby and he has kept them busy ever since. He has FASD and some of the complex challenges that go along with the diagnosis. He is currently in high school and has some amazing strengths, including his humor and his singing / imitation skills.
Marna holds a B.Ed but moved to working in the non-profit sector over 20 years ago. She now works for a non-profit where she is able to do all the things she loves! She supports foster and kinship caregivers, through one on one support, and through facilitating and teaching workshops. One of her career highlights is working on the Caregiver Learning Network, which is an on-line resource that empowers caregivers and professionals with up-to-date, evidence-based and best practice workshops. She was one of a few team members who launched the endeavour and in less than 2 years, they currently have over 2,700 members with the network growing daily.
Advocacy for others has always been a passion and she finds herself advocating for those who need support and educating others about social justice, equity, substantive equality and, of course, FASD.
Lara Frederick
Lara lives in a small, rural community in northern British Columbia and is a mother to four children, two through surrogacy and two through adoption. Lara’s adopted daughter was prenatally exposed to alcohol and is a bubbly, kind, and compassionate girl. Lara holds a masters degree in nursing which is focused in the fundamentals of teaching. Lara is a life-long learner and recently completed a certificate in leading remote teams from Cornell University, which directly applies to her full-time role as the Regional Manager for Public Health Practice in Northern Health Authority, British Columbia. Lara is passionate about teaching and learning and through these efforts Lara is exploring ways to address disparities experienced by those with FASD, including her daughter.
Danielle Marschall
Danielle lives in the wide‑open prairies of southern Alberta, where she is raising four children—two through birth and two through adoption. Her family story is central to who she is, especially her experience parenting a son who was exposed to prenatal alcohol. Navigating the educational and social challenges that followed has profoundly shaped Danielle’s purpose. Watching him struggle in systems that were not built with neurodiversity in mind ignited her determination to advocate not only for him, but for other children and families facing similar barriers.
This commitment led Danielle to become the co‑chair of SEAFAN, where she works to strengthen awareness, community support, and systemic understanding of FASD. Her advocacy is grounded in compassion, lived experience, and a belief that every child deserves to be seen, understood, and supported.
Danielle is currently completing her Bachelor of Social Work degree, where she brings a blend of academic curiosity and real‑world insight to her studies. Her long‑term goal is to pursue a master’s degree in psychology, deepening her ability to support families, influence policy, and contribute to a more inclusive and informed future for children with diverse developmental needs.
Rooted in her community and driven by both heart and intellect, Danielle continues to build a path defined by advocacy, education, and unwavering commitment to the well‑being of others.
Alicia Munn
I am from Fredericton New Brunswick; married my high school sweetheart. I have two children ages 20 and 9. My son has a diagnosis of FASD. My daughter has a Diagnosis of ADHD. My children are my passion. They are kind, compassionate, talented individuals. They both have beautiful gifts to offer the world.
Working in a vocational setting set the presidency for my work experience with vulnerable populations. This gave me the opportunity to work with adults with intellectual disabilities and special needs. Respite care was presented to me by a family and I have the privilege of offering respite to several families during my life. I am also a Licence Practical nurse with extensive experience in various sectors of health care including but not limited to med surge, psychiatry and emergency room. Advocacy is important to me it speared my passion to create the Fredericton FASD support group which provides inclusion, support, advocacy and awareness to individuals with FASD and their supports. As a support group we have been able to host and successfully have 2nd annual FASD Camp. We have been in operation since 2019 and offer supports to over a 100 families. I am also on the committee for the NB Parent Advisory committee.
During my different careers I have received training in Gentle Persuasive approach in dementia care, non-violent crisis training, FASD training. I have also attended many conferences and webinars about FASD, Trauma.