Directors

Elizabeth A. Brown, President
Elizabeth grew up mostly in Ottawa, although her family had moved several times because her father was in the army. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a degree in biochemistry and worked in drug research in Montreal until pregnant for her first child. Because chemicals have a way of absorbing through the skin and lungs, Liz and her husband decided it was safer for her to be a stay-at-home mother. And so she has been ever since... for the past 45 years. They had five children in quick succession and because her husband owned his own construction company someone needed to be the keel of the boat. 

Liz has been a member of the Catholic Women's League of Canada since 1972 and is presently the national first vice president, having risen through the community, provincial and national ranks. As well, she has volunteered with the Art Gallery of Ontario, hospital auxiliaries and allocations board for Catholic Charities (Toronto), and was the community fair chairperson at one time. Along the way, Liz has pursued other interests such as travel, reading, stitchery and is now the proud, working owner of a small vineyard. 

Barry Davidson, Secretary and Treasurer

Barry went to engineering school in Toronto on the RCAF plan and served three years in the air force before getting his MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He worked in logistics and manufacturing operations at Labatt's head office, consulting in the brewery division and then in the Laura Secord division; for General Mills he worked as vice president of operations in the cereal and cake mix division; and then consulted on his own to the packaged food industry.

Meanwhile he had started volunteering with a food bank in Toronto and helped form the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB). He became the CAFB staff member for the remainder of his business career, retiring in 1999.

Barry worked as a volunteer during many political campaigns over a span of 25 years, at all levels of government and most often as the financial officer. For six years he was appointed provincial Returning Officer in Scarborough-Centre, then for nine years was appointed a Chair in the Employment Insurance Appeal Board.

He is a widow with three married children and eight grandchildren. He is a student and instructor of Taoist Tai Chi and is an avid gardener and cyclist. He has recently moved just west of Wellington and is engaged to marry Liz Brown in June.

Dr. Bonnie E. Robson, D. Psych., D.C.P., F.R.C.P. (C), Medical Advisor
Dr. Robson has a 30-year tenure in clinical child psychiatry specializing in performing arts medicine as well as mind and body stresses on vocal music students, dance students, dance teachers, and arts administrators. She was a psychiatric consultant to the National Ballet School of Canada and currently works with the Quinte Ballet School of Canada.

Dr. Robson has also conducted original arts-related research and research on the effects of divorce, and has extended clinical experience with severely troubled young children and adolescents. She was a consulting psychiatrist at the Crisis Centre in the Bahamas from 1997-2002 where she assessed and treated young sexual abuse victims.

Currently, Dr. Robson has a private consultation practice based in Belleville, Ontario where she consults to mental health agencies and schools in Canada. Recently she began consultation to agencies that serve dual diagnosis individuals.

His professional experience includes working as the senior development officer for Lakehead University in Orillia where he designed the $5 million, three-year Capital Campaign Plan for a new campus in Orillia. In this role he recruited campaign team volunteers, cultivated major donors, and defined staff and volunteer roles and responsibilities.

Chris was also executive director, major gifts, for the Crescent School in Toronto; manager, major gifts and planned giving, for Canada's leading international child right's organization Save the Children Canada, NCO in Toronto where he directed the 2005 Tsunami Disaster Relief fundraising and marketing campaign for Sri Lanka, South Asia. He also worked as campaign director for the Toronto East General Hospital Foundation, where he organized numerous special events, including an annual gala, golf tournament, and events relating to the Jazz Festival and Taste of the Danforth. 

Carol McIlvaney, Member at Large
Biography to come

Christine Maloney, Public Relations

Christine started her career in public relations over 15 years ago in Ottawa, where she grew up. She has had the opportunity to work in Vancouver and Toronto for various non-profit, private, public, and government organizations. Her specialties are media relations, and communications planning and counseling within the following industries: health care, environment, communication and performing arts, and technology software and services.

Christine began learning several forms of dance when she was three years old and started to teach dance when she was 16. It was dance and sharing her love of movement through performing and teaching that helped her cope with the loss and grief she experienced as a young person. Christine believes the work of The Edith Fox Life & Loss Centre is so important because it combines opportunities for emotional expression with clinically sound practices.

Six years ago, while living in Toronto, Christine took a break from dance to rehabilitate a couple of related injuries and was encouraged by a doctor to try Pilates. She was so impressed with the results that she decided to help others by learning to teach Pilates. For the past five years she has been teaching Pilates for general well-being, pre- and post-rehab, and performance. She now lives and teaches in Picton. 

Kathleen Foster-Morgan, C.G.T., O.S.P., F.T., Chief Executive Officer
Kathleen graduated in nursing from the Scarborough General Hospital in Toronto and worked in industrial and occupational health with the Ontario provincial government where she dealt with workplace accidents and fatalities, and worked closely with the Coroner's Office. She also graduated from the Gestalt Institute of Toronto and joined the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists as a clinical member.

 

In 1995, Kathleen founded Lambs for Children, a therapeutic program utilizing the human-animal bond when addressing children's loss issues. At the same time, she also started a private therapy practice. She is the author of a children's book titled Sunflower Mountain, published by Sunflower Publications.

Her clinical expertise has been used in Canada, the United Kingdom, Greece and Jamaica. She holds advanced certification in Grief Therapy and Death Education from the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), with whom she is certified as a Fellow of Thanatology.

Kathleen has over 15 years experience working with boards, including the Bereavement Ontario Network and the Gestalt Institute of Toronto, and is a past director with the ADEC. Currently, she is a vice president with the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists and active with the Canadian Animal Assisted Therapy task force and committee to determine animal assisted criteria for clinical psychotherapists. For the past few years, she has been a guest lecturer with the University of Delaware, in conjunction with its online teaching for the doctorate program of thanantology for nursing.

Kathleen is committed to building better communities by fostering a natural understanding of loss as part of life. Her experience shows that addressing a child’s very first loss experience is critical to normalizing the grief process and developing healthy and positive life skills.

Advisors to the Board:
Dr. Madeline Lambrecht, Ed. D., R.N., F.T.
Delaware, USA

Dr. Rosemary Hazelton, Ph. D., Dipl. T.C.P.P
Toronto, Ontario

Dr. Norah Connell, M.D., C.C.F.P.
Prince Edward County, Ontario

Penny McCrae
Prince Edward County, Ontario

Lana Lockyer Holmes
Kingston, Ontario

Ambassador:
Carolyn Burn