The Team

Roberta Galbraith
Executive Director
 

Roberta has been involved with international adoption since 1991, first as a researcher and then as adoptive parent. Then in 1995 she and her husband co-founded CAFAC Adoption Agency with another couple. Since then she has researched adoption extensively, attended many courses, seminars and conferences on adoption related topics. She handles daily calls from clients, but also liaises with provincial and agency directors, foreign country representatives and officials.

Karen Dowsett BSW, RSW
Adoption Services Manager
 

Karen brings to the CAFAC Adoption Team a wealth of professional and personal experiences working with children and families. Her last career was working with First Nation communities in the western provinces and territories of Canada. As the Adoption Services Manager, she and her dedicated team will work with your family in assisting you through the process of adoption. Specifically, Karen handles questions on Canadian Immigration, country programs, home assessments, child referrals, court processes and travel preparations.

Arleigh Firby
Communications and IT Manager
 

Arleigh has been with CAFAC Adoption Agency since 2003 when she was filling the role of Post Placement Coordinator. As a registered nurse in her previous career she brings a medical perspective for the CAFAC Team. She is an advocate for families and children and serves this through her dedication to communicate effectively with our families. She is responsible for the website, newsletter, and any communication that is sent to support groups, or mass mailed. As our IT support she is always busy behind the scenes ensuring our databases and computers are up and running smoothly.

Jackie Birch
Financial Manager
 

Jackie has been employed by CAFAC Adoption Agency since 2005. She brings 25 years of financial training and background to her role at the agency. In her prior management roles she has supervised large numbers of employees. She enjoys the genuine team approach here with CAFAC and the attention to detail that each client receives. Family is very important to Jackie and she carries this over to CAFAC families. While her area of expertise is finance, she welcomes families' other questions about the adoption process.

Joan Garbutt MA, English
Adoption Services Coordinator
 

Joan has been a member of the CAFAC Team since February 2008. Prior to coming to work with CAFAC Adoption Agency she was employed as a Medical Laboratory Technologist and a sessional teacher with Brandon University in the English Literature department. Her love for children and family lead her to CAFAC and her dynamic role with us. Her initial training was in the post placement department but she has since trained and taken over the dossier preparation role. Her attention to detail is perfectly suited to the integral role of preparing your documentation for the foreign country.

Melanie Henry
Post Placement Coordinator
 

Melanie has been with CAFAC Adoption Agency since November 2008 and brings a wealth of resources to the CAFAC Team. Her training in Applied Counseling and resource work with children, youth and families in a variety of settings is invaluable to the CAFAC families that she works with in her area of Post placement follow-up. Post placement work builds an ongoing relationship with families over a long period of time. Melanie is looking forward to developing this connection with CAFAC Families.

Jami Pollon B.A.
Administrative Assistant
 

Jami started her career with CAFAC Adoption Agency in November of 2008. She has just recently completed her Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and intends to pursue her Social Work degree in the future. Jami is a dynamic part of the CAFAC Team and assists the Adoption Team of Karen, Sandra, Melanie and Joan with ensuring that things run smoothly. Her specific role encompasses introductory packages, workbooks, dossier preparation packages, travel packages, assistance with post placement reports and referrals. Jami is the friendly voice on the phone when you call CAFAC: she looks forward to meeting you.