CO-PRESIDENTS (2024/2025)
LAURA PATTERSON (Claremont, ON)
Laura Patterson, IBCLC became passionate about breastfeeding support after her own struggles with breastfeeding. She met her goals with the collective support of her midwives and her International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs).
She graduated from a Lactation Medicine Program where she completed a comprehensive and rigorous clinical placement, and, as part of her training, attained over 500 hours of clinical experience working with breastfeeding/chestfeeding families under the direct supervision of IBCLCs and pediatricians including Dr Lowe. Since obtaining her IBCLC certification in 2017, Laura has worked in diverse clinical settings, including a large breastfeeding clinic, a pediatric clinic, and in private practice in Durham, York and East Toronto.
Laura is excited to partner with her colleagues and to support families close to home reach their breastfeeding goals, and we are happy to have her join the CLCA as one of our Co-Presidents for 2024/2025!
IVETTE MUSSO (Vancouver, BC)
Ivette is the Co-President of the Canadian Lactation Consultants Association, a role that she assumed in January 2024. She is extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve her IBCLC community.
Ivette has worked with parents and babies for over 25 years in a variety of roles that combine education and healthcare. She has worked in a variety of areas including: Early Childhood Education, Certified Dental Assistant, Registered Nurse (various areas), Infection Prevention and Control Practitioner, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and various Leadership and Educational roles in Post Secondary and Hospital institutions.
Ivette received a Masters in Advanced Nursing Practice (Leadership Stream) and immediately started working for a local College as the Health Sciences’ Perinatal Program Coordinator until July 2023. In her Leadership role, she had the opportunity to organize and offer virtual and in person conferences throughout the years. The majority of her portfolio included breastfeeding and infant development courses, as well as the college’s LEAARC -Approved breast/chestfeeding course directed to aspiring health care providers seeking to become IBCLCs under IBCLE pathways 1 and 3.
As a hospital IBCLC, Ivette continues to work with breast/chestfeeding dyads and is an active member of her local Regional Baby Friendly Initiative committee. Ivette lives with her family in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
TREASURER (2022-2025)
PAST PRESIDENT (2020-2024)
ANGELA GRANT BUECHNER (Toronto, ON)
Angela started her career as a Birth Doula, completed a degree in Biology & Psychology, and then completed her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing at the University of Toronto. As a Registered Nurse, she has worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at a major, Toronto since 2001
Angela became an IBCLC in 2009. She continued working in the NICU as a Lactation Consultant, and then shortly after began her private practice to continue supporting members of the community.
Angela is a published author of a textbook chapter on Breastfeeding Challenges in the NICU, she is a member of a hospital Baby-Friendly Initiative committee, is a Breastfeeding Educator for Health Care Professionals, and has presented at the International Lactation Consultants Association Conference.
Angela founded her private practice, Nutmeg Consulting, and has a team of non-judgmental Birth & Postpartum Doulas, Lactation Consultants, Gentle Sleep Educators, Nurse Practitioners & Fertility doulas who offer virtual & in-home support
Angela has been a member of the CLCA board since March 2020 as President / Treasurer.
EDUCATION DIRECTORS (2024/2025)
KRISTA HILTON (St. Catharines, ON)
Krista Hilton developed her passion for breastfeeding due to her personal experience with her two daughters.
When her first baby was born in 2008, she encountered painful latching and struggled to maximize milk production. She received wonderful help from a local IBCLC which allowed her to persevere through the challenges. When she gave birth to her second baby in 2011, she felt more confident and was able to enjoy the breastfeeding relationship until her daughter self-weaned at 2.5yrs. During that time, Krista became a peer volunteer for breastfeeding families via the Guelph Community Health Centre. She also joined the local La Leche League chapter and eventually became a leader. Through her experience with peer support, her passion increased for supporting others in their journey.
Krista had acquired a Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree in 1995, followed by a Master’s degree in 1998. She decided to return to school to train for the IBCLC designation. She enrolled at Mohawk College in the Breastfeeding Program, completed it in 2016, and wrote the qualifying exam. She has beenin private practice at Nourishing Roots LactationServices in St. Catharines, Ontario since 2017. Krista’s approach in supporting families is to help parents reach their unique goals for feeding their babies in the ways that suit them best.
ASHTON FORTIN HIGGINS (Welland, ON)
Ashton holds both a PhD and MEd from Widener University, where her dissertation focus was on HIV/AIDS education.
In 2020, she launched the Exclusive Pumping Institute, where she focuses on the education, training and res
earch of exclusively pumping human milk. She first became a CLC in 2021, a certified advanced lactation specialist (cALS) in 2022, and an IBCLC in 2023. She is passionate about education and lactation consulting, and always finds ways to combine these two interests together.
In 2022, Ashton published in the Journal Clinical Lactation on flange sizing. Outside of lactation consulting, she also works in the banking industry as a Bilingual Learning Consultant, where she focuses on virtual instructional design, training and educating with the latest technologies available for e-learning.
COMMUNICATIONS/SOCIAL COORDINATOR (2024/25)
OOMA PRIESTMAN (Winnipeg, MB) |
SPECIAL PROJECTS (2024/25)
PAST EDUCATION DIRECTOR (2019-2023)
Raha Afshariani (Toronto, on)
Raha is an internationally trained medical doctor from Iran with a pediatrics specialty degree. She worked at Shiraz University for a duration of 12 years as a lecturer and coordinator of breastfeeding workshops.
As an IBCLC she follows her love and passion to be an advocate of community-based breastfeeding promotion for the sake of nursing mothers and their babies. Through an advanced lactation training program, Raha has been awarded the right to use the title of Advanced Lactation Consultant (ALC) by the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice of the USA since 2011.
Raha moved to Canada in 2012 and currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. She founded a breastfeeding corporation named R and R consulting which guides and educates families, with emphasis on both parental roles, on achieving successful breastfeeding practices.
Throughout her career Raha has been well known for enthusiastically dedicating herself to her job while paying special attention to codes of ethics. Her innovative teaching has always been a merit that has benefited both students and the educational system.
