President – Blair Dwyer
Blair Dwyer is a tax and estate planning lawyer based in Victoria, British Columbia. He has presented workshops for ACT and is the author of the estate planning chapter in ACT’s Autism Manual for BC. Blair and his wife are the proud parents of Dr. Patrick Dwyer, an autistic autism research fellow at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia (whence the fine photo of the koala, who was much more interested in his eucalyptus leaves than in Blair’s explanation of the Canadian tax system).
Vice-President – Anne McCaw
Anne McCaw has a background in educational meetings and conferences, as Director of Marketing and General Manager at the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University, where she was first introduced to ACT and joined the Board in 2009. Now retired and living on Vancouver Island, Anne and her husband, Mike Rekis, are sponsors of Herring for Autism and remain committed to ACT in support of their adult daughter, who is autistic.
Board Directors
Kenzie Curby
Kenzie is an autistic and multiply neurodivergent self-advocate. Kenzie has supported autistic youth in the home, schools and the community for over 9 years. She works as an Integrated Child and Youth Peer Support Worker, supporting neurodivergent youth with mental health and substance use needs. She is also an Autistic Consultant supporting families, youth and service providers through a neuro-affirming lens grounded in lived experience. Kenzie is passionate about voicing the importance of understanding demand-avoidant profiles and co-occurring mental health disorders in autistic individuals. Ultimately, her goals are to help bring acceptance and understanding for all neurodivergent individuals.
Kinder Kullar
Kinder is the mother of two children, one of whom is on the Autism Spectrum. Kinder is a strong advocate for her son and all children with disabilities or diverse abilities. Kinder has relentlessly advocated for more resources for children in the education system. Although her son is now a young adult, she is still actively involved in his career planning. Kinder is also an active member of the Parent Support Network and continues to help families navigate available resources. Kinder has also supported ACT families whose children have complex medical conditions. Kinder is employed with the federal government, and in her role, she also volunteers as an Employee Assistance Program Representative to support employees and their families with various personal or work-related issues, often including mental health support, counselling, and other resources. Kinder is also a member of the CISM team (Critical Incident Stress Management) that provides support to colleagues and other individuals who have experienced a traumatic or stressful event.
Izabelle Stevens
An autistic, neurodiverse advocate and certified Social Support Worker, her strong sense of justice and passion for the betterment of services and treatment for the disabled and autistic community have led her to become a fierce voice for equity across British Columbia as well as within her local community on the Sunshine Coast. Through her advocacy, she has been granted opportunities like being a board member for the Family Support Institute of British Columbia (FSI), and working with Autism Community Training (ACT) as a member of their Self-Injurious Behaviour Committee, Autistic Advisory and Board of Directors, and a member of Foundry’s Provincial Youth Advisory. Her local efforts include being a member of the SD46 Accessibility Committee, Foundry: Sunshine Coast’s Youth Advisory and being a part of the Coast Inclusion Integration Team (CIIT).
Juliani Kusmanto
Juliani Kusmanto was brought up in Indonesia before emigrating to Canada as an adult, where she was diagnosed with autism. She has thought deeply about the challenges of explaining her diagnosis to her Indonesian family and the disbelief she has met when communicating her diagnosis both in Indonesia and in Canada, because she is a skilled professional. Juliani is active in a number of autism-related organizations and is especially interested in the challenges facing women with a late diagnosis.
Marna Nelson
Marna Nelson is a family physician with an interest in young adult health. She was the Director of UBC Student Health Service from 2016 to 2021. Marna continues to work at the clinic part-time, providing health care for university students. She has been an active volunteer for many years with schools and community organizations that support individuals with autism. She has an adult daughter with autism.
Siyu (Suzanna) Chen
Siyu (Suzanna) Chen is an autistic self-advocate who is passionate about community-led advocacy for disability equality and youth leadership. Her activism spans everything from performing at a fundraising concert for a local autism non-profit in Greater Vancouver to representing disability-inclusive Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) campaigns by international charities at United Nations events. She was involved in establishing the National Autism Network – a charity driven by autistic people and their families to inform the federal government’s implementation of Canada’s first Autism Strategy. She was recognized by the Autism Alliance of Canada with the Jim & Ginette Munson Autism Leadership Award in 2024 for her advocacy
Linda Richkum
Linda Richkum is a Partner in KPMG’s Enterprise Tax Practice with over 30 years of experience advising companies and their shareholders on taxation and business matters, with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and is a Chartered Accountant (ICABC). She specializes in advising private corporations and their shareholders on complex tax and business matters such as corporate reorganizations, divestitures, estate planning, compensation planning, and business financing structures.
Linda is keen to provide financial accounting support to ACT. As a mom of an autistic adult daughter, she strives to gain knowledge about neurodiversity and resources for neurodivergent individuals to better support her daughter, and to contribute to building a society where neurodivergent individuals are supported and thrive. She is passionate about supporting organizations like ACT that provide a valuable service, assisting with the achievement of this goal.