History of AFAP

The seed of what was to become AFAP first took root in 1990, when a group of Canadian and American women came together to establish the profession of secular Fertility Awareness Based Methods (FABMs). At the time, these methods were taught almost exclusively in religious contexts. These women recognized the critical importance of supporting each other and developing viable systems for educating users and educators.  They called their organization the Fertility Awareness Network (FAN). We are thankful to these women, some of whom (Toni Weschler, Geraldine Matus, and Lisa Leger) are still leaders in the field and members of AFAP. Others present at the beginning included Maggie MacDonald, Elaine Matus, Sara Rose, Merryl Winstein, Suzannah Cooper-Doyle, and Barbara Feldman, who was the first director of the organization.

Ilene Richman took over in 2001, the year that Barbara Feldman died. Over the years, activity in the organization waxed and waned. By 2013, with the advent of Fertility Awareness apps and an explosion of content about FABMs on the internet, it had become apparent that the need for a professional organization had never been greater, and so FAN was re-organized and re-launched as the Association of Fertility Awareness Professionals.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

AFAP is a membership organization with several different categories of membership. Members participate in committees to accomplish the work of the organization, under the leadership of the Board of Directors.

AFAP Board

Elected by AFAP membership through 2024:

President: Katinka Locascio, BA, LMT, FAE. Katinka began her charting journey in 2001 when she met and studied with Katie Singer, author of the Garden of Fertility, igniting a passion for fertility awareness and its role in reproductive health. Over the past 2 decades she has incorporated charting into her work as massage therapist, doula, osteopathic manual practitioner and within the herbal community. She has taught individuals, large groups, and herbal practitioners about the usefulness of charting. In 2018, she completed Grace of the Moon’s (now The Well’s) Teacher Training program. She currently lives and practices in New York City, NY.

Vice President: Rosemary Roberts, MSc, FAE, has been practicing fertility awareness since 2008, and teaching/consulting since completion of the Grace of the Moon (now The Well) Teacher Training program in early 2018. She has a background in childbirth education and lactation support, as a midwifery assistant, abortion doula, and nature education mentor, and holds a Master’s of Science in sociocultural anthropology. Her work in the FABM world–in private practice and as an AFAP board and committee member–focuses on education and support for all people who have the ability to menstruate, and strives to center anti-racist and decolonization perspectives and actions. She currently lives on Takelma/Cow Creek Umpqua land in rural southwestern Oregon with her partner and two children.

Secretary: Anna Churchill, FAE, began her personal journey with fertility awareness in 2001. Her desire to share this information with others drew her to enroll in Grace of the Moon’s teacher training program (now The Well), which she completed in 2014.  Anna is a founding member of AFAP and the original chair of the membership committee. She was elected to the newly formed Board of Directors in 2016 and served two terms. Rejoining the board of directors in 2021 in the appointed membership focus seat, Anna looks forward to serving AFAP’s members and contributing toward achieving the organization’s goals. Originally from Maine where she maintains deep roots, Anna currently lives in Massachusetts, and enjoys serving as a resource and spreading the word about FAM in her community.

Treasurer: Colleen Holland, DC, FAE, HRHP, began her career as a perinatal and pediatric chiropractor in 2001 where she quickly discovered the need for body literacy and FAM within her community.  Witnessing her patients struggle with choices around endocrine health, pelvic health and well-being in this “full throttle” stage of life inspired her to search for healing modalities, outside of the limiting and often harmful approaches of allopathic medicine. In 2010, Colleen certified in Arvigo Therapy and also began studying herbal medicine. With her strong foundation in functional medicine, Colleen found herself drawn to holistic reproductive healthcare and that has been her focus since 2014.  Menstrual cycle charting is one of her most valuable tools! Colleen graduated from Justisse in 2018 and began serving on AFAP’s Certification Committee that same year.  She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her partner and their daughter.

Mary Aline, OTR/L, FAE, has been a practicing educator since 2020 when she graduated from Sarah Bly’s program, The Well. Mary Aline has over a decade of experience working as a pediatric occupational therapist in the early intervention setting. She discovered fertility awareness in 2015 and quickly realized the immense benefit of this knowledge. Mary Aline merges her occupational therapy background, and passion for sexual and reproductive wellness, with fertility awareness to provide a holistic perspective to cycle tracking and charting. Mary Aline currently lives on Ute and Cheyenne land in Denver, CO and provides mentorship to other fertility awareness educators, as well as teaches cycle charting virtually.

Vienna Farlow, HRHP, FAE, is a Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner, fertility awareness educator, and the founder of The Cuntsultant, Your Vagina’s Consultant. She began her journey with reproductive and sexual health and wellness in 2015 and completed her fertility awareness training at Justisse College in 2019. She has been a member of AFAP since 2017. Her work is focused on demystifying the female body and menstrual cycle for all and particularly those with menstrual cycles. She is passionate about reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ inclusion, full spectrum care, abortion access, and provocation in the name of education. She currently lives in San Diego, CA and practices in person and virtually.

AFAP Committees/Areas of Focus

• Certification: Colleen Holland
• Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Reproductive Justice: Ilene Richman, Rosemary Roberts
• Research
• Membership: Anna Churchill
• Website: Mary Aline
• Media/Outreach
• Fundraising
• Ethics and Bylaws