President, Stuttering Foundation  |  Hon. FRCSLT

Jane Fraser, Hon. FRCSLT, has served as president of the Stuttering Foundation since 1981, guiding the organization from the print-centered publishing institution established by her father, Malcolm Fraser, into an international source of trusted information, professional education, research support and hope for people who stutter and their families.

Under her leadership, the Foundation has expanded educational resources for families, teachers, physicians and speech-language pathologists; supported professional training with leading authorities on stuttering; advanced public understanding of the disorder; and made an extensive collection of publications, videos and clinical resources available to audiences around the world.

Jane’s work reflects both continuity and innovation: preserving the practical, compassionate mission Malcolm Fraser established in 1947 while continually adapting the Foundation’s resources to new research, new technology and the changing needs of the stuttering community.

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Carrying a vision forward

The Stuttering Foundation began with one person’s determination to make reliable help more widely available. Malcolm Fraser, who stuttered, founded the organization after experiencing firsthand how difficult it could be to find informed guidance and effective treatment.

When Jane became president in 1981, she carried that founding purpose forward while broadening the ways the Foundation could serve. Working with generations of clinicians, researchers, authors and advocates, she helped strengthen the connection between emerging knowledge about stuttering and the people who could benefit from it.

That approach remains central to the Foundation: listen carefully, collaborate with respected experts, translate knowledge into practical resources and make those resources accessible to as many people as possible.

Expanding the Foundation’s reach

During Jane’s tenure, the Foundation has continued to support specialized education for speech-language pathologists and to develop materials for the many people who play a role in a person’s experience with stuttering—including parents, teachers, pediatricians, family physicians, teenagers and adults who stutter.

The Foundation’s work now extends across print, video, podcasting, virtual learning, online continuing education and digital distribution. These platforms allow clinical insight, personal experience and practical guidance to reach people wherever they live and at the moment they need it.

Jane has also encouraged international collaboration and the translation and distribution of Foundation resources beyond the United States. This global outlook reflects her own lifelong interest in language and her conviction that clear, trustworthy information should not be limited by geography.

A spokesperson for the stuttering community

Jane serves as the Foundation’s spokesperson and a leading public voice for the stuttering community. Over the course of her leadership, she has participated in hundreds of radio, television and print interviews, helping audiences better understand stuttering, treatment and the experiences of people who stutter.

She has also authored op-eds and letters to the editor that challenge misconceptions, encourage informed and respectful coverage and bring greater visibility to issues affecting people who stutter. Jane is available for media interviews and expert comment on stuttering and the Foundation’s work.

A life shaped by language

Jane earned her degree in Russian and linguistics at Bryn Mawr College and continued graduate study in both subjects at the Université de Strasbourg in France. Fluent in French, she lived in France for 20 years and worked as an editor, translator and interpreter at both Institut Gustave Roussy and the Assemblée Nationale in Paris.

Her background in language, editing and interpretation has informed a career devoted to making complex information understandable and useful. She has served as an editor or co-editor of numerous Foundation publications and is co-author of If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents.

Service and recognition

Jane’s service has brought together the fields of stuttering, speech-language therapy, nonprofit leadership and international collaboration. Her recognition includes:

• Outstanding Contribution Award, International Stuttering Association, 2007
• Nonprofit Executive of the Year, The Nonprofit Times, 2008
• Honorary Fellowship, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, 2014
• Distinguished Alumnae of the Century Award, Hutchison School Centennial, 2002

Selected publications

Jane has contributed as an author, editor or co-editor to Foundation resources including:

• If Your Child Stutters: A Guide for Parents (co-author)
• Stuttering Therapy: Transfer and Maintenance
• Do You Stutter: A Guide for Teens
• Stuttering and Your Child: Questions and Answers
• The Child Who Stutters: To the Pediatrician
• The Child Who Stutters: To the Family Physician

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