Sister Joan Dawber was born in Manchester, England.  After moving to the United States, she graduated from St. John’s University, Queens, NY with a BA in Human Services and an MA in Theology.  She also holds a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, Chicago, IL. A member of the Sisters of Charity Halifax for thirty-eight years, she resides in New York City

Joan worked in the Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, NY as a Pastoral Associate for twenty years.  During this period she ministered in several Roman Catholic parishes providing services to parishioners and leadership to the surrounding community, especially attentive to poor and immigrant populations in these areas.  

In 2006, she began to work full time in an initiative to combat trafficking in persons. In March 2007 she incorporated LifeWay Network, Inc. as a Not-for-Profit Corporation collaborating to combat human trafficking. Joan has recently retired from her position as Executive Director where she worked in cooperation with others to create safe homes for victims of human trafficking in the New York area and to educate the general public on the issues of human trafficking. She is the former co-chair of the New York Coalition of Religious Congregations – Stop Trafficking in Persons (NY-CRC-STOP), with a membership of 30 religious congregations, she serves on the Board of the US Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking (USCSAHT) and on the Sisters of Charity Global Concerns Resource Team with a specific focus on Human Trafficking.