Juvenile Court CASA Program Supervisor Participates as Panelist at 2023 National CASA Conference
![CASA supervisor speaking](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cobbcounty.org.if-us-east-1/s3fs-public/2023-07/CASAMari.jpg)
Cobb Juvenile Court, Program Supervisor, Mari Garcia recently represented the Court, and her CASA team, by participating as a panelist during the 2023 National CASA/GAL Conference in St. Louis, MO.
The panel discussion was titled, “Achieving Greater Compassion & Justice in the Child Welfare System: An intergenerational Panel of Foster Care Alumni Speak.” Through the lens of their lived experiences, panelists discussed how to achieve a more equitable, just, and compassionate child welfare system that results in increased child and family well-being and fewer children in foster care. They engaged participants to think about how they may contribute to the current status quo (even without intent), which has long-reinforced structural disadvantages to marginalized children and families. The Goal of the session was for participants to leave feeling hopeful and empowered to be a catalyst for change, whether in one child's life or within the larger system.
Panelists included:
Charity Chandler-Cole, Ed.D Candidate, Chief Executive Officer, CASA of Los Angeles, CA.
Maricruz Garcia, Program Supervisor, Juvenile Court of Cobb County/CASA, Georgia
Charles Lerner, MFT, State Director, Massachusetts CASA
Jerri Willis- Mendiola, MSNPA, Executive Director, CASA of the 10th Judicial District, Arkansas
Roger Saillant, PhD
Adam Starks, Ph.D., Founder & CEO, MNDYRR Technologies, Inc. & West Virginia CASA Board President