RICHARD T. HARRIS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Richard Harris, a long-time resident of New York, rejoined CASA for Children of DC as Executive Director in August 2011. Prior to his appointment to the position of Executive Director with CASA for Children of DC, Mr. Harris was the Managing Director of Community Programs for Sasha Bruce Youthworks. He also worked at CASA for Children of DC from 2005 to 2009, and held the positions of Senior Manager and Chief of Staff. Mr. Harris brings over 35 years of leadership experience in public service both in New York and in Washington, DC. Career highlights include serving as Chief of Staff of the New York City Department of Youth Services, Vice President of the Paul Rapoport Foundation and Associate Vice-President of Safe Horizon, the nation’s largest Victim Assistance organization. In 2004, Mr. Harris managed Resource Development for the District of Columbia’s Child and Family Services Agency. During his previous positions with CASA for Children of DC, he managed resource development and enhanced the organization’s capacity to serve abused and neglected children.
Mr. Harris received his undergraduate education from Yale University and also attended the New School for Management and Urban Policy.
Reach Mr. Harris at rharris@casadc.org or extension 112.
PRESLEY JONES, DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Presley Jones, a native of Jamaica and longtime District of Columbia resident, brings over 10 years of success in organizational and leadership development, budgeting, project management, fundraising and events management to CASA for Children of DC. Prior to joining the staff of CASA for Children of DC, Mr. Jones served as the Director of Membership and Programs for Leadership Greater Washington (LGW). As the Director of Membership and Programs for LGW, Mr. Jones orchestrated and directed all facets of programs and provided guidance and direction to the Board of Director’s Membership, Programs, and Recruitment Committees. Mr. Jones served on the Board of Directors for Mentors, Inc. and Foundation Center of Washington, DC. He earned a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters of International Affairs from The American University. He is a graduate of Leadership Greater Washington's Class of 2008
Reach Presley at pjones@casadc.org or extension 104.
KEVIN ARNOLD, YOUTH ADVOCACY COORDINATOR
Kevin Arnold is a native of Washington, DC - born and raised east of the river in the District's Ward 8. Kevin graduated with honors from Oxon Hill Senior High School and went on to attend Stratford University. He attended Martha Washington Vocational School for Culinary Arts for in Northwest Washington, DC. Kevin attends and plays African drums for Ebenezer AME Church in Fort Washington, MD. He has taught drumming to the youth at Ebenezer and other district churches for over 10 years. Kevin found CASA for Children of DC in 2008 by way of the Project Empowerment Program and has served as Program Assistant before becoming a Youth Advocacy Coordinator.
Reach Kevin at karnold@casadc.org or extension 109.
KENNETH BARROW, PROGRAM MANAGER, MENTORING INITIATIVE
Kenneth Barrow, Program Manager for the Mentoring Initiative, joins CASA for Children of DC with years of experience working with this region's most vulnerable population of children. Previously, Kenneth served as the Director of Youth Advocacy for the National Center for Children and Families. In that role, Kenneth implemented a youth development program, Reaching Academic and Career Excellence (R.A.C.E.) for at-risk youth in Ward 7, developed a Youth Advisory Council for young people being served by the agency, and was the liaison for the organization with DC Council Members and Maryland Representatives. At CASA for Children of DC, Kenneth recruits, trains, and pairs qualified mentors to youth (ages 6-11) in the District's foster care system. Overall, his work ensures young people are in a position to accomplish their goals and aspirations.
Reach Kenneth at kbarrow@casadc.org or extension 113.
LIZA BUSH, SENIOR MANAGER, COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH
Liza Bush is a Louisiana native who joins CASA for Children of DC with a background in juvenile justice, children's advocacy and communications. Liza earned her Juris Doctorate, Masters of Public Administration and Bachelor's of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, before moving to the DC Metropolitan area. She is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and has experience in children's advocacy at Baton Rouge Juvenile Court. At CASA for Children of DC, Liza supervises the organization's communication and outreach efforts, in addition to managing a case load of CASA volunteers and youth in the foster care system. Liza also manages the Dual Jacket Initiative for youth who have open cases in both the foster care and juvenile justice systems. Liza is an alumna of Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity, whose chapters support Court Appointed Special Advocates nationwide.
Reach Liza at lbush@casadc.org or extension 105.
CAITLIN DURNEY, Program Coordinator, Family Treatment Court
Caitlin Durney, MSW, LGSW is a native of Washington, DC and a current resident of Maryland. Caitlin originally came to CASA for Children of DC in 2008 as an intern from Catholic University while earning her Bachelors of Arts & Sciences in Social Work. In 2009, she left CASA to continue her studies at Catholic University, earning a Master’s of Social Work with a concentration in the areas of child welfare and clinical social work. During that time, Caitlin worked at an alternative therapeutic school dealing with issues of mental health and substance abuse among adolescents. In 2011, Caitlin returned to CASA for Children of DC as the Family Treatment Court Program Coordinator, serving families seeking treatment and support for substance abuse issues. Caitlin also assists with event coordination for CASA DC, planning fundraisers and volunteer appreciation ceremonies.
Reach Caitlin at cdurney@casadc.org or extension 108.
PHILLIP LARTIGUE, SENIOR MANAGER, Transitioning Youth
Phillip Lartigue received his undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mr. Lartigue went on to receive a Juris Doctorate from the Boston University School of Law. He has been a part of CASA for Children for over five years; first with CASA Prince George's County and currently, CASA for Children of DC. Here at CASA for Children of DC, Mr. Lartigue supervises the Preparing Youth for Adulthood Initiative. Prior to his work with CASA, he spent three years working with foster care children with the Child in Need of Assistance Unit as a Law Graduate/Case Manager. A majority of his case load focused on working with teenagers and, in addition to forging strong and lasting relationships, Mr. Lartigue ensured they had a powerful, supportive voice in their court proceedings. Before becoming interested in advocating for abused and neglected children, Mr. Lartigue spent four years with John Hancock Financial Services as an Assistant Manager on a multimillion dollar lawsuit against the company. There, he supervised a team of 25 attorneys, serving as a resource and problem-solver.
Reach Phillip at plartigue@casadc.org or extension 106.
AMPARO MONTES, YOUTH ADVOCACY COORDINATOR
Amparo Montes came to Washington, DC to complete her Masters in Law in Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution at the George Washington University Law School. She was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where she obtained her law degree. While in law school, she worked as a paralegal, dealing with cases from family law to corporate matters. Her passion for working with children, however, led her to volunteer at Fundación Amigos Contra el Cáncer Infantil. After completing her masters, she became a CASA intern in the summer of 2011. Today, Amparo is a Youth Advocacy Coordinator for CASA for Children of DC.
Reach Amparo at amontes@casadc.org or extension 110.
ARIKA OROZCO, SENIOR MANAGER, PROGRAMS
Arika Orozco is Texas native and social worker who serves as Senior Manager of Programs at CASA for Children of DC. Arika received her undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University before completing her Master of Social Work degree, with an emphasis on child welfare and clinical social work, at The Catholic University of America. Arika joined CASA DC during her first year of graduate studies where she revitalized the organization's Family Treatment Court Initiative. She then went on to manage a caseload with the District's Child and Family Services Agency during her second year internship. At CASA for Children of DC, Arika oversees CASA programs and case management.
Reach Arika at aorozco@casadc.org or extension 100.
SEETAL PARIKH, MANAGER, YOUTH CONNECTIONS
Seetal Parikh came to CASA for Children of DC from Houston, Texas after graduating from the University of Houston in May 2006 with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology. Seetal initially worked at CASA as an intern, where she was assigned to a project that collaborated with Child and Family Services Agency. Seetal soon joined the CASA DC staff on a full-time basis and has expertly managed a large caseload of CASA volunteers and youth ever since. In addition to her casework, Seetal manages the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Initiative, supervises CASA interns, coordinates special projects and events and co-facilitates the Volunteer Advisory Committee with Phillip Lartigue.
Reach Seetal at sparikh@casadc.org or extension 107.
MICHAEL PARSONS, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, MENTORING INITIATIVE
Michael graduated from James Madison University in 2010 with degrees in Social Work and Public Policy/Administration. He joins CASA for Children of DC as the part-time Program Coordinator for CASA DC’s Mentoring Initiative. Michael is excited to be working at CASA and helping to bring together youth participants and mentors!
Reach Michael at mparsons@casadc.org or extension 101.
KRISTAL WORTHAM, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
As the Executive Assistant to Richard Harris, Kristal’s litigation experience in robust prepara-tion, research, and review can help CASA meet their goals. Additionally, Kristal has been a CASA since 2004 and was previously honored as CASA DC Volunteer of the Year (2010). For nearly three years, Kristal was the CASA for Shumeka Moore, who transitioned from care earlier this year. Shumeka and Kristal have been featured in several media interviews with WAMU, The Michael Eric Dyson Show, The Washington Examiner, Fox News and National CASA Newsletter. She brings her passion and commitment to CASA’s vision of empowering youth to her role on the CASA DC team.
Reach Kristal at kwortham@casadc.org or extension 111.