About Us

History

CASA was founded in 1977 by David Soukup, a Seattle judge who became concerned by how quickly decisions concerning the lives of abused and neglected children were being made when there was often a lack of detailed information. Soukup conceived the idea of using ordinary community members to be advocates for the best interests of children involved in the juvenile justice system. The Seattle program was so successful that the idea spread across the country. CASA currently has over 900 programs and 52,000 volunteers across the nation.

What is a CASA Volunteer?

Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Prince George’s County provides a voice for abused and neglected childern. CASA volunteers are trained citizens who are appointed by a judge to advocate for a child who has been removed from their home due to abuse or neglect. The CASA volunteer, by getting to know the child and the circumstance that brought them into the foster care system, can better help the judge and other professionals understand the child’s perspective and needs. By doing so, the advocate represents the best interests of a child during court proceedings.

a trained citizen
a court appointee
an investigator
a mediator
a representative
an objective reporter
an advocate
a communicator
a child’s voice
a person just like you

CASA Prince George's County

CASA/Prince George's County is a private non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. CASA/Prince George's County began in April of 2001 and has been growing steadily ever since. CASA's Executive Director, Ann Marie Foley Binsner has been with CASA since the beginning. CASA is led by a twelve member Board of Directors.

Board of Directors

Stephen Kensinger, President

Bonnie Hart-Johnson, Vice-President

Ann Scofield-Pierce, Secretary

Lark Dobson, Treasurer

Yvette Caldwell

Darren Comedy

Kelly Hebron

Marcelena Holmes

James Murphy

Staff

Ann Marie Foley Binsner, Executive Director

Marjorie Goldman, Development Director

Sherryl Hatcher, Outreach Director

Kelly Franks, Program Coordinator

Gabrielle Smith, Case Supervisor

Ashley Carothers, Case Supervisor