About
Mesilla Valley Casa
Mesilla Valley CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate), Inc. was established in September 1993 at the request of the Judges of New Mexico's Third District Court. We currently serve the court of the Honorable Grace B. Duran.
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Before the formulation of the CASA program, many times decisions about the future of abused and neglected children were made without all of the facts and information necessary to determine what was truly in the best interest of those children. The solution is the advocate, an ordinary citizen who is trained and given tools to make an informed recommendation to the court as to what might be in the best interest of the children.
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Our advocates are recruited, screened, receive a minimum of 30 hours of training, have a background check and are supervised by the Executive Director and our staff. Our advocates are sworn officers of the court, acting as the voice of the children and the “eyes and ears of the Children’s Court Judge”.
OUR MISSION
Advocate for Children in foster care and protect their interests.
OUR VISION
To ensure that every child has a safe, supportive, and permanent home.
OUR COMMITMENT
Helping children replace a life of hurt with one of hope.
THE HISTORY OF CASA
The idea of a Court Appointed Special Advocate was originally started by Judge David Soukup in 1977. Judge Soukup felt that children needed more support as they moved through the dependency and neglect system. He also felt that someone had to speak directly for them during the process.
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Since then, this idea of a CASA has expanded into 49 states, including the National CASA Association, located in Seattle. In 2014, the entire CASA network of programs and organizations served over 250,000 children, an estimated 76,327 volunteers participated and 24,186 new volunteers were trained. The National CASA Association develops and maintains the volunteer curriculum, ensuring that the highest standards are kept.
Meet our Team
Executive Director
Doreen Gallegos
Doreen joined Mesilla Valley CASA in 2001. She has more than twenty years of experience in social work, holding both a Bachelors and a Masters of Social Work. Doreen oversees the management of the agency and all aspects of the agency's operations, including resource development and donor stewardship, agency and program planning, community and public relations, personnel development and management, and fiscal management. Doreen is the agency liaison to the Board of Directors.
Program Director
Brandie White
Brandie joined Mesilla Valley CASA in 2012. She holds a Bachelor of Social Work and has more than a decade of experience in various sectors of social work. Brandie is primarily responsible for the supervision and coordination of the advocate training program, which includes actively recruiting volunteer advocates, interviewing and training advocates, as well as supporting and supervising advocates in their work. She also assists with supervision and leadership of the agency and in resource development through event planning and other fundraising focused activities.
Advocate Coach
Casilda Provencio
Casilda retired from New Mexico State University in 2013 from a career in the sciences. Casilda holds a Masters of Public Health and took several classes in Child Advocacy as she aspired in her retirement to find meaningful volunteer opportunities that would help children. On finding out about the CASA program, she trained with Mesilla Valley CASA in 2013 and became a CASA volunteer. For the next five years she advocated for nine children in six different cases. In 2018, Casilda began her position as an Advocate Coach where she is mainly responsible for supervising and supporting CASA volunteers but has an active role in recruiting and training new volunteers.
Advocate Coach
Megan Gray
Megan joined Mesilla Valley CASA in 2023 as an Advocate Coach. Megan holds a Bachelors of Psychological Sciences from Northern Arizona University. Megan's previous work experience includes working as a Behavioral Management Specialist and Community Support Worker in Albuquerque, NM. Megan's responsibilities include recruiting and training new CASA volunteers, supporting and supervising CASA volunteers.
Administrative Assistant
Veronica Herrera
Veronica has been with Mesilla Valley CASA since 2023. Veronica's responsibilities include handling our record keeping of monthly reports and invoicing for grants. Veronica additional provides administrative support for staff and office maintenance.
BOARD MEMBERS
Mesilla Valley CASA Board of Directors is a dedicated group of community volunteers with a broad range of talents and professional backgrounds. They provide Mesilla Valley CASA with a high level of governance, fiscal oversight, compliance, and accountability.
​DIRECTORS
Lupe Nevarez
Kevin Cardoza
Connie Campos
Marisa Ong