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