Shaney Starr has tendered her resignation as executive director of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) of Marion County to accept a position with the National CASA Association. Her last day in her current position will be Aug. 12.
Starr, a Keizer resident, has been with CASA of Marion County since 2016.
She will become director of Program Growth and Development at the national level. She will perform her duties without relocating.
“During her time leading CASA, she (Starr) has been instrumental in developing and implementing a new strategic plan, building new important strategic partnerships,” said CASA of Marion County board chair, Erin Milos White.
White cited Starr’s efforts to lead the program through significant growth of volunteers and children served.
“Shaney leaves CASA in a very strong position for continued growth, and we are incredibly grateful for her contributions and leadership during her time here,” continued Ms. White.
In her resignation letter to the board of CASA of Marion County, Starr wrote, “Together, we have accomplished so much and transformed our program into a model that is respected not just throughout Oregon, but also throughout the country.”
CASA’s mission is to provide every child in need with trained volunteer advocates to ensure they are safe, have a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive.
To achieve the mission CASA recruits volunteers from our community, train them so they have the skills and knowledge necessary to advocate for an abused child, and professionally support them so they are able to do this difficult work successfully. There is no other agency or program providing volunteer advocacy to abused and neglected children who are living in foster care.
CASA of Marion County manages the local Safe Families for Children program to serve vulnerable and isolated families in crisis in the hopes of keeping the family intact, without need of removing children into foster care.
By wrapping these families into a network of generous, nurturing, and supportive volunteers from the community, CASA hopes to reduce the number of children entering into the foster care system by 10%.
The Board will oversee the process of finding a candidate to fill the Executive Director position. Shaney
Starr will continue in her role as a Keizer city councilor, to which she was appointed in 2021.
