STAFF
The California CASA Association relies on individuals with a shared sense of purpose. Our staff members possess many decades of combined child welfare and nonprofit experience, and each has a strong personal connection to the mission of California CASA. Members have personally experienced the foster care system, served as sworn CASA volunteers, as a judge in juvenile court, and held senior positions in nonprofit organizations. Each one proudly dedicates their experience and expertise to California’s local CASA programs to ensure each has the knowledge and resources needed to effectively serve California’s foster children.
SHARON M. LAWRENCE, ESQ., CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, joined California CASA in 2017 after a successful 20-year tenure as CEO of Voices for Children, the CASA program for San Diego and Riverside counties. Under her leadership, the organization experienced extraordinary growth (from $400,000 in 1997 to nearly $7,000,000 in 2017) and national recognition. Sharon has brought to the state’s CASA network and the California CASA association her deeply felt passion for helping foster children and improving the foster care system, as well as her strong leadership skills, legal and legislative expertise, and fundraising and managerial knowledge. The recipient of many honors over the years, she serves on numerous statewide and regional committees addressing the needs of foster youth, and promotes CASA to individuals, foundations, corporations, elected officials, and government agencies throughout California and beyond. Prior to joining Voices for Children in 1997, she was an attorney and litigator at Lewis, D’Amato, Brisbois & Bisgaard, a large law firm in San Diego; she specialized in medical malpractice. She received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law, Austin, where she was managing editor of the Texas International Law Journal, among other honors, and her B.A. from the University of Denver, Colorado, with a triple major in Speech Communications, Psychology, and Political Science.
LAUREN BERGQUIST, CHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER, joined California CASA in 2023 after serving as Vice President of Philanthropy at Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation in San Diego for eight years. At Rady Children’s, she led a team that was instrumental to raising more than $50 million in 2022, beginning from an $18 million goal in 2015. Previously, in Chicago, she served as Assistant Vice President of Fund Development for NorthShore University HealthSystem, and raised money for several preeminent arts organizations, including a statewide arts advocacy and service organization. Lauren has a deep compassion for children in foster care as her brother was adopted from the system. As an adoption advocate, she was co-founder and co-executive producer of “Related: Adoption Stories for the Stage,” a theatrical event featuring the diverse and complex experiences of writers from across the country whose lives have been directly touched by adoption. The inaugural 2022 production played to sold-out audiences and raised money for a nonprofit organization assisting children in foster care. She received her BA in English Literature at Cornell University and her MA in Shakespeare Studies at the Shakespeare Institute of the University of Birmingham, UK.
KATHRYN MATHEWS, CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER, since 2021, became a CASA volunteer in 2001 while working as a corporate executive in the Bay Area for a high-tech company. Her experience advocating for foster youth led her to switch careers to the nonprofit sector and join the CASA program of Placer County in 2007 as Program Director. For almost twenty years, her extensive customer service and operations background helped assign a CASA to every foster child. She dedicated herself to improving outcomes for youth and assisted with expanding the operation. Before joining California CASA, she was the Executive Director for El Dorado County where she was instrumental in developing an online training tool that doubled the number of trained volunteers and is now deployed and used by several other CASA programs throughout California. She has served on the board for a local non-profit, “The Taylor House,” a safe transition home for former foster and at-risk girls.
JOAN REILLY, MBA, CHIEF FINANCIAL & OPERATING OFFICER, joined California CASA in 2018 after four years in the not-for-profit sector as Chief Financial Officer at Voices for Children (San Diego) and Chief Financial Officer at Mingei International Museum. Prior to that, she spent 25 years working in the corporate arena. and held management and HR positions at Oracle Corporation and Sophoi, Inc., among others. Joan’s passion for the needs of foster children and her wide range of managerial, human resources, and fiscal expertise are enormous assets for California CASA and the local CASA programs statewide. A native of Ireland, she holds her MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
QUINTON BUCKLEY, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM OPERATIONS, joined California CASA with 15+ years of nonprofit experience, most recently managing the Childcare Subsidy Program in Austin, Texas. He was the Chief Operating Officer for the Arlington-Mansfield YMCA and helped create a culture of compassion, empathy, and clarity among diverse team members. Quinton has also held roles at the YMCA of San Diego County, American Camp Association, and La Orquidea Bilingual School in Honduras. He has expertise in program management, operational leadership, and systems development. Quinton received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Education from Wilmington University, and attended the CUNY School of Professional Studies with a graduate certificate in Adult Learning & Program Planning.
ERIC CHENG, DATA MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOMES SPECIALIST, joined California CASA with over 20 years of experience working in data, databases, and data analysis. His background includes work as a data consultant, specializing in data solutioning, continuous improvement, tool creation, and ensuring data integrity in organizations of all sizes. Eric earned degrees in both Psychology and Economics from the University of California, Irvine. He is passionate about making a positive contribution and impact from a data perspective.
ANNE FARRELL, SENIOR STRATEGY ADVISOR, supports the organization on special projects, including strategic planning. She formerly served as Chief Philanthropy Officer from 2018 to 2023, developing financial resources, fundraising protocols, and new relationships—which resulted in nearly tripling revenue. She is an experienced fundraiser who has spent 45 years in the nonprofit sector, raising several hundred million dollars over that period. She spent 34 years in the arts and education fields raising money for museums and universities. For seven years, she served as adjunct professor at the University of San Diego’s nonprofit management graduate program and has trained and mentored many fundraising professionals in Southern California and beyond. Deeply concerned with the plight of foster children, from 2010 to 2017, she served as Chief Philanthropy Officer at Voices for Children, helping double the budget to nearly $7 million and tripling the number of children served, while she built a skilled development team. She received her B.A. in art history from San Jose State University, attended the University of Florence during a year abroad, and is a graduate of the Getty’s Museum Leadership Institute, a program now affiliated with Claremont Graduate University.
CYNTHIA EPPS FEATHERSON, DEI MANAGER, joined California CASA in 2023. She brings over 25 years experience developing, analyzing, evaluating, and implementing, strategic and tactical Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership Development, Human Resources, Learning & Development, Talent Acquisition, and Workforce Engagement policies, systems, and processes with for clients in more than 15 industries, in 49 states, South America and Europe. Cynthia is a skilled strategist and excels at communicating in ways that are both informative and engaging. Cynthia believes that her super power lies in her ability to Listen, Inquire, Frame, and Transform (L.I.F.T) people, teams, organizations and communities through learning, sharing, and executing desired goals and values.
JODY HUDSON, DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY, is a fundraising professional with over 17 years of nonprofit leadership experience. She focuses on strategic relationships with individual donors and also supports local CASA programs on effective philanthropy strategies. She is the CEO and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation, an organization that seeks to increase research efforts and patient support for Lyme disease and MCAS. Jody recently published a book on her experiences supporting her daughter through this medical journey. Before joining California CASA in 2021, she was Vice President of Development and Communications for Girls Scouts of Central California South (in Fresno) and, before that, worked at the Catholic Charities Diocese of Fresno as Director of Operations. In 2018, Jody was honored with the Marjaree Mason Center Top Ten Professional Women Award. She received her B.S. degree from Central Michigan University.
THE HON. CAROL ISACKSON (RET.), SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR, was on the bench in San Diego Superior Court for 14 years. Appointed by Governor Gray Davis of California and subsequently reelected. Prior to her judicial appointment, she was an attorney in private practice in San Diego. She attended the University of Michigan and was a social worker before receiving her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law/Illinois Institute of Technology. She is deeply informed about foster care and its legal and procedural aspects as well as delinquency and juvenile justice. She joined California CASA in 2017 to provide counsel and advice on major legislative and policy matters, including a major foundation-funded pilot program, “CASAs for Juvenile Justice Youth.”
KELLY LEROSSIGNOL, DIRECTOR OF FOUNDATION RELATIONS AND GRANTS, is responsible for cultivating relationships with both private foundations and government entities and identifying new funding opportunities for long-term support and partnership. Previously, she worked in a variety of Finance, Operations, and HR leadership roles within government and nonprofit sectors. She brings more than a decade of experience fostering partnerships, writing proposals, and managing grant awards from start to finish.
JEANNIE LOW, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, collaborates on strategic communications with the 44 local CASA programs serving 52 counties and leads statewide outreach and awareness initiatives. She has guided marketing and development teams for nonprofit organizations since 1999, including PathPoint, MEDICC, and the Children's Health Council. Jeannie is the former chair of the Public Relations Committee for the California Disability Services Association and volunteer media liaison for the Santa Barbara Mayor’s Awards for Disability Employment. She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from San Jose State University and received her Master of Public Policy & Management from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
GABRIELA (GABI) MAGALLON, PROGRAM OPERATIONS SPECIALIST, joined California CASA with more than 10 years of experience supporting and overseeing various nonprofit organizations. Most recently at The Innocent Justice Foundation, Gabi focused on supporting mental health and wellness for first responders working on child exploitation and abuse cases. She has spent her career supporting foster and probation youth throughout San Diego County, as a school mentor, a childcare worker, and by managing local facilities. Gabi holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is working towards a master's degree in Criminology, Law & Society at the University of California – Irvine.
ANGELINA (ANGIE) MUÑOZ, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT, supports key functions across the organization, including donor data management. Angie earned her B.A. from San Diego State in International Business in Spanish & Latin America, and attended the Universidad del CEMA in advanced marketing and international relations. Most recently, she was Administrative Assistant at Oliva & Associates CPAs.
SHAWN NOETZLI, DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY, joined California CASA in 2023. Shawn is an accomplished leader in the fields of philanthropy and fundraising, with a passion for creating positive and lasting social impact. Having successfully orchestrated and managed philanthropic programs while holding key leadership positions in renowned philanthropic institutions, she has honed her expertise in cultivating donor relationships, designing effective fundraising campaigns, and implementing sustainable giving strategies. Early in her career, Shawn worked for a Los Angeles based nonprofit that restored hope, resiliency, and self-esteem in children placed in the court system, all of whom had experienced abuse, poverty, neglect and/or homelessness. This experience made a great impact, and now, nearly 25 years later, her journey in supporting human services initiatives and specifically youth in foster care has come full circle. She holds degrees in Psychology and English Literature and has completed Cornell University’s program for Nonprofit Financial Management.
SARAH POLLOCK, BOOKKEEPER, joined California CASA with ten years of fiscal and administrative experience. She has held positions as Accounting Manager, Head Bookkeeper, Key Account Coordinator, and Customer Services roles. Sarah received her Accounting/Business degree from Saddleback Community College in Mission Viejo.
EDUARDO (EDDIE) RANGEL, GRAPHIC DESIGN-MARKETING ASSISTANT, supports statewide communications campaigns, raising awareness for the 44 local CASA programs serving 52 counties. He was previously a Production Artist with Designory. He graduated Cal Poly Pomona with a BFA in Visual Communication Design and a minor in Marketing Management.
JENNA SNYDER, MANAGER OF ANNUAL GIVING, joined California CASA in 2023, after four years in non-profit marketing, fundraising, and events at Meals on Wheels San Diego County. While at Meals on Wheels, she effectively oversaw all significant fundraising appeals, large-scale events, and marketing campaigns for the organization. Jenna demonstrated success in boosting fundraising efforts for both events and appeals during her time there. She is excited to further her personal and professional growth at California CASA. Jenna is committed to increasing awareness and funds for the organization to ensure that every child in foster care can benefit from a CASA.
CADY VILLARREAL, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, served as Executive Assistant in a large construction company and Junior Account Manager for a PR and media company. Previously, she was an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Marquard Center Program in Chicago providing direct services to the homeless population, and was volunteer coach for Girls on the Run and exercise leader for Noah Homes (a facility for individuals with developmental disabilities). A competitive runner, she received a full scholarship to California State University San Marcos where she received a B.S. in business administration; she subsequently received her M.A. in professional and business communication from the University of New York in Prague, Czech Republic.
LEGAL ADVISORS:
Allison B. Cruz, Attorney at Law, has been practicing Juvenile Dependency law since 1991. She has represented parents, the county and, for the past 20 years, children. She has practiced in multiple jurisdictions in the State of CA at the trial level and was an appellate attorney for 16 years.
Georgina Dews, Attorney at Law, worked at the Santa Cruz County's D.A.’s office, then joined a conflict resolution firm representing parents and children in Dependency and children in Delinquency. For 23 years she has been one of the attorneys contracted to represent children in the Santa Cruz County Dependency Court.The California CASA Association relies on individuals with a shared sense of purpose. Our staff possess many decades of combined child welfare and nonprofit experience, and each has a strong personal connection to the mission of California CASA. Past and present members have aged out of foster care, served as sworn CASA volunteers, served as judge in juvenile court, and held senior positions in nonprofit organizations. Each one proudly dedicates their experience and expertise to California’s local CASA programs to ensure each has the knowledge and resources needed to effectively serve children.