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CELEBRATING ELISA MENDEL

ELISA MENDEL, Vice President for Strategic Customer Engagement at Kaiser Permanente, is retiring after 36 years’ service as a senior executive there, where she has led some of their most innovative and important programs. Elisa has been on the Board of Directors of California CASA since 2015, where she has been instrumental in several key initiatives. About the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) model, Elisa said: “The data is overwhelming about how CASAs help so significantly. You want every child in the foster system to have that support.”

Sharon M. Lawrence, Esq., CEO of California CASA, who has worked with Elisa since 2017, said “Elisa shared her strategic planning expertise with both our staff and Board, which led to the adoption of our “Serve Every Child” Vision to serve 60% of the youth in foster care. This plan created a roadmap for our 44 local CASA programs to recruit and train more volunteer advocates who ensure that the voices of abused and neglected children can be heard in the courtroom and beyond. We are so grateful for all she continues to do to champion the needs of foster children across California, and make sure our organization has a strong foundation to support the entire network and the CASAs and children they serve.”

Kevin Gardner, Chair of the California CASA Board of Directors, and member of the Board since 2004, is thankful for the insightful point of view Elisa brings to the CASA movement. According to Kevin, “Elisa helped California CASA raise awareness of the hardships children face and the powerful impact a CASA volunteer can have in shaping their future for the better. We wish her a wonderful new beginning as she retires from Kaiser Permanente, and we are so grateful for all she continues to do for California CASA and the youth in our state.”

Elisa has asked that any gifts made in honor of her retirement from Kaiser on May 18th be made to California CASA, to implement the Vision she helped create become a reality. Thank you for your support!