Our Mission
CASA of Essex County promotes the welfare of children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment by providing a safety net of support, advocacy, and mentorship.
CASA trains and supervises volunteers to speak up for the best interests of these children in court, to ensure that each child has the opportunity to thrive by receiving needed services and assistance while helping to move the child toward a safe and permanent home as quickly as possible.
Who We Serve
Last year nearly 500 children were placed in foster care in Essex County alone. These children ranging in age from birth to 21 years old were removed from their homes as a result of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Nearly all of the children CASA of Essex County serves come from families living at or below the federal poverty line.
Our History
National CASA
In 1976, a Seattle Superior Court Judge, the Honorable David Soukup, was concerned about trying to make decisions on behalf of abused and neglected children without enough information. He conceived the idea of appointing community volunteers to speak up for the best interests of these children in court and implemented a pilot program in 1977.
This pilot program consisted of 110 trained CASA volunteers. In 1978, the Seattle program was recognized by the National Center of State Courts. This recognition, along with financial support, resulted in the replication of the Seattle CASA program across the county. In 1982, the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association was formed.
Today, there are more than 50,000 advocates serving in more than 1,000 state and local program offices nationwide.
CASA of New Jersey
In 2000, CASA of New Jersey began with the goal of establishing independent, non-profit CASA programs throughout the state. CASA of NJ supports a statewide network of affiliated community-based CASA programs that advocate for the best interests of children removed from their home due to abuse or neglect. Today, there are independent CASA programs in all 15 court vicinages and 21 NJ counties.
CASA of Essex County
CASA for Children of Essex County was founded in 1986 and is the oldest program in New Jersey. Based on the high praise received from the judges in Essex County for our work, in 2002 the NJ Administrative Office of the Courts mandated that the Family Court in each county have a Court Appointed Special Advocate program. Essex CASA personnel played a major role in the formation of CASA of NJ, an umbrella organization which has spearheaded the effort to create CASA programs throughout the state.
Our Team
Executive Director
Marla Higginbotham
Marla has spent the last 20+ years working in the nonprofit sector helping shape public policy initiatives focused on both community engagement and children’s education and well-being. After a successful 4 years as Executive Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for Union County, Marla recently took the helm as Executive Director with CASA for Children of Essex County. Marla joined the CASA network from Jersey Cares where she was Senior Director of Operations and Foundation Relations. In that capacity, she was responsible for all aspects related to operations. As Jersey Cares’ Senior Program Manager, Marla led the program department’s coordination with more than 80 nonprofit agency partners statewide and managed over 1,200 volunteers monthly. Marla is a former mediator/arbitrator for New Jersey’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Unit and has served on the Board of Directors as a trustee for The Montclair Kimberley Academy. She received a law degree from the University of Cincinnati, College of Law and an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies and Political Science from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Marla and her husband have 3 children and currently live in West Orange.
Advocate Supervisor
Shauna-Mae Bartlett
Prior to joining the CASA Essex team, Shauna has spent her entire professional career working with children for the past 8 years as an Educational Director. Shauna is a graduate from Kean with a Master’s in public administration. Shauna is involved in various organizations such as Big Brother Big Sister, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, NCNW, and Iota Sweetheart Incorporated. Her primary focus and passions are to give back to the community and bless people who are in need. In her spare time, Shauna enjoys cooking, being outdoors, traveling, and shopping. Shauna's love for children and professional background makes her a perfect fit at CASA.
Program trainer
Soon Benham
Soon volunteered with CASA of Essex County in 2012-2013 and is thrilled to have found her way back to the organization. Soon has spent her career working with healthcare organizations in various capacities. Most recently, she worked as the Director, Client Services at a media company providing advertising solutions for healthcare recruitment. Prior to that role, Soon worked as a Hospital Services Manager with the NJ Sharing Network where she acted as the organ & tissue donation liaison for seven hospitals in the state. She offered real-time case support and provided continuous, strategic education to key hospital staff and surrounding communities. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Maryland - College Park. Soon lives in Westfield with her husband, son and golden retriever, Molly.
Program Director
Natalie Deo
Natalie has dedicated her professional career to serving children in need. She joined CASA of Union County in 2007, holding various positions during her 13-year tenure with the organization – Advocate Supervisor, Training Coordinator, Recruiter, Program Director, Interim Executive Director. Prior to CASA, Natalie worked as an Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapist focused on children diagnosed on the Autism spectrum where she supported families and schools with behavior management. Natalie has presented on topics related to child advocacy and human trafficking at conferences across the country.
Natalie holds a M.A. in Counseling, Concentration in Children and Adolescents and a B.A. in Psychology and Fine Arts both from Montclair State University. She is certified as a Licensed Professional Counselor and in Applied Behavioral Analysis by the state of New Jersey. Natalie holds certification in Child Advocacy from Montclair State, Victim Assistance from Rutgers, and Non-Violent Crisis Intervention from Crisis Prevention Institute.
Natalie, her husband and two fur babies live in Warren. She loves art and cooking for family and friends.
Volunteer coordinator
Marisol Garcia
Marisol is a native of Newark and has worked her entire career within the city’s walls. Prior to joining CASA, she was an adjunct professor teaching English as a Second Language at Rutgers University Newark Campus, of which she graduated from, for 11 years. Marisol collaborated with the P.A.L.S. Program to create curriculum for advanced writing courses that would bridge the language gap between ESL and formal collegiate courses. She is a Level II certified English and Accent Reduction tutor, and has fluency in both Spanish and Portuguese. Marisol also freelances as a makeup/lash artist, and enjoys traveling during her free time. Reading, singing, and dancing are also high on her list of loves.
grants & policy analyst
Jessica Earl
Before joining CASA, Jess acted as a Centennial Volunteer Ambassador at Gateway National Recreation Area in New York City where she focused on bringing a community perspective to the national park system. In this role she also supervised a summer youth program where teenagers learned how environmental management impacts their communities. Jess holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Utah and a M.S. in Earth and Environmental Engineering from Columbia University. She is currently pursuing a M.S. degree in Urban Policy and Leadership at Hunter College.
Data manager
Deborah Lasher
Deborah has spent her career developing software and analyzing data in a variety of roles and places including the telecom industry in NJ, St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington DC, the Department of Revenue in Alaska, and the US Office of the Surgeon General of the Air Force. In 2013 Deborah had started a job in Newark and signed up to be a volunteer advocate for CASA of Essex County. While working on her assigned case she developed an interest in the problems involved in supporting youth and families and an admiration for the professionals who do the work well. As her case was closing, her career took her away from Essex County, but Deborah continued working with youth and families by volunteering on Juvenile Conference Committees, with Parents Anonymous, and in Newark High Schools. Now, as Data Manager at CASA in Essex County she has the opportunity to apply her professional skills to the passions that have driven her volunteer work.
Deborah has Computer Science and Mathematics degrees from George Washington University and Carnegie-Mellon University. She lives with her husband in Metuchen and they share many interests including reading, hiking, history, politics, museums, and travel. They have two children.
sr. advocate supervisor & Court liaison
Cheryl Kelesoglu
Cheryl started as a Union County CASA volunteer in 2016 and later took on the role of Peer Coordinator. She joined the CASA team in 2019 as a Traveling Advocate Assistant, working to support CASA volunteers by conducting in-person visits with CASA youth. Cheryl has spent her entire volunteer and professional career working with children. Cheryl graduated from the University of Vermont in 1993 with a B.S. in Nutrition and a minor in Sports Medicine, where she also played on the varsity soccer team. Upon graduation, she worked as an Athletic Trainer, teacher and dorm parent at a Boston area junior boarding school. Discovering an ability and interest in connecting with children, Cheryl got her M.Ed. in Counseling from Boston University in 2000 and returned to work as a School Counselor. As well as worked to help found a non-profit providing sports programs to Boston’s inner city youth. Cheryl gained experience counseling youth in inner-city, suburban and private schools while spending summers supervising youth camps at MIT in Massachusetts and in Central Park in New York City. When she became a mom, Cheryl shifted her focus to volunteering, serving as the Director of Philanthropy for the Hoboken Family Alliance, the PTO President at her children's school and eventually finding her way to CASA. Cheryl lives in Westfield with her husband and two children, all avid soccer players and fans (Go Red Bulls!).
Advocate supervisor
Jasmine Pender
Jasmine has a passion for helping families and children reach their potential through support, guidance, and motivation. Her previous experience includes working in Early Childhood Education teaching pre-school aged children in the South Orange/Maplewood School District. She also worked in the mental and behavioral healthcare field with children and families throughout Essex County. Jasmine is a graduate of the University of Hartford in Connecticut where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology.
In her spare time, Jasmine enjoys traveling, writing, spending time with friends, family, and her fur baby, Mia.
operations manager
Stephanie Phelan
Stephanie started as a CASA Volunteer in 2010, and then joined the team as CASA’s Volunteer and Program Coordinator, and then Gifts and Program Coordinator. Prior to joining CASA, Stephanie previously worked with non-profit organizations focused specifically on youth development programming and program evaluation. She worked at The Research Foundation at John Jay College with the Prisoner Reentry Institute, where she supported the NYC Justice Corps Program and Peer Navigator Program start-up. Additionally, she has worked at STRIVE International, Inc., where she served as liaison and technical assistance provider for their national juvenile justice programming and facilitated the development of the organization’s national professional development events, program evaluations, outcome mapping, and curricula roll-out. Stephanie holds an M.A. in Family and Child Studies from Montclair State University and a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Social Welfare and Spanish from Monmouth University.
outreach & recruitment coordinator
Alexis Pugliese
Alexis is a recent graduate of William Paterson University, holding a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. During the summer of 2023, she received an internship with CASA of Essex County and throughout her time interning, built a strong passion for advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves. After her summer interning, she was offered a position as the new Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator, and with great excitement and passion for the mission accepted the role.
Prior to working for CASA, Alexis was a service team member for Total Wine, where she was able to both service her clients and provide them with upstanding customer service, as well as teach classes on a vast variety of wines and spirits. Before Total Wine, Alexis was a manager for three Monster Mini Golf locations. Through both of these job experiences, she was able to acquire a great deal of skills that will contribute to her position with CASA Essex County.
In Alexis’ free time she enjoys working out and finding new, healthier alternatives to some of her favorite meals. As well as, hang out with her best friend and finding new restaurants to venture out to try.
advocate supervisor
Julmarie Rodriguez
Julmarie has a long-standing passion for advocacy. In her four years teaching at St. Michael's School, which emphasized the importance of emotional development, she built relationships with over 100 students and ensured all students felt attended to with personal feedback and encouragement. Communication with parents, problem solving and cultivating progress in her students' performance was the driving force behind everything accomplished. Julmarie worked with SEPAC, where she taught and motivated parents on how to advocate for their child(ren). At SEPAC, she served as an event organizer to create face to face spaces to network and bridge families together from all walks of life. During her internship at ICC Family Success Center, Julmarie served as a liaison to the clients providing resources and support. She knows the blessings that come with being a mom of a child born with special needs. She brings to the CASA position, a deep understanding of the intricate and sensitive nature of advocating for children with special needs. Julmarie is a wife and a mom of four boys that she adores. She enjoys painting, participating in ax throwing and watching movies.
Advocate supervisor
Leslie Sena
Leslie recently graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.A. in Criminology & Criminal Justice and Psychology. Prior to joining the CASA of Essex County team, Leslie worked part-time for CASA DC for almost three years. As a Program Coordinator at CASA DC, Leslie has experience with CASA youth case management, as well as overseeing CASA DC's grant from the Mayor's Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs. Leslie is excited to continue her work for CASA at home in New Jersey. She has a strong interest in helping victims of crime and has interned with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, as well as volunteered on the National Center for Victims of Crime hotline.
Leslie is a huge soccer fan and grew up playing. She especially enjoys watching and supporting women's soccer.
Board of Trustees 2023-24
Employment Information
Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities at CASA of Essex County. Click here to view all available positions. If you are interested in working with us, please send a cover letter and your resume to jobs@casaessex.org.
INTERNS: we love to have interns and have internship opportunities available all year round for students in college. For more information, email info@casaessex.org.