Get to Know the CASA Team
Meet the people who work hard to give Douglas County’s most vulnerable children the voice they need.
Our Staff
Susan Anderson
Advocate Supervisor
sanderson@dccasaks.org
Susan grew up in Topeka before heading south for a BA in history from Baylor University and a JD from the University of Oklahoma. After moving to Lawrence with her husband in 1996, she worked in the not-for-profit sector including serving as the Director of the Douglas County Community Health Improvement Project and as the Director of Education at Plymouth Church. When not working, she enjoys volunteering in the Lawrence community, hiking, learning Spanish and reading non-fiction. Her very favorite activity though is being Mom to her four children. She is excited to be a part of the CASA team providing support and hope for children in need of care.
Amy Buchele-Ash
Advocate Supervisor
aash@dccasaks.org
Margie Carr
Advocate Supervisor/Training Coordinator
mcarr@dccasaks.org
India Herman
Program Director
iherman@dccasaks.org
Megan Hill
Development Director
mhill@dccasaks.org
Megan is a proud Lawrencian and lifelong Kansan with degrees in Journalism and Higher Education Administration from the University of Kansas. She began her fundraising career at KU Endowment in 2012 before spending several years advancing the mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence. In 2026, she joined Douglas County CASA as Development Director after serving as a CASA volunteer from 2015–2023. Throughout her career, Megan has been dedicated to strengthening organizations that improve the lives of vulnerable children, families, and communities. Outside of work, Megan enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, and cheering on the Jayhawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and NASCAR. She lives in Lawrence with her mom, son, and their very spoiled cat, Prince.
LeDawn Coop
Office Manager
lcoop@dccasaks.org
LeDawn grew up in Emporia before moving to Lawrence to earn a BA in Psychology from KU. She built a career in operations management, where she found a passion for developing efficient systems, improving processes, and supporting the people around her. She is excited to contribute to CASA’s mission by helping create an environment where staff and volunteers can focus on advocating for children. She and her husband completed training to serve as Co-CASAs and are honored to support children in an even more meaningful way! LeDawn enjoys spending time with her husband, their three adult children, and way too many fur babies including three cats and two very pampered dogs. She also enjoys audiobooks, podcasts, and the most elementary level of cross-stitching.
Brooksie McCarty
Community Engagement Coordinator
bmccarty@dccasaks.org
Scharla Paryzek
Advocate Supervisor
sparyzek@dccasaks.org
Erick Vaughn
Executive Director
evaughn@dccasaks.org
Erick has served as a licensed social worker with a specialization in administrative and advocacy practice for over 18 years. Throughout his career, Erick has supported programs that serve children and their families. Coming to Douglas County CASA as their Executive Director in July 2019 has felt like coming home, bringing together his experiences related to program design and evaluation, early childhood, mental health, substance abuse, and child welfare. Erick lives in Lawrence with his wife, daughter, and new baby son.
Our Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Neal Quitno
President
Neal Quitno serves on the Douglas County CASA Board as President. Neal first came into contact with foster kids as a guardian ad litem in child in need of care court cases. Being removed from the home of birth parents and placed in a foster home can be scary and disorienting. CASAs can help those children know that they have a voice with social services and with the courts. Neal loves Lawrence and is honored to promote the CASA mission by helping to find ways to support current staff and volunteers and to recruit new CASAs for foster kids in need. Beyond CASA, Neal hopes his experience in the various aspects of cases involving kids and specifically foster kids in court can offer a helpful perspective as a board member. Before returning to Lawrence after retirement, Neal was a KU student many years ago. He loves what Lawrence has to offer for families and has enjoyed reconnecting with friends from the past.
Julie Lonergan
Vice President
Julie Lonergan serves on the Douglas County CASA Board as Community Member. Julie has over 30 years’ experience in strategic and financial planning, new business development, process improvement, and budget management in the retail and CPG industries. She has managed multi-million-dollar budgets across multiple businesses and customers. During her corporate career and now in retirement Julie has passion for non-profit work focused on women and children. Through her other board positions, she saw the impact that abuse and neglect can have on a child. Joining the CASA board gives her an opportunity to work with an organization focused on advocating for these children. Julie’s professional experience includes strategic & financial planning, process improvement, and budget management. She has extensive nonprofit board experience with organizations serving women and / or children suffering abuse and neglect (Hope House, Niles Home for Children). She has volunteered with several non-profit organizations serving under-privileged children and families recovering from addiction (Amethyst Place, Junior Achievement). Julie lives in Shawnee and enjoys traveling, gardening, and cheering on her favorite NFL team.
Nicole Hite-Heleniak
Secretary
Nicole Hite-Heleniak grew up in Lawrence and is proud to call herself both a Chesty Lion and a Jayhawk, graduating from Lawrence High School, the University of Kansas (B.F.A.), and Ottawa University (M.B.A.). For more than 25 years, she led creative and marketing teams at Hallmark Cards before stepping into her current role as Marketing Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas. Outside of work, Nicole channels her creativity into home improvement projects, cooking, and design, and loves traveling with her husband, John. She has always been passionate about advocating for those without a voice—especially animals and children—and is honored to support CASA’s mission of providing hope and advocacy for children in need of care.
Kurt Goeser
Treasurer
Kurt is a Lawrence small business owner, proud resident, and strong advocate for the Lawrence community, serving on many boards and community leadership groups throughout the years. Most of his volunteer time has been spent working with organizations that support youth and the marginalized. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a business/accounting degree and returned five years later to obtain his MBA. He has served as a State Farm Insurance and Financial Services agent since 2002 and now operates two agencies in the Lawrence and Kansas City areas. While Kurt was not initially experienced in the child welfare system, nor exposed to the significant role Douglas County CASA plays in the Lawrence community prior to joining the board, he is so proud and passionate about the work they do every day. In his spare time, he loves to follow the Jayhawks and travel with family as much as his small business will allow.
Board Members
Sally Ryan Bosworth
Sally Ryan Bosworth, MPA, LSCSW, LCAC, is a senior behavioral health leader with extensive experience in child‑ and family‑serving systems spanning over 30 years. She currently serves as Vice President of Clinical Services for TFI, where she provides operational and clinical leadership in residential and outpatient behavior health programming. Her background includes leadership roles in community mental health, psychiatric hospital services, and school‑based programs, with deep expertise in trauma‑informed care, and systems‑level program development. Sally brings a strong commitment to child advocacy, cross‑system collaboration, and strengthening supports for children and families across communities.
Allen Ford
Allen is a retired School of Business tax professor at the University of Kansas. He and his wife Joelle have four Kappa Alpha Theta KU daughters, and Joelle designed and painted one of the CASA playhouses. CASA is one of Theta’s philanthropic priorities.
Moving to Lawrence in 1976, Allen is very aware of the important service CASA provides for young people in very unfortunate situations. He is particularly impressed with the many individuals willing to serve as volunteers to work with children caught in the court system who need a caring and knowledgeable individual to help them.
Molly Fuller
Molly Fuller grew up in rural Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas with a Master of Education in Secondary Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction. She has been teaching in Lawrence Public Schools since 2011, with positions at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School and currently at Lawrence High School. Throughout her teaching career, Molly has worked closely with many students in the foster care system and is excited to support them in a new way. She has long admired the work Douglas County CASA does for the community and hopes to contribute to its continued success.
Leticia Gradington
Bio coming soon!
Hannah Grow
Hannah Grow brings both professional and lived expertise to her role on the CASA board. She is the founder of Wildblossom Schoolhouse, a nature-based early learning program in Lawrence, Kansas, where she supports children and families through imaginative education, relationship-centered care, and community connection. Through her work in early childhood education and advocacy, Hannah has developed deep experience navigating Kansas childcare systems, family support networks, and trauma-informed practices.
In addition to her professional background, Hannah’s lived experience informs her commitment to ensuring that children and caregivers are heard, respected, and represented within legal and social service spaces. She believes that meaningful advocacy emerges when professional knowledge and personal insight work together to strengthen outcomes for families. Hannah is also a trained metal fabricator and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores perception, resilience, and community. When she is not working, she enjoys time with her four children and continues developing Wildblossom as a creative learning environment rooted in belonging.
Lew Hanna
Bio coming soon!
Michelle Levy
Bio coming soon!
Lynne McAdoo
Bio coming soon!
Chris Moulton
A lifelong Midwesterner, Christian Moulton came to Lawrence for grad school at KU in 2003 and then went to work in financial services after graduation. Currently at Commerce Bank as a commercial banker, he works throughout the community, helping businesses find their best financial path. When not at the bank or helping CASA, Christian spends time with his four boys and wife and teaching church school and directing his church’s choir. Raising his own boys, he has seen how much work it takes to make sure everyone has a chance for a functional, supported childhood.
Ned Nelson
Ned Nelson serves on the Douglas County CASA Board as Vice President. As a longtime Lawrence resident and a huge Kansas Jayhawk fan, Ned loves the community of Lawrence. He feels he and his family are very blessed to live such a special place, and his service on the Douglas County CASA board is a result of his desire to give back to help Lawrence maintain that feeling of community. Ned has also served on the board for the Jefferson’s Foundation for the last 8 years. Ned’s family loves spending their weekends boating at Clinton Lake or playing golf.
Melody Williams
Bio coming soon!
Ex-Officio Board Members
Jill LaPoint
Ambassadors President
Bio coming soon!
Hon. Jean F. Shepherd
Honorary Board Member
Bio coming soon!
WHY CASA'S WORK MATTERS
Ready to Make a Difference?
Whether you’re interested in becoming a volunteer advocate, supporting our mission through donations, or learning more about our work, we invite you to join our community of child advocates.