2024 Texas CASA Conference : Presenter Biographies
2024 Texas CASA Conference:
All Aboard: Mapping Uncharted Waters
Thanks for joining us for the 2024 Texas CASA Conference! As a network, we are working to understand and adjust to the changes happening in the child welfare system. This year’s conference All Aboard: Mapping Uncharted Waters is an opportunity for us to come together to learn from those who work with and are involved in child welfare in many capacities to discover how to best ride the waves of the changing system.
Get to know all of you conference by reading their biographies below.
Wednesday, October 23 | 1:00 – 4:30 PM
CFE, Beyond Engagement: CFE for All Ages and Stages
The CFE Team
The CFE Team supports CFE implementation across the entire state, working closely with all local CASA programs and their child welfare partners. The members of the team are located regionally across the state, with Anna in the Houston area, Candice in Austin, Catherine in San Antonio, Frances in Lubbock, Maria in El Paso, and Melissa in the DFW area. The CFE Team offers coaching, training, technical support, and more – at the local, regional, and statewide levels.
Candice Dosman
Candice has worked in the field of social services for over twenty years. She has worked with youth experiencing housing insecurity, in the residential care system, and spent the majority of her career at Family & Children’s Services of Waterloo Region (FACS), a children’s aid society in Ontario, Canada. Candice came to Texas in 2015 to lead the Collaborative Family Engagement initiative implemented by the CASA network in partnership with DFPS. Candice continues to lead that initiative, now with a statewide team, and also oversees Texas CASA’s child trafficking prevention and awareness work. Candice holds a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and also a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Criminology from the University of Waterloo. Candice is a member of the Canadian Association of Social Workers and is a certified TBRI® Practitioner.
Dual Institute: Part 1 – Trauma-Informed Advocacy and Education for the Child, Advocate, Placement, and Community
Ann Marie Ronsman
Ann Marie became the President & CEO of Child Advocates of Montgomery County in February2021. A Trust-Based Relational Intervention® Practitioner, she has grown CASA’s partnership with the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University and is leader in the implementation of TBRI® within the child welfare system. Ann Marie is the co-chair of the Trauma-Informed Montgomery County Task Force, which promotes a county where the community recognizes and understands how to best respond to children who have experienced trauma. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Marquette University, Milwaukee; Master’s in Nursing from Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee; and a certificate of Non-Profit Leadership from the University of Texas.
Jennifer Reitmeyer
As Director of TBRI® and Community Education, Jennifer leads the TBRI® Team at CASA Child Advocates of Montgomery County, which trains Advocates and community partners on the various techniques and strategies of Trust-Based Relational Intervention®. She also personally coaches’ families in crises with ways to connect and disarm fear in their children. Jennifer volunteered for CASA as an Advocate for six years until she was hired as a Case Supervisor in September 2017. She attended the TBRI® Practitioner training in 2018, organized by Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU, and became a TBRI® Practitioner. Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Texas A&M University.
Part 2 – Going Deeper: Charting the Waters to Successful Faith-Based Partnerships
Keri McDonald
Keri began her career as an AmeriCorps VISTA, and then a CPS Caseworker. She launched her consulting practice in 2016. As a consultant, she has worked with diverse grant fundraising and communication clients—from child welfare to education to environmental conservation. Keri also serves as the Faith Based Liaison at Texas CASA, where she works with local programs from around the state to implement Clergy, CASA and Community. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. She is also one of only two grant professionals in Williamson County, Texas, and thirty in the state with a Grant Professionals Certification. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Grant Professionals Association Austin-Central Texas Chapter.
Patty Pisklak
Patty Pisklak grew up in Midland, TX and graduated from Midland High School in 1993. She received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University in 1997. After graduation, she became a social worker for Child Protective Services in Bryan and Midland, Texas. After 5 years of service to the State of Texas, she became the Development Director for CASA of West Texas and learned the art of grant writing and fundraising; she served in this role at CASA for two years. Patty rejoined the CASA of West Texas family as Executive Director in 2011 and has served in this role for 12 years.
Pre-Session Legislative Advocacy Training
Sarah Crockett
Sarah Crockett is the Director of Public Policy at Texas CASA. Sarah grew up in Idaho and has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwest Nazarene University. She obtained a master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan in Social Policy and Program Evaluation in 2010 after gaining experience working on women’s issues, domestic violence and with refugees. Sarah served as Associate Director of the Texas Association for Infant Mental Health prior to joining Texas CASA. Sarah has significant experience advocating for children and youth in foster care, both legislatively and in her role as a CASA volunteer for CASA of Travis County.
Stephanie Battaglia
Stephanie Battaglia is the Public Policy Specialist at Texas CASA. Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in Spanish and Legal Studies from the University of North Texas. Stephanie has spent the last two years at Texas CASA passionately supporting CASA’s Legislative Advocacy Teams and thoughtfully advocating for children and families at the Texas Capitol. Before coming to Texas CASA, Stephanie worked in and around the Texas Legislature for the University of North Texas Government Relations Department and the Texas Senate. She enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of public policy during her time at the Texas Capitol and has appreciated having the opportunity to use her skills to advocate for children and families.
Part 1 – Charting the Four I’s: Precision Note-Taking in Child Advocacy
Robert Hahn is one of the co-founders of Optima and is a former CASA Director, having run CASA of Maricopa County (Metro Phoenix). In addition to running a large urban program, Robert has both his Masters of Mental Health Counseling and his Law Degree. In all disciplines he learned and taught other professionals excellent note taking skills and is excited to bring his wealth of information to the Texas Conference.
Part 2 – Together We Can!
Brad Ray
Brad Ray is the Executive Director of the Nate Chute Foundation and a consultant to for-and not-for profit organizations across the nation. He has held leadership roles at National CASA/GAL Association in training, resource development, marketing, performance management and program development. Prior to that he served as the founder and CEO of the Southwest Georgia Children’s Alliance, Inc–a nonprofit umbrella organization providing 17 rural counties with CASA best-interest advocacy, a children’s advocacy center, truancy intervention program, children in need of services program and domestic violence program.
Thursday, October 24 | 9:00 – 10:30 AM
Opening General Session
Cindy Dyar
Cindy Dyar directs the Family Defense Project at Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Inc., which represents indigent families in all stages of DFPS intervention across a 68-county service area with a focus on pre-petition representation. Previously, she spent a decade representing parents and children in termination cases at both the Travis County Offices of Child and Parental Representation. Cindy is TBLS Board Certified in Child Welfare Law and graduated from the University of Michigan Law School, where she was a Darrow Scholar and a student in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic.
Featuring a panel of parents with lived experience.
Thursday, October 24 | 11:15 AM – 12:30 PM
Learning from Lived Experience: Maria’s Journey: Becoming Someone’s Daughter
Maria McCord
Maria McCord is a Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE) Coach for Texas CASA. She was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and has more than 20 years of experience working with children in foster care and nonprofit organizations. She has her bachelor’s degree in human services as well as her master’s degree in business administration and is in the process of completing her master’s degree in social work.
Learning from Lived Experience: Maria’s Journey: Becoming Someone’s Daughter
Kaysie Taccetta
Kaysie Taccetta is the Project Manager for the Texas Child-Center Care System (T3C). Ms. Taccetta has served as the Director of Client Services, Federal Funds, and Forecasting with the DFPS Office of Finance where she oversaw the design of the new assessment, foster care service continuum, and T3C rate methodology for the Department. Taccetta has over 26 years of experience working in the foster care system in Texas. Ms. Taccetta held various positions within Child Protective Services including having served as the Deputy Associate Commissioner as well as the Director of Conservatorship Services. For the past 17 years, Taccetta’s work has been primarily focused on systems reform and improving foster care in Texas. In collaboration with the child welfare stakeholder community, she helped to develop and implement the Texas Treatment Foster FamilyCare (TFFC) Model, Temporary Emergency Placements (TEP), the DFPS Public Private Partnership, and served as the state’s first Director of Community-Based Care (formerly Foster Care Redesign).
Understanding the ICPC (Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children) Process and Finding Out of State Placements
Rene Blake
Rene Blake graduated from Ole Miss in 1992 with a degree in social work. She spent her first three years working in the private sector and then went to work at a Children’s Home in MS where she was a social worker and at times a house parent with 8-12 children. After serving here for seven years, she transferred to MSCPS where she worked both CPS and APS cases. Her husband was offered a job at Dell, so their family traveled to Texas. She began her experience with CPS in 2002 and has worked in various positions since she was hired. She started worker in ICPC around five years ago.
Thursday, October 24 | 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Advocacy and Supports for Older Youth in Care
Todd Serpico
Todd Serpico is the Division Administrator of Transitional Living Services for the Department of Family Protective Services. He has been with DFPS for 13 years and worked with youth and families for more than 25 years. He also currently serves on the board of directors and as President-Elect for Education Reach for Texans, a non-profit dedicated to promoting a culture of care for Texans with experience in foster care as they pursue post-secondary education. Todd is passionate for the work of assisting transition age youth in successfully transitioning to adulthood.
DFPS Efforts for Children Without Placement (CWOP)
Audrey O’Neill
As the Deputy Commissioner for Programs, Audrey O’Neill oversees Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, Child Protective Investigations, and Statewide Intake. Audrey joined DFPS in May 2023 as the Assistant Deputy Commissioner, providing strategic oversight and direction to ensure DFPS compliance with federal foster care litigation requirements and to further strengthen key DFPS programs and processes. Audrey spent the first 15 years of her career in state government with the State Auditor’s Office, where she was an Audit Manager and oversaw a variety of complex audits and investigations across state government. Audrey received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Southwestern University and is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Fraud Examiner. As a former foster parent and a kinship parent, she believes strongly in helping children, adults, and families be successful together.
Jennifer Sims
Jennifer Sims is the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS). She rejoined DFPS in this role in January 2023, reprising a role she held at DFPS from 2011-2016. Sims has served in state government for 25 years and has held multiple leadership positions. Prior to her recent appointment to Deputy Commissioner, Sims served as the Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for seven years leading up to her state retirement in August of 2021. Sims helped lead DSHS through the COVID-19 public health crisis and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, just two of the highest profile events under her watch. Sims also has experience as both a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and a foster parent. Sims holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington and a bachelor’s in psychology.
CASA Advocacy for Dual Status Youth, Learning from Lived Experience
Anna McDonnell
Anna McDonnell, Collaborative Family Engagement Implementation Specialist. Anna has been involved with the CASA network for over 13 years. She started as a volunteer with Child Advocates of Montgomery County where she was one of the first volunteers to utilize the CFE approach. During her time with Texas CASA, she has been involved in helping support programs with resources and trainings as they implement and embed the CFE approach into their daily advocacy. She has been involved in developing resources to support programs as they utilize the CFE approach with specialized groups including families involved with Court-Ordered Services, youth involved with Juvenile Justice, and older youth in foster care. Anna is excited to share her passion for advocacy for Dual Status Youth with the CASA network.
Leslie Cocke
Drawing on her legal background as an attorney and mediator, as well as her decade+ tenure with the CASA network, Leslie Cocke provides support, training, assistance and resources to the CASA network as part of the Texas CASA STAR team. Leslie has created and facilitated many legal and child advocacy trainings and resources and is excited to share her passion for advocacy for Dual Status Youth with the CASA network.
Why Reasonable Efforts Matter
Renee Castillo-De la Cruz
Renée has been a Staff Attorney at the Supreme Court of Texas Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth, and Families (Texas Children’s Commission) since November 2019. She spent the first six years of her legal career in private practice, primarily focusing on the representation of children and youth before the juvenile justice system and children, youth, and parents involved with the child welfare system. She joined the Caldwell County District Attorney’s Office in Lockhart, Texas in 2015 where she dedicated four years to the service of the children, youth, and families of Caldwell County as an Assistant District Attorney assigned to the child welfare docket. Renée earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin, a Juris Doctorate from Texas Tech University School of Law, and she is board certified in Child Welfare Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Her primary areas of focus at the Children’s Commission include attorney training and education and ensuring meaningful access to justice through projects focused on parent resources and legal representation.
Thursday, October 24 | 4:00 – 5:15 PM
Baiting the Hook: Recruiting in Diverse Communities
Jerid Watson
Jerid received his BFA from UT Tyler in 2017 with a concentration in Ceramics and Alternative Firing Methods, as well as an Advanced Certificate in Non-Profit Management from UT Tyler in 2022. His journey with non-profits began as a volunteer in 2018 with AmeriCorps, where he served two years working with youth in foster care and Title I schools. This led him to continue to work with youth invulnerable situations, including those in Domestic Violence and Residential Treatment Centers. Jerid has been with CASA for Kids of East Texas since May of 2022 and is honored to work with such passionate and selfless volunteers.
Using the MSL Lens and Holley Factors to Guide Your Advocacy
Lisa Briggs
Lisa has over 15 years of experience working with children and families involved with the Department of Family and Protective Services. Her extensive background includes serving as an Advocate Supervisor and later as a Program Director at a local CASA program. In 2017, Lisa joined Texas CASA where she develops training initiatives.
Andrea March
Andrea March is a Texas attorney with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, serving low-income individuals and communities through Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid. As Texas CASA’s parttime legal resource specialist, Andrea advises CASA programs on legal issues affecting their organizations. Previous experience includes the Texas Advocacy Project, where she represented survivors of family violence, and as an Assistant Attorney General.
Community-Based Care in Texas
Commissioner Stephanie Muth
DFPS Commissioner Stephanie Muth began her tenure at DFPS on January 2, 2023, bringing with her more than 20 years of government experience. She held senior executive-level positions in Texas Health and Human Services departments for more than 15 years, where she served as director of external relations, chief of staff, deputy over social services eligibility, and Texas State Medicaid director. Muth began her career working in the Texas Legislature and was a consultant in private practice immediately before being appointed as DFPS Commissioner. Muth also successfully oversaw a large-scale reorganization of health and human services programs that led to the transition of over 4,000 staff and more than 120 programs. As state Medicaid director, she oversaw operational and policy aspects of the health care delivery system that provides services to more than four million Texans. Muth has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida and a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.
Hollie Mims
Hollie Mims is the Operations and Stakeholder Engagement Director for the Community-Based Care Operations division within DFPS. Hollie started her career with DFPS in 2012 as an FBSS Caseworker and has served her fellow Texans in a variety of positions in the field including in investigations and FBSS case work, supervision of the Travis County Drug Court unit, and in training. While in State Office, Hollie has served as a Program Specialist, Division Administrator, as a Director in the Office of Community-Based Care Transition, and in her current role.
Texas CASA ACT (Anti-Child Trafficking): It is more than see something, say something.
Rhonda Kuykendall
Rhonda Kuykendall is a survivor leader, speaker, consultant, and legislative advocate. She holds a master’s degree in social work. Rhonda serves on the Survivor Advisory Board for Texas Association Against Sexual Assault as well as a member of the Texas Human Trafficking Survivor Leader Council. Working as the Anti-Child Trafficking Consultant for Texas CASA, Rhonda is implementing anti-trafficking protocols in CASA programs across the state. She chairs the Fort Bend CountyDistrict Attorney’s Human Trafficking Community Awareness Team. She chairs the Legislative Advocacy Team on the Board of Directors of Child Advocates of Fort Bend. Rhonda received the 2023 Paul H. Chapman National Award from the Foundation for the Improvement of Justice. In 2015, she received the U.S. Congressional Medal for her work in Austin enacting legislation to protect children from sexual assault.
Tally Stocks
With the belief that we’re better when we work together, Tally serves as the Partnership Manager at Allies Against Slavery. She works alongside Lighthouse partners across Texas and Louisiana to build community, support their success, and ultimately bring about lasting change for survivors. She brings a history of evidence-based study and trauma-informed research to the team, with a Master of Social Work from The University of Texas. Her experience working with survivors of trauma and exploitation as a frontline social worker in emergency departments, experience as an anti-trafficking trainer across Central Texas, and passion for helping partners achieve their goals through collaboration and teamwork guide Tally on the road to success with Lighthouse partners.
Friday, October 25 | 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Closing General Session
Sixto Cancel
Sixto Cancel, founder and CEO of Think of Us, is a nationally recognized leader driving systems of change in child welfare, working across tech, service delivery, research and data, and state and federal policy to improve outcomes for youth and families. He has a proven track record of mobilizing cross-sector partnerships and lived-expertise to drive effective innovation at the local, state, and federal levels to solve both entrenched and emergent challenges.
DFPS Commissioner Stephanie Muth (Bio above.)
Thanks to our 2024 Conference Sponsors!
