Texas CASA’s Collaborative Family Engagement Team Evolves
Texas CASA is proud and excited to announce the promotion of Catherine Herlich to Collaborative Family Engagement (CFE) Director and the hiring of Taylor Merrill as Collaborative Family Engagement Coach.
Catherine joined Texas CASA as one of the first CFE Coaches in 2016. Since then, she has demonstrated great skill, knowledge and passion for CFE, as well as the leadership skills necessary to move into this role. Catherine says, “I am so excited and grateful to be able to serve the network in this way as we continue to work towards integrating CFE into CASA advocacy for all children and families served by CASA. I look forward to partnering with the entire CASA network and their community partners to ensure all children and families in Texas are connected and have a lifetime network of support.” Catherine is a licensed Master level social worker who approaches her work from all levels: working at the macro level with state agencies and local programs, to the micro level with individual child protection caseworkers, CASA volunteers and children and families. During her tenure at Texas CASA, Catherine received a Special Recognition Award from a local CASA program, as well as a Facilitating Success Award from The Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) – a true testament to Catherine’s ability, dedication and skills.
Taylor recently served as a Family and Community Engagement Coordinator with CASA – Hope for Children, being a part of that organization in multiple professional capacities since 2017. Some of Taylor’s most impactful efforts were successfully embedding CFE into CASA advocacy in her community and equipping advocates, staff and community members with the tools to prioritize family engagement, healing and family preservation. Taylor was drawn to CASA by the opportunity to serve children in her community in a tangible, life-changing and impactful way, and she began her journey with CASA as a court-appointed advocate. She says, “I’m so grateful to bring my experience working at a local CASA program to the Texas CASA CFE Team and the opportunity to impact the child welfare system on a statewide level.”
We are so honored to promote Catherine and welcome Taylor to fill the department vacancy, and look forward to long careers with each of them at Texas CASA!
