Staff Spotlight: Amanda Melancon, Learning and Education Specialist:
Amanda Melancon began her career as a middle school teacher and museum educator, where she discovered her love for creating engaging learning experiences and connecting with people. Today, she brings that same energy to Texas CASA as the Learning and Education Specialist, developing trainings and resources that support staff and volunteers working with children and families.
A mom of three and a dog, Amanda is a strong advocate for mental healthcare and values building intentional community. She also enjoys live music, meaningful conversations and finding ways to make learning both practical and inspiring for everyone she works with.
Tell us about yourself and what drew you to working in the child welfare space.
I’ve always been an educator at heart. I started out as a teacher and fell in love with helping people learn and grow. When I learned more about CASA and the difference volunteers make for kids and families, it really resonated with me. The idea of using learning and training to support people who are changing lives — that’s what pulled me into this work.
How long have you worked for Texas CASA, and how did you get involved with the CASA mission?
I joined Texas CASA in April 2024. I was inspired by the mission of CASA, and the opportunity to strengthen the mission through learning and development was a perfect fit. I also immediately went through volunteer training with CASA of Central Texas to understand the role of the advocate and local program.
Tell us about your work in the Strategic Network Support team and your role as Learning and Education Specialist.
I manage CASA College, our statewide learning platform, and create trainings for volunteers, supervisors and program staff. A lot of my work is about making learning easy to access, engaging and worth people’s time. On the Strategic Network Support team, I get to collaborate with folks who are out there supporting programs directly, which helps make sure the trainings and resources I create actually meet real needs across the state.
How does your personal experience impact your work at Texas CASA?
My background in teaching and curriculum development, along with some training in counseling, really shapes how I approach this work. I try to think about learning from both the head and the heart — making sure it’s practical, meaningful and grounded in empathy. I want people to feel seen and respected in every training, and I try to design with that in mind. How I show up in the world — with curiosity, compassion and a focus on connection — definitely carries over into how I create and support learning at Texas CASA.
What is your favorite part about your job?
Hands down, it’s seeing something I create actually help someone in their role. When a volunteer or staff member tells me a training helped them feel more confident or gave them something they could use right away — that’s the best feeling. I also love how collaborative our team is. Everyone truly cares about making an impact, and that energy is contagious.
What is a recent project that you enjoyed working on?
Lately, I’ve really enjoyed working on updates to CASA College. I’ve been focusing not just on making the platform look better, but also on improving how it functions for everyone. That includes reorganizing it to mirror the Learning Center, creating departments for each program so it’s easier to disseminate and track training, and making the platform more interactive with system upgrades. Soon, programs will be able to use discussion boards both within their own program and across the state, which I’m excited about because it encourages engagement and supports volunteer and staff retention. On top of that, I’ve also been rolling out our new webinar series, which has been a great way to connect people around important topics like transitions, mental health and supervision. Altogether, it’s been really rewarding to see CASA College evolve into a more user-friendly, interactive and meaningful learning space for the entire network.
