About Us

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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

Marla Higginbotham

Executive Director

Program trainer

Soon Benham

Program Director

Natalie Deo

grants & policy analyst

Jessica Earl

Data manager

Deborah Lasher

outreach & recruitment manager

Advocate supervisor

Evenny Peralta

operations manager

Stephanie Phelan

Ahab Chopra

advocate supervisor

Julmarie Rodriguez

advocate supervisor

Advocate supervisor

Leslie Sena

Jasmine Pender

advocate supervisor

Desirea Agosto

Meet Our Volunteers!

Board of Trustees
FY2026-27

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Employment Information

Thank you for your interest in employment opportunities at CASA of Essex County. Click Here to view our current open 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.

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