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With a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Cathie came to CASA after retiring from AT&T with 38+ years’ experience. In January 2017, Cathie started training to become a Volunteer Advocate; during training an Advocate Coordinator/Trainer position became available. With her background in curriculum development and Instruction at AT&T this was a good fit and Cathie became an employee in April of 2017. Effective June 1, 2017 Cathie became the Executive Director of CASA of Merced County.
Raised by parents who were very involved in the community and who spent a lot of time volunteering, Cathie was raised knowing the importance of giving back to one’s community. Cathie served as Chairperson for Sober Grad of Atwater High and Buhach Colony High Schools for 8 years. Over a 13-year period, Cathie was active in Relay for Life of Atwater in many capacities – Team Captain, Chair of Team Development and Recruitment, Chair of Kids Camp and Chair of Survivors and Caregivers. Cathie was also Director of the Wee Miss Atwater Pageant, part of the Miss Atwater Scholarship Pageant for many years as well as team Mom and Coach for many of her children’s sporting activities. Currently Cathie is a member of the Caring About Kids Council. In her spare time, Cathie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, reading and shopping.
“Working at CASA is more like a gift than a job. I like to say that at AT&T I worked to put money in someone else’s pocket. At CASA I work to bring a smile to the face of children in foster care. I personally believe that children should be treated with love and respect, not abuse and neglect. Everyone involved at CASA of Merced County works hard every day to keep our CASA kids safe and protected. A heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing CASA Advocates for their extraordinary gift of helping our CASA kids find their voice. I welcome everyone to learn more about CASA of Merced County. I would love to have you become a part of our organization; CASA makes a difference in a child's life.”

A California native and adopted Hoosier, Karen joined CASA of Merced in 2015 as a volunteer, and became an Advocate Coordinator in May 2016. She got her first experiences with CASA when she was an advocate for CASA in Howard County, Indiana. Karen is a graduate of the University of the Pacific with a B.A. in Humanities and she holds a Masters in Public Management specializing in Healthcare Management from Indiana University. She loves hiking, traveling, running, chocolate, and chasing grandchildren.

When children in foster care experience abuse or neglect in their home, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel. My greatest passion is bringing love, happiness, and a sense of security to children who have been through an abusive or neglected experience. As a foster parent I devoted 12 years advocating for children in foster care. I wanted to follow my dream of helping others in my community so in February 2015 I became an Advocate. Shortly after I was offered a position as Advocate Coordinator. In this position I help and support my advocates to find what is in the best interest for a foster child in Merced County. I feel this is an opportunity to help a child become a successful adult. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, going on family outing or watching my kiddos grow up (too fast). All in all, Life is great, God is good, and helping a child is priceless.

Prior to working at CASA, Jennika worked in Retail Management for nearly 8 years. During that time she studied Business at Merced College, then San Jose State University. Jennika received an A.A. in General Business from Merced College, then a B.S. in Business Administration from San Jose State University. She has lived in Merced County most of her life and enjoys the small community feeling. In her spare time Jennika enjoys art & crafts, baking and bike rides. Jennika enjoys working in Child Welfare to ensure each child has a chance at a successful future.

Heather is a very loving and outgoing person with a big heart for people in need. She was born and raised in Modesto, CA. She has been a resident of Merced since 2013. Heather had been a stay at home mom with a desire to make a difference in her community and she discovered CASA. Initially, her intentions were to volunteer and continue to stay at home with her son, but she realized that she had the opportunity to fulfill the position as an Advocate Coordinator that had become available. Having her AS degree in Business Administration and her BS degree in Organizational Leadership made this position possible for her. Heather has been working for CASA since 2017 and it has given her life a greater purpose. When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her family, practicing healthy habits to stay strong minded and available to others, watching movies, traveling and pursuing her relationship with God.

Charissa Beardsley started working for CASA as the Family Connections Coordinator in 2017 after working as a Supervisor at Starbucks for over 8 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Simpson University in 2008. She is always looking for a good book to read and loves to run. Her interest in Child Welfare started in 2012 when she began volunteering as a mentor for YoungLives, a non-profit organization that recruits volunteers as mentors to pregnant and mothering teenagers. As a volunteer mentor, she was able to become a support system for many of the girls. Mentoring has convinced her that consistent affirmation from one or two caring adults can often be a key to helping children and adolescents become successful adults. As the Family Connections Coordinator, she is excited to assist social workers by searching for positive family connections for children in foster care.

Possessing a life passion to help others, Charity Mocklin has volunteered in such organizations as California Scholarship Federation, Merrill F. West High School Athletics Booster Club and the Denair Youth Football league. Her desire to assist others led Charity to pursue her education at the University of Pacific in Stockton. She continued on to earn her Psychology degree and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2016 from The University of Phoenix. Charity was previously a Parent Partner for the nonprofit Aspiranet, with the wraparound Dowith program in Merced. Charity was able to assist children and families who had experienced more than their fair share of trauma, learn how to become resilient and thrive. It was because of her successful experiences at this organization with assisting foster youth and others, that Charity accepted her new role as Merced CASA’s new Advocate Coordinator/Social Media in July of 2018. Her empathy and willingness to assist others is also why Charity states that her “biggest joy comes from helping those that need it the most.” It’s no wonder then, why Charity has two rescue dogs and four rescue cats at home. Outside of work, Charity enjoys spending her free time attending plays and concerts, gardening, going to the movies and watching her twelve-year-old son play baseball. Charity plans to continue assisting those in need throughout her life, in order to continue fostering hope and positively impacting the lives of those that are less fortunate.