CASA Appoints new President and Chief Executive Officer
Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) Announces Angela White as President & Chief Executive Officer
San Antonio, TX – January 25, 2021 – Child Advocates San Antonio’s (CASA’s) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that it has named Angela White as its new President & CEO, effective February 1, 2021. White comes to CASA with a wealth of experience in the field of support programs within the child welfare field. She joins the team after an extensive career in leadership roles in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. White is well-known throughout the San Antonio community for her compassion, leadership ability, and collaborative spirit.
Angela White’s appointment comes at a critical time for the organization; referrals to CASA have stayed consistent throughout COVID-19, even while cases have become more complex. In the past few months, CASA has seen growth in the number of cases referred by the Bexar County Children’s Courts. We anticipate further referrals to come, as prolonged financial hardship and isolation are breeding grounds for potential child abuse and neglect.
In these challenging times, CASA’s Board of Directors considered the need to find someone who would lead with strength, as well as a focus on the core values of the agency: integrity, compassion, collaborative spirit, and a deep sense of commitment to serve children who have experienced neglect and abuse, Juanita Peláez-Prada, Board Chair of CASA, said.
“We found that person in Angela White,” said Peláez-Prada. “Angela’s enthusiasm, grace, wit, love of children, and compassionate leadership will promote and ensure the fulfillment of our mission: to advocate on behalf of abused and neglected children so that they may have stability in a safe and loving home.”
White comes to CASA from her role as Chief Operating Officer of Chosen Care, a non-profit organization focused on helping children heal from trauma by strengthening their families. Prior to that role, White served as the Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Home, a non-profit substance addiction treatment center in San Antonio.
White has also held senior management positions within the private sector, in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States in various fields, including finance, SAP (IT) project implementation, sales and international customer service, manufacturing and compliance.
White holds a BA in Business and Finance from North Cheshire College (UK) and an MBA in Leadership and Sustainability from the University of Cumbria (UK).
White comes to CASA with enthusiasm, stating, “I am absolutely delighted to accept the position of President & CEO at Child Advocates San Antonio. To be able to work with the dedicated and talented team already in place is a great opportunity. We will continue to build and grow the organization, so that more children within the Bexar County foster care system can have a Court Appointed Special Advocate. My professional experience in leadership and organizational growth, coupled with a deep personal connection to the mission, is a unique combination that allows me to bring exceptional value to CASA”.
About Child Advocates San Antonio
The mission of Child Advocates San Antonio (CASA) is to recruit, train, and supervise court-appointed volunteer Advocates who provide constancy for abused and neglected children and youth while advocating for services and placement in safe and permanent homes. In FY2020, 751 CASA volunteers advocated on behalf of 1,883 children in foster care.
For more information or to set up an zoom media interview, please contact:
Sue Borst
Communications and Marketing Manager
sborst@casa-satx.org | 210.867.1429 (c)
In September 2024, the department first became involved with a family of five following allegations of substance abuse and medical neglect concerning the mother. Child Protective Investigations (CPI) initially sought to keep the family together by implementing a safety plan with fictive kin—a family the mother and children had met during their stay at Haven for Hope. The hope was that this new placement would provide stability for the children while keeping them safely with someone familiar. For a few weeks, it seemed to be working. But on October 29, 2024, the mother told the fictive kin she was going to retrieve her remaining belongings from Haven for Hope—and never returned. From November 2024 through February 2025, CPS continued its efforts to locate her while supporting the kinship placement and meeting the children’s needs. In January 2025, the kinship placement informed the department that she could no longer care for the youngest child, Ava, due to her severe behavioral needs. Faced with these challenges, the department made the difficult decision to file for removal to provide more comprehensive support for the children and the kinship caregivers. Ava was quickly placed in a foster home in February 2025, while her three brothers remained with fictive kin. Around this time, CASA Staff Advocate JoAnn Herring was assigned to the case. By April 2025, safety concerns prompted the immediate removal of the boys. They were placed in an emergency shelter while the department and JoAnn worked tirelessly to explore placing them with their sister in her foster home. Caring for four children is a big ask, especially for new foster parents, but with support from JoAnn and the department, the foster family rose to the challenge. By May 2025, all four siblings were finally reunited under one roof—a first major victory for this family. Even with the siblings together, challenges remained. The children had significant medical and educational needs. Michael, who had experienced medical neglect while in his mother’s care, was diagnosed with Stage 5 chronic kidney disease, requiring frequent doctor visits, hospital stays, and surgery. During these times, JoAnn visited the hospital regularly, offering support and encouragement to both Michael and his foster parents. JoAnn also worked closely with the department and foster family to ensure the other children—Ava, Mateo, and Leo—received the therapeutic and educational support they needed. Through Collaborative Family Engagement meetings, the team created a comprehensive plan addressing the children’s medical, educational, and therapeutic needs, with the goal of preventing placement disruption and ensuring the foster parents felt supported. Today, all four children are enrolled in school with 504 plans in place, and Michael has access to wrap-around medical services—another major triumph. The foster parents now feel confident in their ability to meet the children’s needs, and if the parents remain disengaged, the case may ultimately move toward termination. While that possibility is heartbreaking, the family has a permanent, loving home ready to care for them. Michael, though still facing significant medical challenges, has a strong team advocating for him every step of the way. This story is still unfolding, but it highlights the power of teamwork, advocacy, and dedication in helping children find stability, care, and hope. It’s a reminder of what can be achieved when community, department staff, and CASA advocates go above and beyond to support children and families in need.
Sol Arena Russo
