We work for a world where every child who has experienced abuse or neglect is given the opportunity to thrive in a safe and loving home.
CASA means Court Appointed Special Advocate. Since its creation by a juvenile court judge in Seattle, Washington, CASA has become one of the most effective advocacy programs of its kind. Today there are almost 950 CASA programs in 49 states. With more than 96,000 volunteers across the country, we are all committed to the rights of every child in the foster care and child welfare system.
A Court Appointed Special Advocate is a member of the community. We specially train volunteers to advocate in court for the best interest of children who have experience in Ohio’s child welfare system. CASA Volunteers are assigned to a child for the duration of a case, usually lasting a year or two. The average time spent in care is two years, during which they may change residences as many as three times — which is why CASA Volunteer work is so important.
The time is now: Each move means new foster parents or a new kinship placement, and often a new school. CASA Volunteers frequently become the only consistent adult presence in the child’s life. Our volunteers not only advocate for a safe home, but for educational and mental health resources. Because child welfare systems are constantly overloaded, CASA Volunteers may be the only adults who are part of the child’s life for a meaningful amount of time. More than 16,000 children in Ohio are currently in foster or kinship care.
The mission, vision, and role of Ohio CASA: Ohio CASA is a 501(c)(3) corporation that provides support to local CASA programs and their volunteers. Ongoing support includes training, funding, leadership, quality assurance, and management assistance. We have been working for more than 20 years to ensure safety and a permanent home for Ohio’s children. Today, 47 CASA Programs serve children in 60 Ohio counties.
Where We Are
There are 47 local CASA programs in Ohio serving children in 60 counties
By supporting local programs and volunteers, Ohio CASA helps Ohio children emerge from the trauma of abuse and neglect to an environment where they can thrive. We are part of a nationwide CASA network that recruits, screens and trains volunteers from local communities to help juvenile courts keep children safe and determine their best interest.
Doug Stephens has been with the Ohio CASA/GAL Association since April 2011, and has served as the Executive Director since 2012. He remains focused on the ultimate goal of having a CASA volunteer available for every child in need across Ohio.
Since taking on the role of Executive Director, CASA programs in Ohio have increased from serving children in 36 counties to serving children in 60 counties and counting.
Prior to that he served as The Supreme Court of Ohio liaison to Ohio CASA and the board treasurer.
Doug has over 40 years of service to Ohio courts. He had most recently served as the director of the Judicial and Court Services Division at The Supreme Court of Ohio, overall working at the Court from 1990 to 2010. For example, in 1995 he worked to negotiate the first inter-branch agreement between the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the Supreme Court.
Before his time at the Supreme Court, Doug worked at the Delaware County Juvenile Court and the Licking County Probate/Juvenile Court, where he served as court administrator.
Doug is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University, majoring in Psychology. He lives in Franklin County with his wife as empty nesters.
Kathleen Glumac
Director of Program Services
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Kathleen Glumac
Director of Program Services
Kathleen Glumac, Esquire is the Director of Program Services and has been with the Ohio CASA/GAL Association for over 10 years, starting in the spring of 2013. She focuses on working with local CASA programs to ensure compliance with National CASA Standards. In addition to these standards, she works with all new programs, programs who are expanding into new counties and programs who are changing their governance.
Before Ohio CASA, she worked as an associate attorney at a family law firm. Kathleen always knew her passion was to work for a non-profit that focuses on child advocacy. She graduated from The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law and completed her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University.
She resides in Central Ohio with her husband, three children and pup.
Megan McCombs Heydlauff
Director of Attorney Services
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Megan McCombs Heydlauff
Director of Attorney Services
Megan McCombs Heydlauff, Esq. is the Director of Attorney Services at the Ohio CASA/GAL Association. Joining the staff in October 2020, Her role focuses on management of a federal grant providing advanced training for attorney guardians ad litem working with low income families in contested custody cases across Ohio.
Megan has extensive nonprofit legal experience in child welfare and family law. Immediately prior to joining Ohio CASA, she was a senior attorney at the Family and Youth Law Center at Capital University Law School. In this role, she coordinated adoption and child welfare projects and initiatives including partnerships with the Supreme Court of Ohio, Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
She also served as an adjunct professor at Capital University Law School, where she taught the Summer Adoption Law Institute, the Interdisciplinary Child Welfare Institute, and the Family and Youth Advocacy Clinic.
Megan began her law career as an associate attorney in private practice, focused on family law, adoption, and estate planning.
She received her law degree with a concentration in child and family law from Capital University Law School and her undergraduate degree in English Literature with a minor in Spanish from Denison University. She lives in Central Ohio with her family.
Haley Nelson Peña
Director of Communications
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Haley Nelson Peña
Director of Communications
Haley Nelson Peña joined the Ohio CASA/GAL Association’s staff in 2023 as the Director of Communications. Honored and excited to be a part of the team, Haley is focused on raising awareness about CASA statewide.
Haley previously worked for multiple years as a television journalist in Michigan and Ohio, most recently in Central Ohio covering child welfare stories, breaking news and various court cases. During her reporting career, Haley was honored to receive multiple awards including a regional Emmy award, “Best Reporter” 2021 and “Best Sportscast” from the Ohio Associated Press Media Editors and more.
Born in Cleveland and raised in the Toledo area, Haley has since been a Central Ohio resident, where she lives with her husband and two rescue dogs. She is a proud graduate of Indiana University Bloomington where she majored in Journalism and International Studies, with a minor in History.
Kristin Gilbert
Director of Development
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Kristin Gilbert
Director of Development
Kristin Gilbert has been with the Ohio CASA/GAL Association since 2018, serving as the Director of Development. Passionate about this field, Kristin has over 30 years of experience managing a wide range of child welfare programs.
Prior to joining Ohio CASA, she was a senior manager at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. While there, she served as liaison to the judicial and law enforcement community and oversaw several state and federal grant programs, as well as programming for transitional youth in care. In this capacity, she was responsible for the development, evaluation and implementation of both Ohio’s Differential Response and Bridges programming.
Throughout her career, Kristin has served on multiple state and federal advisory and task groups, including Ohio CASA’s initial Board of Directors. As a Department of Justice consultant with the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, she worked with states’ teams to support their development of family drug courts. She has served as a grant reviewer and peer reviewer for a variety of state and federal organizations, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
Kristin is married with three grown children and four grandchildren.
Danielle Oder
Director of Training
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Danielle Oder
Director of Training
Danielle Oder has been with the CASA family since 2005 when she was sworn in as a CASA volunteer with a local program. She then joined the staff of that local court program in 2006, a position she held until she became the Director of Training for the Ohio CASA/GAL Association in the fall of 2022. She is passionate about helping local programs and Ohio volunteers.
Danielle holds a Master of Art in Criminal Justice Administration from Urbana University, an associate degree in Corrections from Clark State College, and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership from Urbana University. She also holds Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant licensure from the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professional Board. She has also been awarded the “Trauma Informed Care – Level 3 Trauma Competent Certificate” from the Ohio Governor’s Children’s Initiative through the Ohio Child Care Resource and Referral Association.
Danielle lives in the Champaign County area, where she was born and raised. She raised her two boys there, who have just graduated from college and are starting their own lives. She lives with her husband and two dogs. They enjoy traveling.
Madison Zelms
Project Assistant
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Madison Zelms
Project Assistant
Madison Zelms has been with the Ohio CASA/GAL Association since 2015 and is now the Project Assistant. She is passionate about raising awareness about Ohio CASA and working on a variety of projects to support volunteers.
Madison is a proud graduate of Tiffin University with a Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree. While there, she was a part of the National Honor Society and the Leadership Society.
Born and raised in Bellevue, Ohio, Madison now lives in Central Ohio with her family, including her daughter and cat.
