Arika Adams, LCSW
Executive Director
Arika Adams, LCSW, CCPT, is a licensed clinical social worker and the Executive Director of CASA for Children. Arika received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Sociology at Texas Tech University and earned her Master of Social Work degree at The Catholic University of America, with a concentration in Clinical Social Work and Child Welfare. She has also completed Executive Certificates in Children's Law & Policy from Loyola University and Trauma Informed Advocacy from Mitchell Hamline School of Law, as well as becoming a Certified Complex Trauma Treatment Professional. She is clinically trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Seeking Safety, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and has completed management trainings from The Management Center - Managing to Change the World and Managing for Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Results. She also has completed Leadership Cohorts with The Sorkin Center and The Catalogue for Philanthropy. Arika sits on the Urban Leadership Council of the National CASA/GAL Association and on the Board of Directors for Manassas Therapy Dogs.
​
Arika first interned at CASA while working on her Master's in Social Work and then went on to hold nearly every staff position within the organization before becoming CASA DC's Executive Director. She has previous experience as a social worker for DC's Child & Family Services Agency and worked with immigrant and refugee families at Mary House. Arika truly believes that the model of taking "everyday people" and connecting them to a single young person empowers youth to succeed in accomplishing their goals and dreams. She maintains that you don't have to fit a certain "mold" to be a volunteer; you just have to be willing to commit to making a difference.
Arika volunteers with several organizations outside of CASA DC, including bringing her certified therapy dog to therapy sessions with teenage trauma survivors and being a foster for her county's animal shelter.
​