Meet The Team
Welcome!
Arika Adams
Executive Director
CASA DC is led by Executive Director Arika Adams, LCSW, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has worked with CASA for 13 years, serving as Chief of Staff for seven years prior to becoming Executive Director.
Alexandra Fields-Evans
Senior Manager, Outreach and Initiatives
Alexandra Fields-Evans is a DC native with over nine years of serving court-involved & justice-impacted youth.
Allison Kahn-Pauli
Chief of Staff
Allison Kahn-Pauli has a JD and a lifelong commitment to transforming the world by bettering the lives of children. Allison has been part of the CASA DC team for over a decade. In her capacity as Chief of Staff, Allison handles strategic planning, development, communication, and assessment, including grants.
Amanda Morgan
Trauma Response Division Manager, Clinical Division
Amanda has her Bachelor's and Master's in Social Work and her LICSW. She has worked in a variety of settings including outpatient therapy, medical practices, schools, and social service agencies. She is passionate about serving children & families with trauma, mental health services, and behavioral health program development. She is looking forward to expanding our clinical therapy department.
Ashlyn Olson
CASA Supervisor
Ashlyn started at CASA DC in February 2022. She has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from BYU and a Master's in Criminology from Middlesex University, London. Ashlyn is passionate about mental and emotional health, providing holistic treatment, therapy, and healthy environments for children and youth.
Beth Olivarez
Volunteer Manager
Beth is a passionate social justice advocate with 5 years of experience working with the families and survivors of violence as well as with youth who have experienced the juvenile justice system. Her current goals are to support others who want to do the work to make the world a better place for the youth of the DC area.
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Brandon Pipitone
Volunteer Coordinator
Brandon recently received his Masters in Forensic Psychology from George Washington University. He leads our CASA volunteer trainings and interviews to match CASAs with our youth!
Brianna Smith
Grants and Communications Specialist
Brianna comes with expertise from the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. She has extensive experience in development and marketing, and we're thrilled to have her as our grants and communications specialist!
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Eprise Richardson
Evaluation and Quality Assurance Specialist
Eprise has a Bachelor’s in Psychology from Taylor University and a Master's in Social Work from Washington University. She is also finishing her dissertation, evaluating two programs seeking to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes for transition-aged foster youth in a Midwestern state. Eprise also grew up in Foster care in Indiana and Michigan. She loves data and is passionate about assisting organizations to understand the meaning behind numbers.
James Fleming Jr.
Program Manager, Family Treatment Court (FTC)
James Fleming, MS has an extensive background working with youth and substance-abusing caretakers. He has spent over 20 years advocating, mentoring, and educating a generation of children from marginalized communities as a general education teacher and youth mentor.
Janelle Milazzo Lau
Program Manager, EMPOWER Program
Janelle has a Bachelor's in Cultural Anthropology and a Master's in Social Work with a license to practice in DC (LGSW). She has worked for many years on anti-trafficking programming including in New York City, India, and Thailand. Additionally, Janelle has worked in the fields of domestic adoption, victim advocacy for survivors of violence, and with asylum seekers. Janelle is passionate about trauma-informed care and survivor-centered services.
Jeffery Walker
Youth Engagement Specialist
Jeffery is no stranger to CASA, as he has worked as a CASA Supervisor in Michigan! He has worked as a mediator with juvenile justice-involved youth and launched a support group for men recovering from life trauma. Jeffery provides support for our youth through implementing training, workshops, and activities while encouraging youth to be willing participants in programs.
Kayla Davies
Case supervisor, BRIDGES Program
Kayla first started as an intern for our BRIDGES program, and now she has transitioned to the full-time staff team! She is continuing her work with case management, specializing in unmatched cases with the BRIDGES program. Kayla also recently received her Masters in Forensic Psychology at George Washington University.
Lori Parker
BRIDGES Field Supervisor
Lori has a bachelor's in Psychology, a Master's in Developmental Psychology, and a JD, and is currently pursuing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She was also the Director of CCAN and a Magistrate Judge, including the lead PYA judge.
Maddlyn Sivilli
Division Manager of Programs
Maddlyn has a BA from Davidson College and Masters in Education from Johns Hopkins School of Education. She has worked as a teacher and education consultant and is a Teach for America Hawai'i and Fulbright Spain alumna. Maddlyn specializes in culturally responsive education with experience in the humanities, STEM, special education, and English language learning. She is looking forward to engaging and supporting the local community.
Marisela Zubia
Program Assistant, Outreach & Initiatives, and LGBTQIA+ Lead
Marisela studied at the University of North Texas. She has served with AmeriCorps focusing on reading comprehension for elementary students in Title 1 schools serving the majority Latinx population. She attends outreach events and helps with partnerships. Marisela is also proud to be in the queer community, and leads our LGBTQ+ initiatives.
Paris Mercier
Program Manager, BRIDGES Program
Paris joined the team in November 2021. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology & Political Science with a minor in Justice Law and Society. One issue she is particularly passionate about is reducing the percentage of school to prison pipeline for Black youth in DC.
Rebecca Astronomo
Administrative Assistant
Rebecca has several years of experience coordinating people and events in volunteer and professional settings. She also has a decade of experience in customer service. She is very passionate about working with our youth and creating a safe environment for growth, and looks forward to being a part of this team. She is currently working remote out of California!
Sandra Zuro
CASA Supervisor
Sandra's career background has been with youth involved in the foster care and juvenile justice systems. She is excited to bring her expertise here and advocate for DC youth!
Shannon McClain
BRIDGES Program Coordinator
Shannon is from Los Angeles and has extensive youth and program coordination experience. Her journey with us just started and we are excited to have her in our BRIDGES program!
Siena Blackburn
Administrative Assistant
Siena has a Bachelor’s in Conflict Resolution from BYU-Hawaii and recently studied Arabic at Middlebury College in Vermont. She has also worked as a freelance production assistant and in tourism. Some issues that she is passionate about are human rights, refugees, women's rights, and education.
Stormie Poindexter
Administrative Assistant, Data and Quality Assurance
Stormie started off as an intern at CASA DC, and now she is our go-to person for everything Salesforce, and data reports.