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.
Julie Johnson
Interim Chief of Staff
Julie is temporarily leading CASA DC while our Executive Director is on leave through winter 2024. Julie has a Masters in Public Administration and is a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Senior Certified Professional. She spent over a decade at DC Public Schools, improving behind the scenes systems. Julie began her working life teaching fifth grade and was inspired by her students to dedicate her career to ensuring all youth receive high quality supports from their schools and community.
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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.
Kayla Davies
BRIDGES Program Manager
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.
Douglass Harvey
Clinical Manager, Trauma Response Division
Douglass has his Bachelor's and Master's in Social Work, and is a LICSW. He is a passionate social worker born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.
He began his career as a social worker in the field of education, where he proudly worked to ensure students were connected to the resources they needed to access the highest quality education possible. He has created programming that was recognized by the community, law enforcement, and academic institutions for the positive impact it had on youth. He is a devoted therapist providing therapy to youth that emphasizes understanding, compassion, and consistency. He is now looking forward to growing the clinical program so it can continue to have a positive impact.
Maddlyn Sivilli
Director 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.
Stormie Poindexter
Program Assistant, Data and Quality Assurance
Stormie started off as an intern at CASA DC in Spring 2022, and now she is our go-to person for everything Salesforce and data reports. Stormie graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with her BA in Criminology & Criminal Justice with a minor in Human Development.
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!
Alyssa Newman
CASA Supervisor
Alyssa has a Bachelors in Child Development and Psychology, a Masters in Human Development and Family Studies, and recently completed her Masters in Social Work. She previously worked as a Program Director for the YMCA of Metropolitan for several years, and is passionate about supporting the well-being of all youth in the DMV. Alyssa was an EMPOWER and clinical department intern before joining the team, and she looks forward to continuing her work with CASA DC.
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Zoe Smith
Volunteer Manager
Zoe has their BA in Justice and Law from American University and spent their senior year interning with CASA and the BRIDGES program. She is excited to support volunteers and serve her community!
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Idell Sampson
Manager, Transition Initiatives
Idell is a native of Connecticut who relocated to the DC area in 2021. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Biblical studies and Theology from Tabernacle Bible College and Seminary School located in Tampa, Florida. Idell is currently completing her Masters in Social work from Howard University.
Mrs. Sampson comes to the team with 12 years of experience working with inner city youth and 6 years of experience running and operating her own nonprofit organization in Hartford, CT.
She has a passion for working with youth and providing them with life affirming resources and tools to help propel them in a positive direction for success, and is a huge advocate for youth and their overall quality of life.
In addition to her passion she brings to the team uniquely curated skills of connecting with youth in the inner city, a passion for providing guidance, and a heart for youth advancement as a whole.
Idell is excited to be joining the CASA DC team and working with the youth of DC.
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