CASA Board members have the responsibility to ensure that CASA does the best work possible in pursuing its mission of recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in the Juvenile Court System. Board members are expected to govern CASA while judiciously providing support for programs and initiatives (in concert with management staff).

The CASA Board of Directors is comprised of no fewer than 7 and no more that 15 voting members who assume governance and fiduciary responsibility for the organization. CASA Board members are elected to a term of 3 years and may serve no more than 3 consecutive terms.

CASA seeks motivated and dedicated Board members who will serve as knowledgeable ambassadors of our mission, make informed decisions, and provide the necessary support to advance that mission. Commitment to this concept is as desirable as is a commitment to attendance and meaningful productivity.

If you are interested in being considered as a prospective Board member, please download a Board Member Responsibilities and Board Application. Both files are in pdf format.

Board Member Responsibilities

Board Application

CASA  Board Members

Jeanne Herbert, President

Bill Leimbach, Vice-President

Susan Burnett, Treasurer

John Witaschek, Secretary

Charles Mead, Ex-officio

Susan Harrison

Vicki Hughes

Jeanne Herbert is a former radio announcer, internationally published photographer, and former founder/owner of a San Francisco travel company. Jeanne has more than 35 years of experience in business management, accounting, budgeting, and analysis. She is a member of the Board of Directors of OSAAB (Organization for the Support of Albania's Abandoned Babies), and advocates for children both nationally and globally.

Bill Leimbach is a retired Deloitte and Touche LLP partner. Bill's 33 year career with Deloitte included numerous audit engagements with public and private retail, consumer business, transportation, and manufacturing companies; system reviews to improve internal control and consulting projects to resolve disputes or assist financially distressed companies recover. During the course of Bill's career, he has made a number of presentations to corporate Boards and Board committees pertaining to clear presentation of the organization's financial statements and a clear understanding of the financial health of the organization. Bill has been a Board member and usually the lead financial person on the Board for a number of non-profit organizations. Most recent non-profit Board memberships have been Presidio School of Management, Union of Concerned Scientists, Heart to Heart and CASA of Contra Costa County. Higher education degrees are from Bucknell University, B.S. Civil Engineering and University of Virginia, Darden Graduate School, MBA.

Susan Burnett is a retired commercial real estate appraiser. Susan's 27 year career in appraisal included stints in the Alameda County Assessor's Office, banking and a partner in her own firm, which involved a specialty in valuing of, and market research for, low income housing throughout California. She remains a member of the Appraisal Institute with a small review practice. Her undergraduate and graduate degrees are from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Her interests include travel, politics/history and learning. Susan served as Chair of the Finance Committee for BWA (Battered Women's Alternatives) and
now is Chair of the Volunteer Recruitment Committee of the CASA Board. She and her husband Richard J. Elliott, a retired psychologist, live in Walnut Creek, having re-settled here in 2010 after 32 years in Oakland.

John Witaschek is currently a Director at Cisco Systems where he manages Small Business channels worldwide. Prior to joining Cisco he was a Director at NETGEAR, managing commercial sales and marketing in the Americas. John spent most of his career at Hewlett Packard, where he was Director of Sales and National Sales Manager for its Storage and Printing businesses. John has managed Sales and Marketing teams in the public, education, enterprise and small business sectors. He also has extensive
experience managing in global theaters including, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific. John holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Colorado State University. He and his wife Yulia are avid golfers and skiers. He and his son Johnnie share a passion for restoring vintage cars. John has lived in the Bay Area for the past 18 years with ongoing commitment to community service.

Susan Harrison, CFA, works at BlackRock as a member of the Product Strategy team within the Fixed Income Portfolio Management Group. She is an investment strategist focusing on institutional portfolios. Prior to joining Fixed Income Susan was a member of BlackRock's Global Client Group and was responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with institutional investors, including public and private pension plans, foundations and endowments. She began her career with BlackRock an analyst in the Global Client Group. Susan earned a BA degree in Classics and Italian from Brown University. She lives in the Mission District in San Francisco with her partner Jason Busby.

Vicki Hughes now a retired paralegal, discovered what was possible by serving the most needy of our neglected children via the legal community. First joining CASA as a Volunteer Advocate in 2001, she soon found herself serving on the Board of Directors in 2004, a position she has held ever since.
In her spare time, Vicki enjoys taking classes, traveling and hiking. Along with her large extended family, she also enjoys spending time with her very spoiled "four-legged" kids, a dog and two kitties.