SEATTLE and DAYTON, Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association for Children today announced that Rita Soronen was recently elected to its board of trustees. Soronen is the President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit public charity, dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes for the more than 155,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems.
For more than 30 years, Rita Soronen has worked on behalf of abused, neglected and vulnerable children, providing leadership for local, state and national efforts working to improve the juvenile justice and child welfare systems, while striving to assure safe and permanent homes for children waiting to be adopted from foster care.
We are thrilled to have Rita join the National CASA/GAL Association’s board. Rita’s tremendous child welfare experience will be invaluable to us in countless ways,” said National CASA/GAL CEO Tara Perry. “There is much more work still left to do to impact the lives of children and families. We are thankful to have Rita walking alongside us to get that work done.”
“As a former CASA executive director and current President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, I am keenly aware of the critical need for advocacy, awareness and action on behalf of our most vulnerable children and families,” said Soronen. “In my role as a CASA board member, I look forward to serving as a champion for the organization’s mission, advocating for the well-being and bright future of each and every child.”
Soronen is a nationally recognized child welfare advocate. She has testified before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee on the importance of foster care adoption. In 2019, Soronen led the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s dedication of more than $29.8 million to evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. A requested national speaker on the topics of children, the child welfare system and social innovation, Ms. Soronen has been a featured presenter at events for the Adoption Exchange Association, Center for Adoption Support and Education, Children’s Home Society of America, National Association of County Commissioners, National CASA Association and National Council for Adoption, among others.
Prior to joining the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Soronen served as the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Franklin County (Ohio). She is a founding board member and past vice president of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and a current member of the advisory board and serves on the advisory board of Barco’s Nightingale Foundation.
She joins the existing board of trustees headed by Dr. William Bell, president & CEO of Casey Family Programs.
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About the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem Association for Children
The National CASA/GAL Association for Children, together with its 950 state and local member programs, supports and promotes court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every abused or neglected child in the United States can be safe, have a permanent home and have the opportunity to thrive. The National CASA/GAL Association offers leadership and support to the network of programs and leads its continued growth. nationalcasagal.org