Child Advocates of Jefferson Co. Name New Executive Director

Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 11:26 AM

By Child Advocates of Jefferson County, Inc., news release

Earlier this year, Child Advocates split from Voices for Children to become its own independent organization.

(Jefferson County, Ind.) - Child Advocates of Jefferson County, Inc., located at 319 W Second Street, announced February 1, 2022, that Whitney Roberts had been appointed the new Executive Director. Whitney had been with the local CASA Program, previously Voices for Children, for 6 years. During that time, she worked closely with the CASA volunteers, the Department of Child Services, public defenders, and Circuit Court Judges.

In 2022, Child Advocates split from Voices for Children to become its own independent organization. All employees were retained under the new Director, along with existing Board Members, John Hutchinson, Lindsay Black and Kim Perkins. After years of experience as a CASA volunteer in this county, Linda Zapp was appointed the new Board President and new members were recruited from the Jefferson County Community. Michelle Clark, Pam Crozier, Nadja Boone and Tammy Courtney joined the Board in January. Zapp and the Board are looking forward to working with Roberts to continue the mission of this program in Jefferson County.

“We are absolutely delighted to work with Whitney in this capacity” Zapp states. “She displayed great passion and showed empathy towards all parties in the cases as well as innovative ideas and points of view”

When Whitney was at Voices for Children, she was an integral part of the program's growth and helped develop the Program Manager position to oversee case operations in two counties. As Program Manager, she oversaw every CHINS case in Jefferson and Ripley counties where children were warded to the state. During that time, she built relationships that have set a solid foundation to continue work efficiently and effectively in her new capacity. Whitney is currently on the Child Protection Team in Jefferson County, local Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, The Attend and Engage Program, and the Community Corrections Advisory Board.

“I remain as humbled and grateful as I’ve always been to continue working with our community members who navigate the foster care system with a child. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We are thankful for the team efforts from our CASA Volunteers, our staff, the Department of Child Services, our public defenders, the court, and service providers in our area so that we may better serve these children and ultimately, change the trajectory of their lives through best interest advocacy.” Roberts adds, “Statistics show how a CASA can change a child’s life, but what we’ve never been able to measure or quite put into words, is how these children are changing our lives, too.”

Child Advocates is a local non-profit organization that represents abused and neglected children in court so that their voices and needs are heard. Their primary focuses are bringing a sense of normalcy to the child while they are in the system, gathering information, and making fact-based recommendations to the court that are in the child’s best interests. For more information, visit our website at www.childadvocatesjc.net.