West Plains, MO – 37th Judicial Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are pleased to announce that a new Executive Director has been hired and will begin on Monday, July 19th. Connie Pendergrass is a retired teacher and school administrator who has spent many years working with and advocating for children in our community. She has also been working as a Volunteer Advocate with CASA since early 2019, which gives her the unique opportunity to see how the system works from both sides.
In her words, “I am pleased and honored to accept my appointment as Executive Director for the 37th Judicial Circuit of the State of Missouri. My goal is to increase the visibility of CASA as an organization and also emphasize the need for trained volunteers. These caring and dedicated individuals are a consistent voice for abused and neglected children within Carter, Howell, Oregon and Shannon counties in Southern Missouri.”
In addition to welcoming Connie to our team, we are also pleased to welcome Christin Hoffman and Autumn Shirley as new Volunteer Advocates, and Annie Morrison Smith and Sarah Mackey as Board Members. All were sworn into office on Thursday, July 15th by Presiding Judge Steven Privette.
For more information about CASA and the work that we do advocating for foster children in the 37th Circuit, please visit www.37thcasa.net or call the office at 417-255-2100
