Maryland CASA Association Announces New State Director

TOWSON, Md. - April 27, 2024 - PRLog -- Maryland CASA Association announced today that Laura Edwards joined Maryland CASA Association as State Director on April 15, 2024.  Laura joins Maryland CASA as an accomplished executive leader with over 25 years of experience driving operational excellence, strategic planning, and meaningful community impact across the technology and nonprofit sectors. Her multifaceted background combining corporate leadership, program management expertise, and a personal passion for child advocacy makes her exceptionally well-suited for the State Director role with Maryland CASA.

Laura has held senior roles such as Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Vice President, and Partner at major companies like SAP, Oracle, and Merchant Link. She has led high-performing teams across sales, marketing, workforce development, program development and management, and diversity, equity & inclusion.

Laura has been deeply engaged in nonprofit leadership and child welfare advocacy. She served as the Chairman of the Board for a regional nonprofit and as the COO for a family advocacy organization, The Hive.

"As State Director for Maryland CASA Laura will bring a unique duality of operational acumen and empathetic understanding of the child welfare system's challenges. Her background directly maps to the key responsibilities of State Director, including agency administration, program planning, community/partner relations, board collaboration, fundraising, and fiscal oversight," shared Jacqueline Bowie, Maryland CASA Board of Directors President.  "With firsthand insight into the critical need for CASA services, Laura will apply her strategic mindset to increase the organization's impact across Maryland," Bowie stated.

"I'm excited to have the opportunity to support the CASA local program offices from the state office," commented Laura Edwards, State Director, Maryland CASA. Edwards continued "It's my goal to ensure all of our program offices have the training, education, and resources they need to empower their dedicated staff and volunteers to be a voice for Maryland's most vulnerable children. By supporting our local programs, we can make an even greater collective impact in protecting children's rights and securing their path to a safe, nurturing permanent home."

About Maryland CASA Association: Maryland CASA was founded in 1998 to facilitate the continued development and success of Maryland's Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs to ensure that every abused and neglected child in the State has a safe, permanent home.  This mission is carried out in partnership with 15 local CASA programs that recruit and train volunteers to advocate for children under court protection. Maryland CASA Association offices are located at 200 E Joppa Road, Suite 100, Towson, MD 21286. For more information about Maryland CASA visit www.marylandcasa.org (https://kumquat-carnation-rft7.squarespace.com/).