Assessing your OVC program’s sustainability capacity and converting your findings into a realistic action plan may sound like an overwhelming task… but it doesn’t have to be. During this Office Hour, the State of Alaska CASA’s OVC project implementation team will share the approach they took during the final months of their project to develop a realistic and actionable sustainability plan. Additionally, the team will share their experiences, including the successes and challenges that they encountered as they carried out their plan.
Joy Rigby is the State Director of Alaska CASA and has over 15 years of experience in child advocacy and program
development. Joy has been involved with CASA since 2003. After earning her BA in Sociology at Vanguard University she became a CASA volunteer with Orange County CASA in Santa Ana, CA. During her 7 years as a CASA volunteer, she worked as an event planner, program coordinator, and academic advisor at her alma mater. In 2012, Joy relocated to Alaska and became the local program coordinator for Kenai Peninsula CASA, a partnership program between the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Alaska CASA. Joy subsequently served as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL), advocating for children and youth in the Alaska Court System. In 2018, Joy became the State Director of Alaska CASA. She is current enrolled in the Children’s Law & Policy Executive Program at Loyola University Chicago.
Rebecca Griffin, MSW is a Community Engagement Specialist at Oregon Health & Science University’s Center for Evidence-based Policy. She has 15 years of experience improving child and youth outcomes. She spent 12 years at the State of Alaska’s Office of Public Advocacy Child Advocacy Unit, including 3 years as a Grant Project Manager for Alaska CASA, where she designed and executed strategies to ensure that more children in Alaska’s foster care system received a dedicated advocate to keep the court apprised of each child’s needs and give each child a voice in court. Ms. Griffin also served as the GAL for over 200 children in Alaska’s child welfare system and has trained and/or supported over 100 CASA volunteer advocates. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Middlebury College and a Master of Science in Social Work degree from Columbia University.