A Letter From Betsy: Leadership Transition

Betsy Stark Miller (right) announces her retirement from CASA for Children.

Dear Friends of CASA for Children, 

I have had the pleasure of being the Executive Director of CASA for Children for the past 12 years. Throughout that time, I have met with hundreds of you, and every time I have the pleasure of speaking with any of you, I am always amazed by your passion and commitment to the children we advocate for. Our CASA’s are an inspiration to me, to our team, and to our community! We would not be who we are without them. 

The time has come for me to move on to another opportunity: retirement. I will be retiring from CASA for Children on June 30, 2026. It will be a very bittersweet departure as I am going to miss this advocacy work and miss so many of you. With my departure, though, comes something amazing. The board of directors has promoted Anna Patterson, our current Director of Development and Communications, into the CEO position at CASA for Children. Anna will begin her new role on July 1, 2026, and we’re working together to ensure a smooth transition. 

Anna will be leading the same amazing team that all of you already know. She has been with CASA for three years and has not only increased our community engagement, but she has also increased the financial support our agency needs to keep this team together. Anna has worked in the fields of health, human services, and conservation throughout her 20+ year nonprofit career, serving in executive leadership roles for organizations like the Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation, Sonoma County AIDS Network, the Point Lobos Foundation, and Hospice Giving Foundation. I am very excited for CASA for Children and its future with Anna as its leader.

“I’m honored to have the privilege of working alongside this generous and dedicated community of advocates and staff members, and grateful to have had the opportunity to work so closely with Betsy these past several years. I want to thank each one of you for your service, and I look forward to getting to know you in this new role.” - Anna 

I will sign off with a message I shared with our supporters:

I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with some of you for many years! And that is such a gift for any agency leader. Each one of us comes to nonprofit work with our own expectations and hopes that we not only provide something meaningful, but we also receive something meaningful. That is what has happened for me, and I want to thank all of you.

I’m confident in the leadership Anna brings and the future sustainability of CASA for Children, and I’m excited to see what the future holds. Thank you for your dedication to and continued support of CASA for Children. 

Sincerely, 

Betsy Stark Miller

Executive Director 

CASA for Children of Multnomah, Washington, Columbia, and Tillamook Counties 

Learn More About Anna