Maryland CASA Welcomes Christa C. Gilliam to Board of Directors Baltimore, MD. April 21st, 2022 – Maryland CASA Association has appointed Christa C. Gilliam (PhD, MSW) to the Board of Directors. 
Gilliam is an Assistant Professor and the chairperson for the Department of Social Work at Coppin State University in Baltimore, MD. A California Native, her interests are rooted in her experience as a practitioner turned academic. Her expertise spans both public and private non-profit sectors serving children and families in diverse communities. She earned her PhD in social work from Morgan State University and her MSW from the University of California, Berkeley. Her experience extends across the areas of child welfare and protection, parenting education, case management, and emancipation services for foster youth. Since 2005, Dr. Gilliam has worked in higher education advancing the mission of social work through teaching on both undergraduate and graduate levels, service to the profession and community, and research on topics that advance social and economic justice. Her current research focuses on social work workforce development, leadership, professional mentoring, and social work policy and practice in urban communities. She discovered a passion for quilting and fiber arts after earning her PhD when she began taking classes for self-care. When she is not teaching undergraduate social work courses she can be found creating. Gilliam demonstrates a high level of involvement in her community through active participation in multiple professional/community organizations including Council on Social Work Education, Role and Status of Women in Social Work, Committee on Environmental Justice (CEJ), Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., and in 2021, she completed the Associated Black Charities (ABC) Board Leadership Pipeline training. Additionally, she is a part of the African American Quilters of Baltimore. Gilliam's motivation to serve on the Maryland CASA board is grounded in her experience as a social work practitioner turned educator. Her experience as a child welfare worker incentivized her to educate future social workers about the importance of advocacy. Gilliam has expressed that she looks forward to serving an organization with a history of advocacy and activism. “We are very excited to welcome Christa to our board,” said Ed Kilcullen, Maryland CASA’s State Director. “Her vast experience and dedication to social work will play an instrumental role in promoting awareness of CASA and advancing our work on behalf of vulnerable children throughout the state.” About Maryland CASA Association Maryland (CASA Court Appointed Special Advocates) Association is the statewide organization for 14 local CASA programs that recruit and train volunteers to advocate for children in the child protection system. Maryland CASA supports the local programs by providing training and technical assistance to program staff and volunteers, as well as increasing public awareness of CASA. For more information about Maryland CASA visit www.marylandcasa.org, or 200 E Joppa Road, Suite 100, Towson, MD 21286.
