PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Wadlinger
Chief Communications Officer
714-619-5149
NEW CHAIRWOMAN, PATTY JUAREZ, ELECTED FOR CASA-OC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Santa Ana, Calif. (June 23, 2020) – Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County will have a change in leadership on the Governing Board of Directors effective July 1, 2020, as current Chairman, Ted Nark (Managing Director, KRG Capital), completes his two year term. Patty Juarez was voted into the new role and will succeed Mr. Nark as the first Latina to hold this position within the CASA organization. Ms. Juarez has been serving on the CASA Board of Directors since 2010, and most recently served as Audit Committee Chair. Additional changes to the board structure include Michael Wong (President & CEO, Genea) taking over as Vice President, Mark Kerslake (Province Group/Newport Equities LLC) taking over as Strategic Planning Chair, David Fisher (Managing Director, PIMCO) taking over as Finance Chair, Todd Vande Hei (President, Stark) in a new position as Marketing Committee Chair, and Larry Cerutti (Troutman Sanders LLP) staying in the role as Secretary, John Sabourin (President, Tenant Guardian) in the role as Advancement Committee Chair, and Courtney Wittkop (Community Philanthropist) as Board Development Chair.
“Over the last two years CASA of Orange County has prospered under the leadership of Chairman, Ted Nark. He has overseen and encouraged our mission to provide a powerful voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse, neglect and abandonment. I am thrilled to have Patty Juarez step in as our new Board Chair. Patty has served on our Board and held a variety of other volunteer roles within our organization for the last ten years. Over 60% of the youth that CASA serves in the OC foster care system identify as Hispanic/Latino and Patty is committed to making sure CASA is a leading voice in the advocacy efforts to help these children and all of the youth in the OC foster care system” states Regan Phillips, CEO of CASA of Orange County.
Patty Juarez has spent over 25 years at Wells Fargo in various leadership roles in Commercial Banking. Currently Patty serves as National Diverse Segments Director creating, developing, and executing the bank’s segment strategies within several lines of business. Patty earned her bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in accounting from the University of California, Berkeley, and her MBA in Finance from St. Mary’s College of California in Moraga.
Patty is active in a variety of professional and community organizations beyond CASA. Patty was chairwoman and now Board Development Chair of the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Patty is a member of the Latinx Outreach Leadership Advisory Board at Delta Airlines, The California Latino Economic Institute, and on the advisory board of the Latino Donor Collaborative. Lastly, Patty sits on the Dean’s Board of Counselors for Chapman University’s school of business and economics.
Patty has been featured on Forbes and Hispanic Executive as a trailblazing Latina, she often speaks about topics such as Diversity and Inclusion, diverse segments, multi-cultural marketing, access to capital, and financial literacy. She has been invited to speak at Harvard, Stanford, and Chapman Universities as well as numerous community and civic organizations across the country. Patty has been recognized as a Latina of Influence, National Latina Corporate Woman of the year, Diversity Champion and Volunteer of the Year. At Wells Fargo, Patty is the President of Latin Connection, one of the largest employee resource groups at Wells Fargo (50 chapters) representing over 48,000 Latinos. She also chairs key committees in the Women in Leadership and Diversity Councils for Commercial Banking.
Patty lives in South Orange County, Calif., with her husband Manny and her children Isabella (14) and Max (6).
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About Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Orange County is a privately-funded non-profit organization that serves severely abused, neglected and abandoned children through the recruitment, training and continued support of volunteers who advocate for and mentor these children, representing their best interest in the courtroom and other settings. Founded in 1985, with major support from the Junior League of Orange County, CASA provides a powerful voice and a meaningful connection for children who have experienced abuse, neglect and abandonment. We are able to serve these children through the generous support of those who donate to CASA as well as the immeasurable compassion and commitment of our CASA advocates. Please visit casaoc.org to learn more.
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