Melissa Protzek, Esq.
Executive Director
Melissa Protzek, Esq., Ex-Officio Board Member, is the Executive Director of CASA and has been with the program since 1996. Melissa earned two B.A.s from Penn State University and her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She sits on the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Charitable Organizations Committee and is a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Non-Profit Partnership. She previously served as a member of the Allegheny County Child Death Review Team, the Steering Committee of the Allegheny County Dependency Court Improvement Project, as a Board Member for the Pennsylvania CASA Association, the National CASA Urban Council, and the National CASA Standards Committee. Melissa was also an adjunct professor at Penn State University New Kensington Campus where she taught a course in Juvenile Delinquency. She previously served as CASA’s Program Director, Training Coordinator and Volunteer Recruiter and was named CASA Volunteer of the Year in 1998.
Melissa is the 2018 recipient of the Penn State Department of Philosophy Alumni Award and the 2020 Penn State Department of Political Science Community Service Award. Because of her work improving the child welfare system and the region, Melissa was named as one of Pittsburgh Magazine's 40 Under 40 for 2004, one of the Top 25 Women in Business for 2010 by The Pittsburgh Business Times and was named the National CASA Director of the Year in 2010.
Board of Directors
Jarene Barnes is an Engagement & Inclusion Consultant with UPMC, world renowned healthcare provider and insurer. Ms. Barnes is a highly effective professional with an emphasis on diversity learnings and workforce development related activities which include human relations, recruitment & retention, identifying growth opportunities, and DE& I advocate. Ms. Barnes demonstrates strengths in nonprofit leadership, cultural competency, training & development and exuding a high level of personal integrity. Ms. Barnes has served as an active board member with CASA of Allegheny County, former employee & volunteer advocate. In addition, she has served with National CASA’s African American Advisory Committee, Native American & Tribal Advisory Committee, and grant reviewer.
Elizabeth (Beth) Campbell is a Software Development Professional, currently employed as a Software Engineer for FAAC Parking Solutions. She received her BS in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University, and worked in the CIS field, developing software solutions and leading diverse teams in the US and India. She also worked as an instructor for software engineering bootcamp programs, working with adult learners, before returning to a role as a software engineer into teaching. She served as a volunteer advocate with CASA of Allegheny County from 2019-2020.
Meredith Crimmins is currently Vice President of Partnership at Widehall, a consulting firm based in Washington, DC. Meredith’s work focuses on events and corporate communication efforts related to Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare, and many other timely policy issues in Washington, DC. She was previously employed by The Hill, a digital media company, focusing on politics, policy, business, and international relations.
Meredith earned a B.A. from The George Washington University and lived in our nation's capital for a decade before moving to Pittsburgh, PA in 2020. Meredith is a Pittsburgh native and deeply passionate about her community. In joining the Board of Directors, she is following in the footsteps of her late father, Martin X. Crimmins, a former Board President.
Chase Karsman, Esq. is the Immediate Past President of the CASA Board of Directors and is the Managing Director of the Labor Relations Group for Federal Express Corporation. where he provides strategic direction to the executive team on labor risk and labor and employment relations issues in both the United States and Canada. He received his J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law where he graduated magna cum laude, and previously worked as an associate attorney for Jones Day Pittsburgh and Akin Gump, Washington, DC. In addition to his service to CASA, he is a member of FedEx’s pro bono initiatives and a volunteer for the Veterans Leadership Program, Catholic Charities, and the United Way. Additionally, he is a member of Leadership Pittsburgh’s class of 41 cohort.
Michael Kirk currently serves as Treasurer of the CASA Board of Directors. Prior to his retirement in 2024, he previously served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Mars Bank. He is formerly the Director of Regulatory and Mortgage Accounting and the SEC Reporting Manager for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native, Mr. Kirk was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Pittsburgh Financial Corporation and Bank Pittsburgh and received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Susan L. Mason, PMP, is Lead Oversight Interoperability Project Manager for Oracle Health where she drives project implementation and strategies to onboard aligned healthcare partners to the United States’ largest healthcare information exchange (HIE) and cultivates and manages external partner relationships to achieve the HIE’s business objectives of providing quality healthcare to patients. She received her BA in Communication – Journalism and an MBA in Management Information Systems from Duquesne University. Ms. Mason earned a master's certificate in Project Management from Lehigh University, a master's certificate in eCommerce from Duquesne University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She is a graduate of and volunteer with INROADS, Inc., and a member of the Project Management Institute.
Barrett (Barry) D. Mitchell, Esq. serves as President of the CASA Board of Directors and is the Managing Director of the Global Investigations Office in FedEx’s Corporate Integrity and Compliance Group, where he leads a team of professionals implementing enterprise compliance programs, and overseeing a global ethics hotline, fraud prevention efforts, vendor compliance and complex internal investigations.
He previously worked as litigation and trial counsel at law firms: Hunton & Williams LLP in Richmond, VA; LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP in Pittsburgh; and Gorr, Moser, Dell & Loughney, P.C. in Pittsburgh. Mr. Mitchell received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Virginia. Mr. Mitchell is admitted to practice law before numerous courts in the United States and is a credentialed Certified Fraud Examiner.
Kathy Slencak serves as Secretary and Program Chair of the CASA Board of Directors and is the Manager of Public Relations for CentiMark Corporation. She has held this position for 27 years, managing all corporate communications, community and employee relations as well as the coordination of two foundations that administer annual donations, grants, special events and community programs for over 150 nonprofits. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Houston, as well as a BS in Urban Planning from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to her busy professional schedule, Ms. Slencak is an active volunteer with Boys Hope Girls Hope of Pittsburgh; Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Junior Achievement and Meals on Wheels. She serves on the Boards for PA Women’s Work, Volunteer and Ambassador Committee; and FBI Pittsburgh CAAA, Board President. Ms. Slencak is also a past volunteer for CASA of Allegheny County, advocating for two families totaling 10 children.
Soncerae Yeager is an experienced safety compliance officer and trainer. She holds a B.S. in industrial hygiene with a minor in chemistry and microbiology and chemistry from Ohio University and a M.S in Safety Sciences from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Soncerae has previously held roles with the Pathways Wellness Program’s Immunization Division, Safety and Compliance Director with Absolute Safety and Director of Safety and Human Resources for Acme Machine and Welding. She served as a CASA from 2015-2019. Soncerae is also president of the Mt. Lebanon Rowing Club, and a former board member of the Superhero Foundation and the Parent Teacher Association of Washington Elementary School.