Leadership
Rene Williams, Executive Director
Rene Williams has a long history of work with abused and neglected children, and with programs that address their needs. After finishing her Master Degree at the University of Alabama in 1978, she worked for the Shelby County Department of Human Resources. First, as a front line social worker, investigating reports of child abuse, conducting adoption home studies and placements, and then as the Supervisor over children’s services. In 1985 Rene was appointed as the Shelby County Director, where she served until retirement from state service in 2003.
Since retirement, Rene worked as a consultant with the Federal Court monitor on a landmark class action suit, RC vs. Wally, which changed the State of Alabama’s delivery of services to abused and neglected children. She worked with a Georgia company on development and implementation of an information system required by the Federal Government for all child welfare state agencies in the country.
In August 2008, Rene was hired by the Jefferson County Family Court to serve as Program Director for CASA, and to assist the CASA Board with transition of the program from county funded to non-profit status. CASA received non-profit status in March 2009.
Irene Pruitt Little, Chairman of the Board
Ms.Little grew up in Aliceville, Alabama. She completed a year of undergraduate studies at Wellesley College, Wellesley Massachusetts on a John F. Kennedy Scholarship. She graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Education from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.
Ms.Little had a long and successful Federal career, with over thirty years of Federal service, in several Federal agencies including the Social Security Administration, U.S. Customs Service; Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; the Environmental Protection Agency; and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), where she served as Regional Personnel Director, and Director, Division of Resource Management and Administration for the Chicago Region. In 1996 she was appointed, Director, Office of Small Business and Civil Rights at NRC’s Headquarters in Washington, DC.
She received numerous awards and citations for her Federal and community service, including the 2003 President’s Meritorious Rank Award for “Superior accomplishment in management of the United States Government” and for noteworthy quality and efficiency in public service.
Ms.Little has served as volunteer Ombudsman Representative with Alabama Department of Senior Services; as volunteer with the Department of Justice Prisoner Visitation and Support Program, and as a Jefferson County CASA Volunteer. She served on the Alabama CASA State Board of Directors, and was a member of the initial Steering Committee that organized the not-for-profit, Jefferson County CASA.
Kasey Burleson, Vice Chairman of the Board
Kasey Burleson is a Birmingham, Alabama native who grew up working in his family’s small pawnshop, jewelry, locksmith, and real estate businesses. Through his family business experience, Kasey received early exposure to the areas of entrepreneurship, real estate management, finance, and retail operations. Kasey graduated summa cum laude in 1999 from The University of Alabama with a major in accounting and a minor in economics and received his Masters in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas in 2001. Kasey is a Certified Public Accountant.
After graduate school, Kasey served as a senior business consultant at Tidwell DeWitt, LLC. Recently, Kasey served as the Chief Financial Officer for Zoë’s Kitchen, a fast-casual restaurant growth company that grew from 4 to 18 stores under his tenure. Kasey is currently the Chief Financial Officer of McLeod Software and is Vice Chairman of the Jefferson County Court Appointed Special Advocates Board of Directors.
Kasey’s professional skill specialties include strategic analysis, operations management, infrastructure development, valuation analysis, and corporate finance. Kasey and his wife Allison are members of Hunter Street Baptist Church and enjoy biking.
Elizabeth Long, Board Member
Elizabeth Long’s background is in marketing and fundraising. She served two years with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra (DSO) as Marketing and Public Relations Director. Over the course of her tenure there, subscription sales increased 24 percent. Single ticket sales increased 17 percent the first year and 14 percent the second. Following her time at the DSO, Long accepted the position of Executive Director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO), in Springfield, OH. During her five-year tenure with this organization, she helped double both the operating budget and endowment, increased annual fund giving, business contributions and foundation gifts by over 100 percent and established an In-School Ensemble Program that sent small groups from the SSO into area elementary schools.
Long graduated with honors from Northwestern University with a Bachelors of Music and earned her Masters in Arts Administration from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
Elizabeth is married to Curtis S. Long, the Executive Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, and they have three children. She has been a stay-at home mom for the last several years and an active volunteer in her church, with the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association and at her children’s schools. Long also enjoys swimming and biking and has participated in a few triathlons.
Korhan Altiparmak, Treasurer
Korhan was born and raised in a small town near Black Sea in Turkey. Korhan came to the United States in 1992 as a student to study finance at Southeast Missouri State University. After graduating, a move to Birmingham resulted in an opportunity to work at Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as accounting assistant. Following the Institute, Korhan spent four years as Purchasing Manager for Charter Commutations, and three years as Accounting Coordinator for Lakeshore Foundation. He joined McLeod Software in 2006, and currently serves as the Controller. Korhan received another B.S. degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama at Birmingham while working for Lakeshore Foundation. He also received his CPA certification in the following years. Korhan is married to Misty Altiparmak, and they have a seven-year old son.
Dr. Helen Holt, Board Member
Dr. Holt was born and received her K-12 education in Birmingham, Alabama. Upon graduating from high school, she enrolled and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, AL. Later, she continued her education and received a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Nova University, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; an Educational Specialist Degree in Computer Education, and a Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Barry University, Miami Shores, FL. As you can see, education has been a major component of her life.
Dr. Holt started her career as a classroom teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. During her tenure of 37 years, she had many experiences as a teacher at the elementary, middle, secondary, college, and university levels. She also held administrative positions that included district-wide responsibilities for educational choice models, curricula programs, and infusion of technologies. She served as an Administrative Director for Human Resources, Employee Support Services and Personnel Employment and Staffing; District Director for Management Selection; and Executive Director for the District’s charter schools. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Phoenix, College of Arts and Sciences.
Volunteerism has been a steady force in Dr. Holt’s life. She chose to work with organizations that benefited the education of all children, i.e., Migrant Farm Workers of America, Design and Architecture Senior High School Advisory Board, Magnet Schools of America, and Florida Association for Computer Educators. Currently, she is active with ministries at her church, Sixth Avenue Baptist, that support Grace House Ministries, Inc. and Children’s Village, Inc.
Dr. Holt is passionate about teaching students and helping them to expand their experiences while pursuing their optimal level of achievement.
Suzanne Ashe, Board Member
Suzanne Ashe is Counsel to the firm of Balch and Bingham and co-leader of the Corporate and Securities practice group of the firm and is also a member of the Financial Services Regulatory practice group. Ashe focuses her practice on executive compensation matters, including equity plan design, negotiating employment agreements and other elements of executive compensation, as well as related securities compliance matters, such as insider trading, reporting and proxy disclosure issues. Ashe’s background includes corporate and securities law aspects of public and private companies, particularly in the financial services industry and with franchises and emerging companies. Her experience also includes organizational and corporate governance matters, business plan development, securities offerings, financings, shareholder relations issues and advising banks and other financial service providers in regulatory, corporate and securities matters. She also is experienced in a variety of business acquisitions and transactions, including going-public and going-private transactions and proxy contests. Ashe is a CASA volunteer and board member of for the Heart Gallery and Gorham’s Bluff Art Institute. She has two children.
Cynthia Thomas, CASA Case Worker
Cynthia (Cindy) Thomas was raised in Mobile, Alabama. She attended McGill-Toolen High School, and graduated in 1991. From there she attended Auburn University. She later moved to Cullman, Alabama and attended Wallace State Community College where she obtained an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Development in 2000. Cindy is currently a student at the University of Phoenix. She is scheduled to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Services Management in March of 2010.
Since moving to Birmingham, Cindy has worked as a County and City employee for eight years. Her County employment led her to the CASA program, where she has served as the Volunteer Coordinator for the Birmingham Division since February 2006. Cindy has a strong commitment to children, and to the underserved of the world. She is passionate about her work with CASA children and with the volunteers that she manages.
Darla Evans, CASA Case Manager
Darla Evans has spent most of her life helping children. She has been the “first” in many areas of child advocacy. She and her husband became foster parents when they were only 23 years old. Later they were in the first group of foster families who went through training to become therapeutic foster parents. During the 12 years Darla and her husband were foster parents, they fostered more than 100 kids. They also adopted one of their special needs foster children. Darla was asked by then presiding Family Court Judge Charles Nice to go through training for the very first CASA class in the state. Ultimately, she was assigned to the very first case. Darla was a CASA volunteer for 6 years and has lost track of the number of kids she advocated for. At one point she made the decision to take a break from fostering and advocating for children to concentrate on her involvement with her own four kid’s school, extra-curricular and church activities. When her children were older, she wanted to return to CASA as a volunteer. The program director needed a new case manager and asked Darla if she would take that position rather than being a volunteer again.
Darla has been Volunteer Coordinator/Case Manager for the Bessemer District since 2000. Since her return to CASA, she has participated in numerous training programs and workshops to enrich her skills in order to better serve children. She participated in National CASA’s first “Train the Trainer” workshop, which qualifies her as a certified instructor. She has attended workshops on sex crimes against children, interviewing techniques, and advanced court report writing, as well as attending numerous state and National CASA conferences.
Darla is the proud parent of 4 children, 2 cats and 3 dachsunds.
