Voices For Children provides trained volunteers, Court Appointed Special Advocates, to abused and neglected children in Howard County, who advocate in court to ensure each child a safe and permanent home.
ABOUT | HISTORY | STAFF | BOARD OF DIRECTORS | OUR VALUES
ABOUT CASA
CASA volunteers are appointed by judges and magistrates to advocate for children’s best interests.
They remain with the child’s case until it is closed in court and the child is in a safe, permanent home.
We serve children from birth through age 21. Volunteers work with legal and child welfare professionals, educators and service providers to ensure that judges and magistrates have all the information they need to make the most well-informed decisions for each child.
Through many changes and struggles, CASA desires to be a consistent presence and support in a child's life.
We focus on the most important needs of children who are involved in complex cases to ensure their stability while in foster care and prepare them for success and the ability to thrive once they leave the foster care system.
Our best-interest advocacy is driven by the guiding principle that children grow and develop best with their family of origin, if that can be safely achieved. Most of the children we work with are in foster care, but some are with their family of origin. Reunification and connection with the child’s community is the foundation of the CASA program.
CASA volunteers gather information, monitor the child's case, and facilitate services to meet the child's needs to provide effective advocacy.
Daily, our volunteers strive to intentionally make a difference in a child's life by making recommendations in the best interest of the child to the court. Since 1991, when Voices for Children was incorporated, we have provided support and services to over 800 children and families in Howard County, MD.
Research shows that children who are assigned a CASA volunteer are more likely to:
-
Find a safe, permanent home
-
Spend less time in foster care
-
Have fewer moves between foster placements
-
Do better in school
-
Avoid re-entry into foster care
HISTORY
-
Voices for Children, Inc., a 501(c)(3), is the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program for Howard County, Maryland.
We are affiliated with the Maryland CASA Association and accredited by the National CASA Association.
Voices For Children provides trained volunteers, Court Appointed Special Advocates, to abused and neglected children in Howard County, who advocate in court to ensure each child a safe and permanent home.
-
CASA was developed in 1977 by a Seattle Juvenile Court Judge
This judge felt he needed more objective, child-centered information before deciding the life of an abused and neglected child.
His responsibility for the safety of the children before him prompted him to take action. He started CASA, utilizing trained volunteers who gathered information about a child’s history and provided a clear picture of the child and their family’s needs in a court report.
-
Voices for Children was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1991
This was in response to legislation passed by the Maryland State Assembly authorizing state support for such a program.
Since our inception we have helped expedite the placement of over 800 Howard County children into safe and permanent homes. Over the past 30 years, Voices for Children has continued to have great support from the judges and magistrates at the Howard County Circuit Court, expressing ongoing confidence and appreciation for the ongoing work of CASA volunteers.
STAFF
Erica B. Byrne
-
Erica, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW-C), earned her MSW from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and has been employed at Voices for Children since 2006. As Executive Director, she sits on the Local Children’s Board, as appointed by the County Executive, coordinates services with other local agencies, and submits applications for funding. Erica also works closely with VFC supervisors to provide clinical oversight, feedback and consistency across this organization.
Prior to working at CASA, she worked in several residential programs for foster youth – including a group home in Baltimore City, and she ran a Respite and RTC for high-risk youth in Howard County. She lives in Howard County with her husband and two children.
Serena Lao
-
Serena Lao (she/her) started with Voices for Children in the Fall of 2021 after a long period of existential wonderings throughout the pandemic. In her role as a CASA supervisor in Howard County, Serena works with trained community volunteers to advocate for the needs of children in foster care. Serena also provides monthly in-service training to current volunteers across the organization.
With a background in clinical psychology, Serena has provided individual and group therapy to adults and adolescents in community mental health settings. She also provided case management for adults with chronic mental illness in a previous position as a residential rehabilitation counselor. Serena is committed to incorporating values of social justice, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of her work as a supervisor.
Jocie Hagan
-
Jocie (she/her), pronounced jah-see, serves as a supervisor to our amazing volunteers who serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates in the Juvenile Court system, where they advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children. She also is tasked with organizing and implementing quarterly new volunteer trainings and overseeing social media and digital outreach.
Jocie was born and raised in Ellicott City, MD and has had a deep passion for the welfare of children for over the past 20 years. Jocie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C) and received her Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland At Baltimore. She has served in various clinical settings including Adolescent Residential Treatment, Level V school for special education and private practice.
Jocie continues to live in Ellicott City, MD where she enjoys playing games with her family, walking her tiny dog, and crafting.
Bia Lewis
-
Bia Lewis is thrilled to be returning to Voices for Children in April 2022 after a year and a half hiatus. She previously worked at Voices for Children in the same capacity from 2016-2020.
In her role as a CASA supervisor in Howard County, Bia strives to support the incredible volunteers who devote their time to Voices for Children and also empower the children and youth in foster care to develop their own voices and dreams. Bia assists with the Independent Living program in partnership with the Howard County Department of Social Services, to contribute to the skills and resources for youth aging out of foster care.
Bia is a Howard County native and a Howard High School graduate. She returned to the area after earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Maryland Board-Approved Supervisor and a Certified Trauma Professional through the International Association of Trauma Professionals.
Bia cares deeply about applying the principles of strengths-based and trauma-informed perspectives throughout her work.
Bia lives in Howard County with her husband, two children and retired racing greyhound
Laurel Bishop
-
Laurel has worked at Voices for Children since 1995 as Program Assistant. Laurel is the glue that holds the office together, supporting the program and Executive Director in office management, organization, staff and volunteer paperwork, grant proposals and more. She often shares that over those years she has been lucky to have many coworkers who have become friends, and she greatly enjoys seeing the generosity and great efforts of our volunteers working to provide the best opportunities for children.
Outside her work at Voices for Children, she enjoys spending time with her four grandchildren. She also enjoys her work as a fitness instructor, helping people find their inner strength and confidence.
She hopes she can spend many more years at Voices for Children! We have a fantastic team!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Dianne Paulus
-
Dianne Paulus works for Oracle Corporation as a director of solution engineering for the healthcare industry. Dianne was named to the North America Diversity & Inclusion council for Oracle due to her leadership in DEI. Dianne holds a degree in accounting from the University of Dayton and a masters in public policy from the University of Maryland and has worked her entire career in finance and technology.
Dianne is passionate about volunteering and community service. In addition to Voices for Children, she serves on the board of the Ellicott City Partnership and is a commissioner on the Howard County Commission for Women.
Dianne serves with Voices for Children because of the critical need for CASA support to every child in foster care. She volunteered as a CASA in Washington DC and has friends and family involved as CASAs and knows how crucial support and consistency are for kids in care. As a Voices board member, she works to expand awareness of Voices’ mission and to ensure continued financial support and stability for the organization.
Chris DeCarlo
-
Chris joined the Board at Voices in June 2022 and is very excited to help make a meaningful impact on the lives of the children the Board serves. Chris is an associate attorney with the Law Offices of Talkin & Oh, LLP in Ellicott City, Maryland. He concentrates his practice in the fields of administrative law, land use and zoning, business formation, and special education matters.
Prior to joining Talkin & Oh, Chris served as a Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Judith C. Ensor in the Baltimore County Circuit Court and as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable Sally D. Adkins on the Maryland Court of Appeals. Chris earned is J.D. from the University of Baltimore, School of Law. Chris plans to use is legal experience and expertise to help further the Board’s mission. He was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland and currently resides in Pikesville with his fiancé and 2 dogs.
Lauren Smorse
-
Lauren Smorse is Director of Corporate Communications at T. Rowe Price, where she is responsible for leading an internal communications team.
She has been with T. Rowe Price since 2011, and previously held roles in Marketing and Communications at Gannett Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun, United Way of Central Maryland, and Verizon. Lauren holds a bachelor of science degree in Communications and Marketing from Xavier University. She has been a resident of Ellicott City for nearly 30 years, and is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Greg Bedward
-
Greg is an experienced commercial real estate law and transactional attorney with Davis, Agnor, Rapaport & Skalny. He represents government clients, lenders, developers in commercial real estate acquisitions, lending, negotiations, multi-family affordable housing finance and incentives. Prior to joining DARS, Greg was a Senior Associate County Attorney with the Prince George’s County Office of Law where he represented the County on a variety multi-family affordable housing and economic development matters. Greg also served as the key legal advisor to the County during its implementation of its Right of First Refusal Program. Before joining Prince George’s County, Greg served as the General Counsel to the State Board of Public Works where he advised the Board of Public Works on procurement and related matters.
Keefe Hogan
-
Keefe Hogan graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Economics, and earned his Master’s Degree in Human Resources Development from Towson. His professional career has gauged from developing and delivering technical training for the telecom industry and Federal Government, instilling change management and organizational development skills during the formation of DHS and being the Director of Business Development for a consulting firm. He also served in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command from 2002 to 2010 and is a decorated veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is now an independent consultant specializing in business development and resource staffing. He is also a part-time wine consultant at the Wine Bin in Old Town Ellicott City.
Keefe first became aware of Voices for Children 5 years ago when the Wine Bin supported the annual Vintage Affair. With his wife having been a foster child and knowing the resources necessary for those children to thrive, he found a new passion and continued to support the organization, and now will continue to do so as a board member.
Erin Hayes
-
Erin Hayes is Assistant General Counsel - Corporate Governance at Exelon, where she advises executive leadership and boards of directors on corporate governance, SEC compliance, and strategic legal matters. Prior to joining Exelon, she served as Deputy General Counsel for ThompsonGas and was a corporate associate at Venable LLP, advising on mergers and acquisitions, governance, and complex corporate transactions.
Before joining the board of Voices for Children, Erin served as a volunteer with the organization for several years and developed a deep appreciation for its mission advocating for children in foster care. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Baltimore School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University Maryland.
Bryan Booth
-
Dr. Booth, retired as Vice President and Dean, School of Business, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) on August 1, 2021.
Dr. Booth spent 16 years at UMGC in various leadership positions including: VP and Dean, Vice Dean, Department Chair, and Executive Director. His leadership roles included the MBA program, the DBA Program, and the School of Business.
Dr. Booth has over 25 years of higher education teaching experience in various subjects including organizational behavior, leadership and change management, international and cross-cultural management, and labor relations.
Dr. Booth started his professional career in 1978 at the Tioga County Residential Treatment Center. He worked with court ordered teenagers as a childcare worker, educational coordinator, and director of the treatment center until 1989, when he returned to graduate school to earn his MS and PhD.
Dr. Booth served on the BoD at Howard EcoWorks from August 2021—April 2023.
He also served on the Ellicott City Partnership Board from 2017—2020.
Dr. Booth has a Ph.D. from Cornell University, Industrial & Labor Relations School majoring in Organizational Behavior, with minors in Anthropology and Human Resources.
Ayanna Baker
-
Ayanna E.S. Baker is a goal-focused manager, systems-change consultant and team development leader with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Ayanna is experienced with promoting collaboration between and among stakeholders, especially youth and families, to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable populations impacted by the public child welfare system. Ayanna is a senior level staff member working for the Vice President of the Center for Systems Innovation.
Ayanna has dedicated her professional life to helping children, youth and families who are involved in the child welfare system have positive outcomes, with a specific focus on racial justice and system transformation. She is a proud board member of Voices for Children and is committed to developing and implementing strategies and solutions for continued improvement.
Ayanna is active in and volunteers for a variety of civic, cultural, leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving organizations including Girl Scouts of Central Maryland and Columbia Community Cares. Outside of her professional interests, Ayanna is a Deacon at Celebration Church of Columbia and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority, Inc. and the Columbia Chapter of Jack and Jill of America.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Howard University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Ayanna resides with her husband and two children in Howard County, Maryland.
Jennifer Ciotti
-
Jennifer has called Baltimore home for over 20 years. She currently serves as Center Director for Verbal Beginnings where she leads teams dedicated to providing early intervention services for children with autism.
Jennifer’s passion for patient and child advocacy was shaped by her own family’s experience with foster care, inspiring her commitment to supporting vulnerable children and families. Over the course of her career, she has progressed from an extensive career in healthcare into behavioral health, ultimately finding her calling in early childhood intervention.
As a proud mother of two grown children, Jennifer considers her work in serving families and children the most rewarding role of her professional journey. She is honored to serve on the Board of Voices for Children and to advocate for foster youth in her community
Gary Smith
-
After previously serving on the Board of Directors from 2016 – 2023, Gary rejoined the Board in February 2026. He enjoyed his prior service and is looking forward to ensuring that every child going through the foster care system has a courtroom advocate. He believes every child is precious and deserves to have a loving home where they are best able to flourish.
Gary is a graduate of American University where he earned his Master of Arts, and a graduate of Towson University where he earned his Bachelor of Science, both degrees in Political Science.
He currently serves as Chief Deputy for the Howard County Register of Wills. He lives in Ellicott City with his wife and two children.
Jay Marshall
-
James “Jay” Marshall, a 30-year IT industry veteran, has served as the President of Visionary Technology Consultants (VTC) since March 2013. As President, he is responsible for the company's day-to-day operating activities, including revenue and sales growth; expense, cost and margin control; and monthly, quarterly and annual financial goal management. In has tenure VTC has tripled it’s growth and expanded it’s partnerships to include the leading OEM’s in the industry. These new partnerships have enabled VTC to secure Health & Human Services, DOJ, NATO, US Air Force, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, CBS, Warner Brothers Discovery, State of Maryland, District of Columbia, and others as loyal long-standing customers.
Previously, he served as the Vice President of EMC’s Aerospace and Defense Area where he successfully led a staff of 100+ personnel. Under his leadership the team experienced 20% year over year growth during a five-year period. This was the fastest growing area across EMC’s portfolio. This achievement earned Mr. Marshall EMC President’s Club honors during each of his five years of service. Prior to this role, he serviced as Mid-Atlantic District Sales Manager, where he was named District Sales Manager of the year in 2004. In addition, over a total of 17 years Mr. Marshall held various sales positions in the Enterprise and Channels division’s of EMC.
Mr. Marshall attended Hampton University, where he earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering graduating with honors in the top 10% of his class. He currently resides in Clarksville, Maryland with his wife, Leslie, and kids Ryan and Nicholas.
Paul Robinson
-
Paul is an authentic, passionate, dynamic, and quality-driven Director with over 25 years of experience in U.S. commercial and residential real estate development. He has successfully led significant capital projects—including hospital expansions, event centers, and residential renovations—managing facilities, planning, and cost control from concept through completion. A Certified Healthcare Facility Manager (CHFM) and recipient of a Master of Real Estate Development (GPA 4.0, summa cum laude), Paul is a strategic thinker known for his strong leadership, structured approach to risk management, and ability to build trusted relationships across the industry.
Paul is passionate about giving back to the community and volunteers at BridgeKids at Bridgeway Community Church. Paul looks forward to his role on the Voices for Children board. Paul has three adult boys. Moreover, Paul enjoys sailing in the Chesapeake Bay in his leisure time.
Amelia Hogle
-
Amelia’s connection to Voices for Children began in high school, at Mount Hebron, where she volunteered as a 5K and Fun Run race director, helping raise funds, awareness, and support for children in foster care.
Born and raised in Ellicott City, Maryland, Amelia continues to call the community home. She currently works as a Client Service Specialist at Morgan Wealth Advisory Group, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial, in Ellicott City, where she is actively pursuing a career as a financial advisor. Amelia graduated from the University of Maryland in the Spring of 2024 with a dual degree in Finance and Studio Art, blending analytical thinking with creative problem-solving.
Her passion for child advocacy is deeply personal—Amelia has witnessed the life-changing impact of fostering and adoption through members of her own family. This experience fuels her commitment to ensuring every child has a safe, stable, and loving environment in which to grow.
As a board and community member, Amelia is dedicated to amplifying the mission of Voices for Children, supporting CASA volunteers, and strengthening community engagement. She believes that every child deserves not only a voice in court but also a champion in life.
TBD
TDB
OUR VALUES
Voices for Children, Inc., Howard County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program, is committed to being a non-profit organization where all our staff, volunteers and Board work to support the best interests of the children and young people we serve. We focus on supporting the whole child, ensuring that their physical, emotional, and psychological needs and development are being cared for and met. This requires a commitment by all of us to understand, appreciate, and be respectful of the crucial roles that culture, values, differences, and traditions play in the healthy development of young people. We actively work to ensure that every child we serve feels safe, seen, heard, accepted, and loved. We advocate to ensure our children are living in a safe home, participating in an appropriate school setting, accessing strong healthcare, and maintaining positive connections with birth family, fictive kin, and community members. Our staff, volunteers and board are committed to making a difference in the life of youth in Howard County.