1. How long have you been a CASA volunteer?
I’ve been a CASA now for just over three months, completing the training with the Fall of 2021 class!
2. What brought you to apply to become a CASA volunteer?
I have always been drawn to public service. Right out of high school I went to summer firefighter recruit school and then on to paramedic school. I worked in emergency services through my “coming of age” years and “retired” when my wife, Kristin, and I opened Switchyard Brewing Company. Kristin is an LMHC and used to work with George Junior Republic before going into private practice. When I told her I wanted to get back into volunteering in the community, I originally thought I would go back to being a volunteer firefighter. Unfortunately, if I did that – the fire department would require that I shave my beard, which wasn’t going to happen. I was traveling to Evansville for work one day, saw a billboard for CASA, and asked Kristin if she thought I had what I took. The rest is history.
3. Besides being a CASA volunteer, what do you like to do in your spare time?
I love hanging out with my best buddy, Cora, our 4-year-old daughter. We are taking her to the pool pretty often to learn how to swim because we love boating on Lake Monroe with friends in the summertime! I love smoking meat, am a self-proclaimed coffee snob, and we love traveling – anytime we are in a new city we hit as many locally-owned coffee shops and breweries as we can. Since Cora grew up in a brewery (Switchyard opened a few months after she was born) she loves checking out everyone else’s tanks and saying hello to every dog she meets in various taprooms!
4. What do you love the most about being a CASA?
I love feeling like I am making a difference in our community. I have always had that “self-sacrifice” mentality and I feel I am pretty protective of those whom I love or those who are vulnerable. Being able to communicate with all the parties involved in a case, getting a sense of what it’s like to be the child that we are representing and all the support we get from our CASA leadership gives me the tools and confidence that I need to really feel like I can act in the best interest of the kiddos and their family.
5. What’s a hidden talent or unusual fact that most people don’t know about you?
I have always had a secret love for politics. I used to volunteer for campaigns in high school and knew one day that I would want to run for office.