Back in 1979, University of Notre Dame graduate Kathleen McElroy was in her first year at SMU Dedman School of Law. During that same year the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) Dallas received a grant to fund a pilot program, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), that Seattle Judge David W. Soukup had started in 1976 for trained volunteers to advocate for children who had experienced abuse or neglect. The Dallas program would be just one of three in the country. Within three years, there were 88 programs.
Over the years, Kathleen passed the board and started practicing law, married Michael LaValle, adopted a couple of youngsters and signed up to volunteer at Dallas CASA. In 2003 Kathleen LaValle became a volunteer board member and then served a term as board chair. It was in 2014 that she was named Dallas CASA CEO.
In recalling her decision to take the role, for “Say Yes To Dallas,” Kathleen said, “Prior to becoming the CEO, I was a practicing attorney. I focused on commercial litigation and regulatory disputes, primarily in the telecommunications and electric power sectors. When I accepted the role of CEO, a dear friend suggested I had fallen and hit my head and asked what I would do when I woke up?”
While she admitted that the transition from commercial law to non-profit management “wasn’t a pivot, so much as a leap,” it has been a leap of success for Kathleen, Dallas CASA and the children benefiting from the program.
Today Dallas CASA is the largest of the more than 900 independent CASA programs in the country.
Now, 45 years after that NCJW Dallas grant and the young woman pursuing a law degree, they are coming together when the NCJW Dallas presents Kathleen with the 2025 Pioneering Partner Award at its annual Building Brighter Futures Luncheon on Friday, March 28, at the Westin Galleria Dallas.
Also on the day’s program, Honorary Co-Chairs Phyllis Bernstein and William Weis and Julie and Michael Lowenberg have arranged to have special guest speakers MSNBC analysts Jill Wine-Banks and Joyce Vance conduct “a vibrant conversation about legal and cultural issues of the day.”
Sponsorships for the luncheon ranging from $2,500 to $50,000 are available here.
BTW, if you see Kathleen this Sunday, wish her a happy birthday.
* Graphic/photo provided by NCJW Dallas