Call Us: 541-403-1375
Email: info@casaeo.org

Changing A Child’s Story

CASA of Eastern Oregon

Meet our Team

Mary Collard

Executive Director

Mary is the executive director of CASA of Eastern Oregon, and she has served in that role for almost 20 years. She has also served on several nonprofit boards for child welfare and other service organizations, including two terms on the National CASA Association board and she is currently in her second term as co-chair of the National CASA rural leadership counsel. She is a longtime foster parent, adoptive parent, and exchange parent and she brings that firsthand knowledge to her leadership. She is the proud wife to Bryan and mother to five children and grandmother to four. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, traveling to South Carolina, shopping and especially playing with the grandchildren!

Wendy Simer

Operations and Training Coordinator

Wendy Simer has been in the Grande Ronde Valley of Union County most her life.  She graduated from a local high school where she met her spouse of 35 years.  They raised a son and now enjoy spending time with his family, including their wonderful grandson.  Wendy believes she was born to ride horses and hold babies and enjoys spending time doing both.  She also enjoys spending time in the outdoors picking huckleberries and kayaking with her husband or baking and crafting jewelry on cooler days. 

Wendy has strong faith and a great empathy for vulnerable children.  She feels serving CASA of Eastern Oregon as both a volunteer advocate, and staff member has been a blessing.

Baker County

Hope Collard

PROGRAM MANAGER

Hope was born and raised in Eastern Oregon and adopted by her forever family when she was 4 years old. Growing up Hope was involved with CASA in many aspects. She developed a passion to help those in need. Hope graduated from Central Oregon with her Associates in Human Services and then was hired as a care supporter for children with special needs. After 6 years of working with clients Hope decided she wanted to become a part of CASA full-time and is now the Program Manager for Baker County. 
  In her free time, she loves to be outdoors, in the water, or relaxing with a book. She is filled with inspiration from her own experiences and is excited to share them with the community!
Edna Garman CASA of Eastern Oregon Service Coordinator

Edna Garman

administrative assistant

Edna grew up and raised her son in Northern California. She moved to Baker City in 2016 and loves it and loves the small-town feel. Edna loves working with CASA to help local kids and really enjoys helping with events. She feels she has a fantastic boss and lucky to be a part of CASA. In her free time Edna likes to kayak, play shuffleboard, visit her granddaughter in Nampa, and loves being outdoors. 

Grant County

Savannah Lovell


Program Manager

Savannah has lived in Grant County her whole life except for college. She went to college for Anthropology. For the last 8~ years she has worked for the city of John Day and 6 of those years were for their emergency services departments between dispatching and working for the police department. Working there made her realize that she finds the most fulfillment in helping people on what might be their worst days. She has 2 young kids and enjoys camping, hiking and traveling. She really enjoys taking time to read and knit/sew/ crochet in her spare time.

Harney County

Maranda Calkins

Program Manager

Maranda is the new Program Manager for Harney County. She met her husband while attending Burns high school and they wed shortly after graduation. They planted their roots in the small town of Hines; started a family, opened their doors to lost family members, became resource parents, taught Sunday school, and started a Construction company together. Maranda knew that after having a child that the best thing for her would be to stay at home, she has been an at-home-mother for 10 years and has loved the opportunity to serve her little family. Additionally, she is now ready to serve other families as well. The CASA program is a great fit for her as she has been advocating consistently for the last 16 years and thrives helping others. She loves spending time with her husband and daughter whether it be on adventures or nestled down at home. She is beyond excited to add CASA into her life and experience what a difference CASA can make in her community. 
 
 “Caring for the uncared for, loving the “unlovable”, guiding the lost, and reflecting Jesus to the best of my ability is the calling that has been placed on my heart. I am beyond excited to see where this adventure leads and blessed for the opportunity to serve” Maranda states.

Lake County

Position Open

Program Manager

Malheur County

Cassandra McElravy

Program Manager

Cassandra is a mom of two young men and works full-time as a Real Estate Broker in both Idaho and Oregon. She started as a CASA Advocate in 2014, after being a foster parent for a few years and seeing the need for these vulnerable children to have a voice. In 2015, Cassandra came on as part-time staff doing data entry and filling in as County Supervisor as needed. She is now the Program Manager for Malheur County. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, kayaking, camping, shooting, and also doing DIY projects around the house.

Demi Neill

Resource Manager

Demi grew up in Ontario, OR and graduated from OHS & TVCC. Her love for working with youth started in high school when she began working at the Boys & Girls Club.  She worked there for 6 years as the director before resigning after having her son. She loved staying home and raising her children but deeply missed serving the kids in the community. She started as a volunteer with CASA and immediately knew the organization was a perfect fit for her. After 3 years of volunteering, Demi is now the Resource Manager for CASA. She is passionate about being a voice for children & making sure they have the resources they need. Her favorite part of the job is forming connections and relationships with the youth and the ability it gives her to do what she loves while being a stay-at-home mom. She currently lives in Payette, ID with her husband and two babies.

Megan Van Zelf

Outreach Manager

Megan has been a resource parent since 2016 and became an advocate five years later, wanting to get more involved in supporting youth experiencing foster care. Through her experience as a resource parent, she and her husband have adopted and taken guardianship of three amazing children.  Megan enjoys being outdoors, gardening, baking, and playing games. She loves to explore and try new things and share those experiences with her family.

Union County

Jill Finney

Program Manager

One of Jill’s favorite things about her position is getting to work with some of the biggest hearts in Eastern Oregon. CASA volunteers are some of the most caring and dedicated people around. She has been given the opportunity to watch children bond with their advocates and see their voices and best interests being heard where it is needed most. It is an honor to work with CASA‘s amazing volunteers. 

In her free time she loves going on adventures with her husband and two wonderful children. Trips, walks, or time spent with close family is the most precious moments to her. She likes baking and cooking with her kids and for her family, she also enjoys family movie nights.

Liz Tarrant

Liz Tarrant

Administrative assistant

Liz and her husband moved from Texas and lived in Coos County, Oregon for 23 years before moving to a 20 acres farm in Elgin Oregon a year ago.  She is the proud Mom of five, Grandma Liz to ten and Great Grandma to almost four. She had been an Advocate for 22 years. In Coos County Liz worked at the Women’s Safety and Resource Center, working with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, taught at Shutter Creek Correctional Institution’s Summit Program, a CASA and the Recruiter, Trainer and Awareness Maker at CASA of Coos County.  Liz is so excited to be a CASA and a part of the staff in Union County.  She is also starting her own natural personal care products business, Nature’s Essentials.   

Wallowa County

Heidi Wilson

Program Manager

As a child Heidi spent summers and holidays on her grandparent’s cattle ranch in Lostine. Heidi fell in
love with the Wallowa Valley and community at a young age and always had a dream of building a life
there and raising her family. After graduating from college Heidi and her husband Ian moved to Lostine
and into her great grandparent’s old farmhouse on the ranch. Heidi and Ian have two children, Ashley
and Malachi and are the fifth generation of Heidi’s family to live in the old farmhouse. It’s been a labor
of love working to bring it back to life!
Heidi has owned two local Wallowa County businesses and currently works part time for Wallowa Land
Trust. As a foster and adoptive parent Heidi has always longed for ways to advocate and give back to
children in care. Becoming the Wallowa County Program Manager for CASA is a dream come true!
In her spare time Heidi enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening and being outdoors.

css.php