Darcy Hoellwarth - President, Building Committee Chair
Attorney, Darcy Hoellwarth PLLC
Sarah Bettwieser - Programs/CASA Committee Chair
Government Relations Consultant, Cygnet, LLC
Lisa Nordstrom - Programs/CASA Committee Chair
Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company
Eric Glouser - Governance Committee Chair
Operation Manager, Citi
David Turner - Treasurer
Vice President & General Manager, Office Printers at Hewlett Packard
Terry Scraggins - Programs/ Family Strengthening Committee Chair
Foster Care Licensing Worker, Region 3, IDHW
Angie Olszewski - Advancement Committee Chair
Author, PR Specialist, Consultant
Cordell Chigbrow
CPA, Chigbrow, Ryan & Co., Chtd.
Merri Hanson (*President Elect)
Station Manager - KIVI / KSAW
Amanda McDonald
Sales Compensation, Zillow Group Sales Finance Team
Stacy Pewe
VP, Regional Chief HR Officer - West Region at Trinity Health
Wally Hartje
Mortgage Loan Officer, D.L. Evans Bank
Christian Grice
Senior Business System Administrator, Savers
Kathryn Seebold
Executive Director
Brenda Wood
Office Manager
Le Ann Edwards
Director of Advancement
Jill Trumble
Family Strengthening Director
Darci Anderson
CASA Program Director
Gabrielle Hora
Community Engagement Manager
Karina Zavala
Family Strengthening Intake & Case Manager
Maggie Thompson
Advocate Supervisor
Coming Soon!
Grant Writer & Donor Relations Coordinator
Lola Riley
Parent Development Coordinator
Alicia Benningfield
CASA Intake & Database Administrator
Savannah Nixon
Volunteer Recruitment Coordinator
Sheila Warner
Child Development Coordinator
Duncan Brain
Advocate Coordinator & Pro Bono Attorney Liaison
Jolene Brooks
Advocate Coordinator
Rachel Ericson
CASA Trainer & Advocate Coordinator
Lexy Anderson
Advocate Coordinator
Lauren Smith
Advocate Coordinator
Emily Nelson
Advocate Coordinator

Open Positions

Grant and Donor Relations Coordinator
CASA Case Intake & Data Coordinator

Family Advocates is a private, independent 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency founded in 1978 and serving Southwest Idaho. Our founders, two foster families (the Hogins and the Murphys), saw the great need to keep children out of the foster system and they established a long-term vision of seeing the end of child abuse in Idaho. Family Advocates was incorporated in Boise on September 28, 1978.

The CASA Program began late in 1980, when the Junior League, the Boise Bar Association, and Family Advocates received permission from the Honorable Richard Grant, Juvenile Magistrate, to initiate a pilot Guardian ad Litem program in Ada County. In 1982, the CASA Program officially accepted its first child protection referral and, in 1986, Family Advocates, including attorney Eric Haff, took an active role in working with legislators to revise the Child Protection Act to clearly define the role of a Guardian ad Litem (GAL). The CASA Program at Family Advocates serves children in the Fourth Judicial District (Ada, Boise, Elmore, and Valley Counties).

Keeping families healthy, stable, and preventing child abuse from ever happening, was the foundation of the Family Advocates’ mission. This vision of child abuse prevention has evolved from a volunteer-based Home Visiting Program to our current Family Strengthening Program. The Family Strengthening Program includes best practices and theories of modern day and has expanded out from Boise to include Caldwell, Mountain Home, and Garden City.

We are grateful for the support of our community donors and partners.