Who We Are

Drew comes to the Montana CASA/GAL Association after five years with one of the local Montana CASA program where he served as program coordinator and program director.  Drew earned his bachelor’s degree  in 1989 at Minnesota State University-Mankato. Since then Drew has worked with youth at risk in both residential and back country settings in Montana, Colorado, South Carolina and South Dakota. Drew met Kat in Billings in 1995 and they have been together ever since working and traveling together as a team.  

Tom earned a degree in Accounting from The University of Montana. He retired from the Montana Army National Guard as a Lt. Col. In 1987.  Tom served in various staff and leadership positions with The Montana Power Company from 1969 to 2000. He was Vice President of Stewart Title of Flathead County from 2003 to  2008. His non-profit work includes serving as President or Chairman of the Butte Family YMCA, University of Montana Alumni Association and CASA for Kids of Flathead County. Tom’s interest in CASA began when his wife Carol became a CASA in 2004. In 2012 he helped set up Voices for CASA, a single purpose non-profit foundation to financially support CASA for Kids. In 2014 Voices for CASA and CASA for Kids merged. Tom served as Chairman of that organization for two years. Tom has served as Chairman of the Montana CASA/GAL Association since it was formed December 2016. 

Christian is the owner of Mission Accounting, PC in Kalispell Montana.  He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) specializing in exempt nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Christian’s past experience includes two years as the Senior Staff Accountant for a large nonprofit in Kalispell. He was responsible for compliance reporting and cost allocations for about 50 state and federal grants according to OMB Circulars A-110 and A-122.  Christian believes in giving back and is involved in the community.  He is a trained Court Appointment Special Advocate (CASA) serving neglected and abused children in the foster care system and has served on the Flathead CASA for Kids Board of Directors. 

Ann Marie McNeel serves in Lake County, Montana, as an attorney and judge, and as the Executive Director of CASA of Lake & Sanders Counties. She has a background in public policy and received her undergraduate degree at Boston University. Having grown up in Wisconsin, Ann Marie and her husband moved to Montana in 1990. She worked at the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation and finished law school at the University of Montana School of Law in 1998. She clerked on the Montana Supreme Court and has since raised her own two children in Mission Valley and the Missoula area. When asked what she likes most about CASA, she says that the volunteer advocates are an amazing group of interested and dedicated individuals.

John is President, a Certified Insurance Counselor and Commercial Insurance Agent and for W.A. Mitchell Agency in Miles City, MT. John graduated from Purdue University with a BS in Business and worked for AT&T for 16 years, including 5 years on National Accounts in Phoenix, AZ.  John has 42 years of experience in Sales & Marketing and 24 years of experience as a business Owner.   John’s daughter work as a LCSW Counselor opened his eyes to the Insurance needs of Non-profit Organizations and his Agency serves many NPO’s in southeastern Montana.  He was a certified high school level Soccer coach & referee for 16 years.  John is active in the Methodist church and is the Montana District Risk Manager for Kiwanis service clubs.  

Elaine is a retired school administrator from Polson.  She served for 36 years in the Polson school district as a teacher, special education director, and principal of Cherry Valley Elementary School. She developed the Polson Partnership Project, a nationally recognized school based child and family support program, for the Polson school district. She is currently working as an educational consultant providing professional development for teachers across the Flathead Indian Reservation for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Elaine is married to Tim Meeks, a retired art teacher and artist. They have two children and four grandchildren.  They have made their home on the west shore of Flathead Lake for 40 years.  
Elaine has been an active CASA advocate in Lake County since 2014.

Jennifer spends her time cultivating three enterprises. Her first priority is raising her busy and bright son. Jennifer and her husband were foster parents who became a permanent family when they adopted their son after nearly 3 years. Jennifer has been a Gallatin County CASA/GAL since 1999. Jennifer’s professional work as a facilitator for conservation and community development projects has offered challenges and celebrations as local citizens collaborate to develop local solutions and visions for a better tomorrow. The Boyers are the owner-managers for Farm 51, a goat farm that supplies sustainably raised goat meat to local restaurants and grocers. Jennifer dedicates her remaining hours to the causes and campaigns that inspire her and has fishing and running habits. 

Kate Juran has been the Executive Director, for one of our local programs, since 2006.  The 5th Judicial District Voice for Children/CASA covers Beaverhead, Jefferson, and Madison Counties, with an office located in Dillon.  Kate received her degree in Social Work from The College of Saint Catherine in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1995.  After running a home daycare for several years in Minneapolis, Kate moved to Montana. Her love of children and social work education made for the perfect fit for CASA.  Kate resides in Dillon with her rancher/farmer partner, her 2 kids and 3 dogs. Kate also works at The Patagonia Outlet and runs The Juransen Manor, a nightly furnished rental. 

Cherie LeBlanc-Dyba, is the Executive Director of Eastern Montana CASA GAL  Inc. located in Miles City, serving three Judicial districts (7th,16th,17th) and 15 counties in eastern and northern Montana. Cherie is a graduate of Ohio Christian University where she received her BA in Business Administration Management.

Cherie was one of six new volunteers in 1993 when Eastern Montana CASA GAL became a non-profit 501c3 program serving 3 programs. This led Cherie to become the Executive Director in 2005.  She serves on the Department of Health and Human Services advisory councils in Miles City and Glendive.  

Mary Ann is a registered nurse with a diploma in nursing and a B.S. degree in health administration. Mary Ann’s experience also includes eighteen years in the medical legal field as a legal nurse consultant working in litigation in conjunction with three years as a facilitative mediator for the Crowley Fleck Pro Bono Parenting Plan Mediation Program.  In May 2018, Mary Ann retired from Crowley Fleck PLLP; however, she continues to volunteer her services at Crowley Fleck as a facilitative mediator giving parents the opportunity to reach agreement on how they want to parent their children oftentimes avoiding Court involvement.  Mary Ann was sworn in as a CASA in March 2014.  As a CASA, she was honored and humbled to receive the Yellowstone County CASA Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 and the Yellowstone County CASA of the Year and the Montana CASA of the Year Awards in 2016.