Whitney Pennington Named 2026 Indiana CASA Director of the Year
CASA of Jefferson County is proud to celebrate Executive Director Whitney Pennington, who has been named the 2026 Indiana CASA Program Director of the Year
Pennington was selected from a field of 14 nominations submitted on her behalf, including nominations from colleagues, community members, and parents whose children she previously served through CASA. Nominations were reviewed through a selection process involving Indiana GAL/CASA State Office staff, previous Directors of the Year, and the conference committee.
The award recognizes Pennington’s leadership within her community, innovation, commitment to supporting CASA volunteers and staff, continued focus on strengthening community partnerships, and her willingness to seek new solutions when traditional approaches are no longer enough—all while continuing to serve children directly in her role as a Guardian ad Litem.
For Pennington, however, receiving the honor was about much more than individual recognition.
“Receiving Director of the Year is an incredible honor and leading CASA has become so much more than a job,” Pennington shared during her acceptance speech. “I hope when our community sees recognitions like this, they understand that they are really a reflection of the work happening here. I am incredibly honored to receive this award, but I am proud that a program from Jefferson County continues to be recognized for the quality of its work.”
CASA of Jefferson County continues to evaluate itself, adapt, and grow around the needs of the volunteers and staff doing the work and, ultimately, the children they serve. That commitment to continually strengthening the program has led to CASA of Jefferson County being recognized at the state level as a premier CASA program within Indiana’s GAL/CASA network.
“We have an extraordinary group of people who take what we do for children very seriously, and we are fortunate to have a community that believes in this work and continues to support us. I hope our community knows how special that combination really is.”
Beyond her leadership in Jefferson County, Whitney Pennington serves on the Indiana GAL/CASA Standards, Best Practices, and Code of Ethics Committee, contributing to work that helps strengthen the consistency, integrity, and quality of GAL/CASA advocacy across Indiana. The committee’s work carries significant responsibility within the Indiana GAL/CASA network, helping to establish and uphold the standards, best practices, and ethical expectations that guide CASA programs and advocacy across the state. Its work requires careful consideration of the responsibilities entrusted to GAL/CASA programs and the importance of maintaining practices that protect the integrity of the network and remain firmly centered on the best interests of the children it serves.
Pennington’s recognition as Director of the Year comes during a period in which CASA of Jefferson County has continued to receive recognition at both the local and state level. In January, the program was named Nonprofit of the Year by the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce. The organization has also earned accreditation through the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, received recognition from the Indiana GAL/CASA State Office for its level of contact within cases, and most recently celebrated longtime CASA volunteer Sara Scroggins being named one of nine finalists for CASA Volunteer of the Year from among more than 2,500 CASA volunteers across Indiana.
While each recognition stands on its own, together they tell a larger story about the work taking place within a small, one-county CASA program. They reflect the strength of its volunteers, the commitment of its staff and board, the support of the community, and an organization that has continued to grow while remaining focused on the children it was created to serve.
Pennington concluded her remarks by reflecting on what has made CASA of Jefferson County’s growth possible and the values that have remained central to the program along the way.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have built in Jefferson County,” she said. “But I’m even more proud of how we’ve built it—with integrity, with persistence, with the support of our community, and with a commitment to always strengthening the work we do.”
