Executive Director

About CASA

With over 173,000 lifetime members across 46 U.S. states, CASA is a national powerhouse organization dedicated to building power and improving the quality of life for working-class Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and immigrant communities. CASA drives systemic change through its unique power-building model, blending human services, community organizing, and advocacy to serve the full spectrum of the needs, dreams, and aspirations of its members. CASA is, proudly, a pro-Union organization whose staff is unionized under a collective bargaining agreement represented by the Communications Workers of America. 

CASA’s Roots

CASA has come a long way from the church basement where it started. Founded by activists opposing U.S. interference in Latin America, CASA emerged as a resistance movement against military and paramilitary violence targeting Central American communities. As the U.S. continued to invest in the destabilization of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador, waves of refugees fled to the D.C. region, escaping persecution, torture, and death.

From its humble beginnings, CASA has grown into a movement, powered by day laborers, domestic workers, students, parents, and co-conspirators for justice across labor, faith, and civil rights organizations. Today, CASA members hail from Black, Latino/a/e, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and Immigrant working-class communities rooted in activism, relentlessly fighting for dignity, opportunity, and justice.

CASA’s DNA – A Member-Led Organization

CASA is its members. Our commitment to genuine member leadership has resulted in a web of geographically based committees where members shape the organization’s priorities. CASA members decide what we fight for, define our strategy, and elect their representatives to CASA’s Leadership Council and CASA in Action’s Board of Directors.

As a membership organization, our members are the true decision-makers, ensuring our advocacy reflects their lived experiences, needs, and dreams. The Executive Director must uphold this deeply democratic structure, working in partnership with members to advance CASA’s mission and movement.

CASA in Action – Expanding Political Power

CASA in Action is one of the few organizations in the country to successfully amass significant funding from contributions to conduct issue and political work, ensuring that the voices of working-class Latino/a/e, Black, Afro-descendant, Indigenous, and immigrant communities are heard in legislatures and at the ballot box.

In 2018, CASA in Action launched CASA in Action PAC, a sister organization designed to further expand our capacity to impact elections and grow political power. Together, CASA in Action and CASA in Action PAC have mobilized thousands of Latinos and voters of color to the polls through targeted, data-driven electoral programs across Georgia, Maryland, South Central Pennsylvania, and Virginia.

Position Overview

CASA seeks a visionary, strategic, and values-driven Executive Director (ED) who will work in close partnership with CASA’s members, ensuring their voices shape the organization’s advocacy, programs & services, and organizing efforts. The ED serves as the highest executive and ultimate decision-maker of the organization, providing overall strategic and operational leadership. In this role, the ED works in deep partnership with the Chiefs leadership team, creating shared responsibility, collaboration, and trust among the team. Together, they ensure organizational effectiveness, financial sustainability, and long-term impact, with the ED relying on the Chiefs expertise and leadership in their respective areas. 

The ED will directly report to both CASA’s Board of Directors and CASA in Action’s Board of Directors, ensuring alignment between our nonprofit and political advocacy arms.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Culture

• Modeling and cultivating a collaborative leadership culture, co-leading with the Chiefs and senior team to uphold transparency, mutual accountability, and distributed decision-making across the organization
• Champion an inclusive and people-centered organizational culture, ensuring staff at all levels feel respected, heard, and supported, and the organization reflects the justice and equity commitments in both practice and policy (RJEI - Racial Justice, Equity, and Inclusion)
• Deep commitment to pro-immigrant, pro-Black, pro-Indigenous, pro-LGBTQIA+, and feminist values, with a strong understanding of systemic inequities

Vision & Strategy 

• Set and steward the long-term vision and strategic direction in alignment with mission, values, and community priorities ensuring continued relevance, impact, and sustainability
• Stay attuned to shifts in the external landscape, identify opportunities, challenges, and emerging trends to proactively adapt strategy
• Data driven strategy using research, data, OKR’s (Objective, Key Results), and accountability measures

Fundraising & Financial Management: 

• Cultivate and steward relationships with funders from diverse funding streams while ensuring fiscal responsibility meeting short- and long-term revenue goals
• Secure financial health and sustainability by maintaining strong fiscal management, budgeting, and oversight in collaboration with the Chief Financial Officer and Board of Directors

Advocacy, Movement-Building & Electoral Work:

• Advance policies and electoral programs shaped by CASA’s members
• Guide CASA in Action’s reach in elections, civic engagement, and political power-building
• Guide CASA and CASA in Action’s successful expansion into key geographies and nationally

Mission-Driven & Outcomes-Oriented: 

• Mission aligned advocacy, organizing, and programs and services meet the highest standards of quality, relevance, and responsiveness to the needs of the community

Governance & Accountability: 

• Serve as the primary liaison to both CASA’s Board of Directors and CASA in Action’s Board of Directors 
• Ensuring shared alignment and transparency between CASA and CASA in Action 

External Relations:

• Serve as a powerful spokesperson and coalition-builder, amplifying CASA’s member-led initiatives on a national scale
• Representing CASA and CASA in Action before movement partners

Qualifications

• Bold national leadership with a proven ability to organize across geographies, scale power beyond regions, and drive transformative change rooted in justice and community.
• Seasoned leader with experience in electoral organizing, ensuring CASA in Action continues to expand its impact on elections and civic engagement at the national level.
• Extensive experience in community organizing, advocacy, movement-building, and electoral work.
• Proven senior leadership experience, ideally managing membership-driven organizations.
• Track record of successful fundraising, including foundations, major donors, grassroots contributions, and political funding efforts.
• Strong public speaking and communication skills, capable of mobilizing diverse stakeholders while centering member voices.
• Must be at least bilingual - Spanish/English; trilingual - Spanish/English/French is a plus.
• Experience managing national 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) nonprofit structures is highly preferred.

Benefits Description:

Who is eligible?

• All full-time and part-time permanent positions working 20 hours or more per week.

What We Offer:

• Generous paid time off, including annual leave starting at three weeks per year (proportional accrual per pay period), two weeks of sick leave, three days of personal leave, and additional compensatory leave for exempt employees.
• Twelve (12) paid holidays per calendar year.
• Excellent Benefits Package including employer paid benefits as follows:
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance (CASA pays 100% of the premium costs for the employee up to our HMO plan, 55% for couples, 65% for children and 60% for family)
  • Basic life and AD&D
  • Long- and Short-Term Disability insurance 
  • Professional Development: Those pursuing a course of study related to work performed at CASA may be eligible for a reimbursement of up to $2,000.
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Additional voluntary benefits:
  • FSA Account including Dependent Care.
  • 401(k) retirement plan with a 2% employer discretionary match.
  • Accident, Critical Indemnity, Hospital insurance.
• Allowances:
  • Mileage reimbursements for those positions that are required to drive on CASA business.
  • Cell Phone stipend for those positions that are required to use their cellphone for CASA business.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand or sit. The employee is occasionally required to walk or do repetitive motions.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

ADA: The employer will make reasonable accommodations in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

OSHA: This position is not to handle any human body fluids, biological agents, laboratory chemicals, or be exposed to hazardous materials such as noise, asbestos, or carcinogens.

CASA Inc. and CASA in Action do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disability, ancestry, marital status or national origin.

This job description will be reviewed periodically as duties and responsibilities change with business necessity. Essential and marginal job functions are subject to modification. Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. 

CASA has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy effective 01 February 2022, requiring COVID‑19 Booster vaccination(s) for all employees and prospective employees, AmeriCorps members, and paid or non-paid internships. In accordance with CASA's duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards, we are adopting this policy to safeguard the health of our employees, AmeriCorps members  and interns, and their families, CASA members and visitors, and the community at large from infectious diseases that may be reduced by vaccinations. In making this decision, the executive leadership team reviewed recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, CASA’s Legal Counsel and local health officials. All prospective employees will be required to provide proof of COVID 19 vaccination or appropriate medical / religious accommodation documentation prior to the first day of employment with CASA. AmeriCorps member candidates will be required to provide proof of COVID 19 vaccination or appropriate medical / religious accommodation documentation at the time of presenting proof of citizenship and SSN eligibility.