Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Barbara County, a nonprofit serving children who have experienced the trauma of abuse and/or neglect, has announced the promotion of Kira Cosio to associate director of donor engagement.
Cosio will have the primary responsibility for engaging interested individuals and corporations in the philanthropic work that supports advocacy for vulnerable youth in the local community.
“Kira has been a key part of our success in communications and outreach, helping us grow to serve every child in need, and we were thrilled to promote her to this important position,” said Kim Colby Davis, executive director of CASA of Santa Barbara County.
Cosio, 26, joined CASA of Santa Barbara County in 2017 as marketing and communications coordinator and quickly rose to lead communications and outreach in a management position. Cosio was previously with the Santa Maria Valley Humane Society as its volunteer and humane education coordinator.
She was introduced to the way nonprofits work in the community while at the Santa Maria Valley YMCA and fell in love with the idea of working to help others.
“Working at CASA with all of our incredible volunteers, I’ve gotten so see and hear the stories of change that our volunteers make in a child’s life,” she said. “I’m so honored that I get to be a part of that story, and help garner support for the work our volunteers do in the community.”
Cosio graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2015 and was involved in leadership roles in both a professional sorority and the cheer team. She is a graduate of Leadership Santa Maria Valley and a current participant in Leadership Lompoc Valley.
Cosio was the Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce’s Young Professional Spotlight in August 2018 and holds a spot on the Santa Maria Connect! Young Professionals Board of Directors. She is also a board member with the Santa Maria Women’s Network, a networking group in the Santa Maria Valley.
CASA of Santa Barbara County is a volunteer agency with some 300 local volunteers serving more than 500 children. CASA’s mission is to assure a safe, permanent, nurturing home for every abused and/or neglected child by providing a trained volunteer to advocate for them in the court system.
Last year, CASA of Santa Barbara County was selected as the top place to work on the Central Coast (small business) and the No. 1 place to volunteer in Santa Maria.
Volunteers are always needed; information on how to volunteer or support the CASA mission are available at www.sbcasa.org.
— Kim Colby Davis for Court Appointed Special Advocates of Santa Barbara County.