Kimberly Stephens is the new executive director for the Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Liberty and Chambers counties.
A native of Dallas, Stephens grew up traveling all across the United States as her family pastored and evangelized, ministering in 11 states and two countries.
Stephens and her husband have continued that legacy, serving as children’s pastors, youth pastors, crusade leaders and associate pastors in North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, New York, Maine, West Virginia, Florida and Texas.
A licensed educator, Stephens also dedicated the past 15 years to serving in instructional and administrative positions with local public schools, higher education agencies, and faith-based education ministries. She holds a Master’s Degree and completed the doctoral coursework to earn a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction in 2016.
Stephens is currently in the final stages of publishing a dissertation, focused on illuminating the parent-engagement pathways utilized by immigrant parents to support their children’s learning and success.
Working with at-risk populations has dominated her professional experience, as well as engaging with the legal system by serving as a school-based foster care advocate, and a legal representative and content expert for school districts navigating due process related to special education services.
Stephens and her husband, Eric, are proud parents to four children, Grayson, Bryce, Emilia and Eliana. The family settled in Conroe, Texas, in 2017, appointed as associate pastors at Conroe First Assembly of God.
After their arrival in Texas, Stephens made the decision to transition into the social work field and continue a lifelong passion for working with families in crisis. She gained valuable experience and in depth knowledge of the foster care system and CPS legal system by working as a conservatorship caseworker in Liberty/Chambers counties.
Stephens says she is inspired by the ‘CASA Way’, which is an uncompromising belief that people can achieve what others think is impossible, and that each person can be an essential part of the solution.
This is a mission that she has striven to live out every day as a minister, educator, researcher, administrator, caseworker, and now as the executive director for CASA Liberty/Chambers counties.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to unlock the potential for greatness inside of himself. Every child deserves to be surrounded and supported by adults who refuse to settle for giving anything less than their best to make sure he gets a chance to rise above the impossible,” Stephens said.