Kathleen Stewart Richey became the Director of Louisiana CASA in May, 2015. She began her career as an attorney representing children in child dependency and delinquency matters. During this time she served on the Children's Code Project Committee which drafted the Louisiana law regarding children's issues. In 1991, she became the first Juvenile Judge in East Baton Rouge Parish, where she served until 2015.
During her 24 years on the bench she was instrumental in establishing Capital Area CASA and was named Louisiana CASA Judge of the year in 1997. Additionally, she was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to the Court Improvement Program Advisory Committee at its inception in 1994 and has remained active with the Court Improvement Program to the present time. Judge Richey is a member of the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, serving as president of the Council in 2001, and chairman of the Liaison Committee with the Department of Children and Family Services from 2001-2008.
Judge Richey has been appointed to numerous legislative task forces, most notably the Legislative Task Force on Legal Representation in CINC Matters, which created the Child Advocacy Program in Louisiana. She served on the Juvenile Justice Advisory Board, the Juvenile Underage Drinking Enforcement (J.U.D.E.) Task Force, the Audubon Girl Scout Council Board of Directors, the Baton Rouge Bar Association Teen Court Committee and the Baton Rouge Bar Association Pro Bono Committee. Additionally, she has been a trainer for1) the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2) the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 3) the Louisiana Judicial College, 4) the Pelican Center for Children and Families 5) the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and 6) the Louisiana and Baton Rouge Bar Associations.
Judge Richey has been honored by receiving the YWCA Woman of Achievement Award, the Louisiana CASA Judge of the Year Award, the LSBA Children’s Law Award, the Baton Rouge Children’s Coalition For the Love of Children Award, and the Catherine D. Kimball Award for Advancement of the Administration of Justice.
For more information about the work at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, don't forget to visit braf.org.