Sumner County CASA announces the appointment of Sonya Sweat-Manfred, executive director to the Suburban Leadership Council of the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association for Children.
Serving a two-year term, Manfred, along with child welfare leaders from across the nation, will play an integral role in voicing the unique needs of 893 local programs that make up the National CASA and Guardian ad Litem (GAL) network. In 2021, the CASA/GAL network, with its 97,920 volunteers, served more than 242,176 children who have experienced abuse or neglect.
With more than 391,000 children entering foster care on any given day, the leadership council will focus its efforts on ensuring that the network achieves its mission of serving all children through best interest advocacy.
“The National CASA/GAL Leadership Councils are a vital part of our efforts to serve more children in the foster care system, while continually improving their outcomes,” said National CASA/GAL Chief Executive Officer Tara Lisa Perry. “We are so excited and grateful to have Sonya providing her insight and expertise as we strive to move our mission forward on behalf of all children who have experienced abuse or neglect.”
Manfred has been in the nonprofit field for over 22 years and has always had a passion for helping children. She spent 13 years as the State Youth Program Coordinator for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) TN and as a youth program facilitator for MADD National. She joined the staff of Sumner County CASA in 2014 as the part-time volunteer coordinator and assumed the role of executive director in 2015. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin and completed the Executive Program in Children’s Law and Policy from the Loyola University of Chicago. She is married to Terry and has two sons, Mykal (22) and Chayse (14).
She is active in her community and serves on many local and state-level boards and committees. She is currently a member of the Governor’s Second Look Commission, the Sumner County Schools Family Resource Center Advisory Board, the Gallatin Soccer Club Board of Directors, the Sumner Prevention Coalition Board of Directors, and the Sumner County Juvenile Court Foster Care Review Board. She recently completed two terms on the Tennessee CASA Board of Directors as the At Large Agency Representative and remains on the TN CASA Growth and Program Development Committee.
“I am excited for the opportunity to serve at the National level,” said Manfred. “I cannot wait to share the great things that our community is doing to support the children and families that we serve.”
