Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

CASA director ready for challenge

Judy Morbeck brings experience with children to job

Judy Morbeck is the new executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of North Idaho.  (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Judy Morbeck doesn’t mind the noise from the day-care playground across the street from her office in downtown Coeur d’Alene.

She leaves her door propped open.

The sounds of kids playing, whoops and hollers and laughter, is a familiar comfort for the former school principal.

As the new executive director for Court Appointed Special Advocates of North Idaho, Morbeck oversees a program that gives voice to children whose lives are anything but easy and carefree.

“I think a lot of people aren’t aware these things are going on,” said Morbeck, who is trying to recruit more volunteers to represent abused and neglected children in court.

Her predecessor, Hiedi Person, took over at a time when CASA was in financial ruin. Under the direction of former executive director Rhonda Richardson, more than $60,000 went missing or was mismanaged.

Richardson was sentenced to home detention in April and ordered to repay the organization $5,200.

Morbeck said Person did a good job instituting stricter controls on spending and left her with of an organization that’s “in tip-top shape.”

“It was easy to walk into,” Morbeck said.

Morbeck said her goals – in addition to increasing the number of volunteers – include fundraising and educating the community about child abuse and neglect so parents who are struggling can be helped before situations develop into abuse and neglect.

Though Morbeck didn’t work with CASA in the past, she said her experience as a teacher and principal has involved work with Child Protective Services on behalf of children.

Most recently, she served as principal of St. John Vianney Catholic School in Spokane Valley for 13 years.

She also has experience teaching special education and was an instructor at the University of Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College and North Idaho College.

When her own children finished high school, and after 13 years of commuting across the state line from her home in Hayden Lake, Morbeck said she decided she wanted to work in her own community.

She was appointed to Kootenai County’s Planning and Zoning Commission and spent the past three years working on the rewrite of the county’s comprehensive plan.

Now that the comprehensive plan is complete, Morbeck said she is ready for a new challenge.

For now, she’s trying to familiarize herself with the court system and get a clear understanding of how CASA works.

Most pressing is the need to recruit volunteers.

The 91 volunteers spread throughout the five northern counties of Idaho serve upward of 500 children.

Reach reporter Taryn Hecker by e-mail at tarynh@spokesman.com.