New Leader in Store for Colonial CASA

By Amber Lester Thursday, May 06, 2010

Rebecca Bresee

Colonial CASA’s executive director will leave in July to join the staff at Hampton Roads Academy.

Rebecca Bresee confirmed Wednesday she’ll be the next director of admission for the co-ed prep school, located in Newport News. Her last day as leader of CASA will be June 30.

Bresee said CASA’s board has formed a search committee for her replacement. The committee is currently reviewing the job description and drafting a job vacancy posting. “I think they are hopeful to have someone identified in time to make a good transition,” she said.

Leaving CASA will be bittersweet, but Bresee said the offer to work at HRA felt like a good fit. “It’s really a family consideration,” she said, noting her two daughters, Claire and Cami, are HRA students. “When I was approached, I decided I really owed it to my family to consider it fully.”

In addition to the "great fit," Bresee said, "HRA delivers all of the things that are important to me for young people - integrity, compassion, service to community, and an outstanding education."

She will still be involved in the Williamsburg community because more and more families in the Historic Triangle are choosing to send their children to HRA, she said. In the fall, Director of Development Audrey Smith said 22 percent of HRA’s students live in Williamsburg or James City County, while York County sends another 20 percent to the school.

Bresee joined the Colonial Court Appointed Special Advocates as executive director in 2006. Under her leadership, CASA received several grants allowing the organization to train more advocates, who appear in court to support the interests of abused or neglected kids.

“I can honestly say I leave with many, many joys and not a single regret,” she said. “I have loved and admired the people that I have come into contact with here. I know of no other pool of volunteers that are so strongly committed to their cause, and the staff and board have been a true pleasure to work with.”

Bresee is an alumna of St. Catherine’s School in Richmond. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Denison University and an M.A. in Education and Human Development from George Washington University.