Staff Spotlight: Stephanie Battaglia, Public Policy Specialist

Stephanie Battaglia is the Public Policy Specialist at Texas CASA. Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in English with minors in Spanish and Legal Studies from the University of North Texas. Stephanie has spent the last three years at Texas CASA passionately supporting CASA’s Legislative Advocacy Teams and thoughtfully advocating for children and families at the Texas Capitol. Before coming to Texas CASA, Stephanie worked in and around the Texas Legislature for the University of North Texas Government Relations Department and the Texas Senate. She enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of public policy during her time at the Texas Capitol and has appreciated having the opportunity to use her skills to advocate for children and families.

Háblenos de usted y de lo que le llevó a trabajar en el ámbito del bienestar infantil. 

I’ve always been drawn to advocacy that centers the needs of the most vulnerable, and that passion deepened during my undergraduate studies and my time as a staffer at the Texas Capitol. I competed in Moot Court during college, where I was able to sharpen my ability to analyze complex legal and social issues. At the Capitol, I worked closely with the Senate Health and Human Services and Higher Education committees where I was able to see the real time impact of big policies as they were being debated. But it was ultimately my own exposure to systemic injustice that led me to child welfare policy and advocacy.

Three months before I came to Texas CASA, my 10-year-old cousin, Makenna, was killed in the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde. Her death completely shattered my family, and it forced me to confront, in the most personal way, how deeply policy decisions affect children’s lives, especially when it comes to safety, mental health and the systems meant to protect them. I’ve experienced the ripples of loss and instability firsthand, and I know how vital it is for children to have not only physical safety but also enduring connections and support. That, along with my personal experience with the child welfare system as a kinship family member, is what led me to this field and what keeps me here.

¿Cuánto tiempo lleva trabajando para CASA Texas y cómo se involucró en la misión de CASA?

I’ve been with Texas CASA since August 2022, and I was initially drawn to Texas CASA because of its unique role in bridging policy with community-rooted advocacy. I came to my role with previous personal experience with CASA. My little sisters, Kimberly and Julia, were adopted out of foster care by my family in April 2017. My stepmom was their teacher and when they were initially removed in 2015, she was the first call. We quickly took on the role of being a united and unwavering support system for my sisters with no knowledge of the complex system or the road that lay ahead of us. While the adoption journey for us and the girls was not easy, there was never a moment when they felt like anything less than my family. 

My sisters had an incredible CASA throughout the entirety of their case, and their CASA advocate has remained in touch and is still a solid support for them even now. I admire how CASA volunteers step into a child’s life as a steady presence and how Texas CASA amplifies those local voices to drive statewide change. The drive to create a system that centers each child’s needs and connections to family immediately resonated with me, and it’s been an honor to contribute to that work.

Tell us about your work on the Public Policy team and your role as Public Policy Specialist.

As Texas CASA’s Public Policy Specialist, I focus on local and statewide legislative advocacy, stakeholder engagement and systems improvement. I help craft and champion legislation that supports children and families, and I represent Texas CASA in policy discussions with lawmakers, state agencies and coalition partners.

I also coordinate statewide advocacy events like CASA Day at the Capitol, to make it easy for local CASA volunteers and staff to meet with their legislators and speak up for the children and families they serve. One of my core goals is to make legislative advocacy feel accessible and empowering for everyone whether they’re new to the process or deeply experienced.

How does your personal experience impact your work at Texas CASA? 

My personal experiences with grief and instability have made me deeply empathetic to the challenges faced by local CASA programs and the children and families the CASA network serves, especially those navigating systems while trying to heal. Earlier this year, my three-year-old nephew was hospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis and diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Helping my family navigate the medical system and experiencing the ways it can be both lifesaving and overwhelming reminded me just how crucial it is for families to have access to clear information, compassionate support and advocates who will stand alongside them.

My personal experiences ground me in this work on good days and hard days, and they drive me to push for policies that don’t just fix surface-level issues but truly meet children and families where they are. They’ve shaped my belief that lasting change requires both heart and strategy and that’s what I try to bring to every piece of policy I work on.

¿Qué es lo que más le gusta de su trabajo?

So many things! When I interviewed for this role, I said it would be a dream job and three years later, that still holds true. Having the opportunity to work with such a supportive team (especially the incomparable Sarah Crockett, Public Policy Director) and advocate at the Texas Capitol on behalf of our local programs and countless children and families across the state has been one of the most profoundly meaningful and healing experiences of my life.

I especially love traveling across Texas and meeting people from all walks of life who are united by their dedication to children and families. It’s incredibly rewarding to help someone feel empowered to use their voice, whether it’s a volunteer preparing to speak with their legislator for the first time or a local staff member shaping policy change in their community. Knowing that I get to play a part in making such important advocacy feel more accessible and impactful is truly my favorite part of what I do.