Mike Quear
Year you joined CASA: 2017
What is your educational background? Chemical Engineering from Northwestern, Cornell, and Georgia Tech
What is your current job? Or what you did professionally if retired? Staff Director, Committee on Science & Technology, US House of Representatives (previously a researcher at Dow Chemical and with the US Department of State)
What prompted you to become a CASA? I thought it was an important program
What challenges have you faced as a CASA? It's always a puzzle to figure out how to be most effective, whether it's navigating the legal system, connecting with the child, or understanding the extended family, among other things
Can you share a specific memory of a time when you felt successful in your role as a CASA? I recall connecting with a biological mother to the point where she would confide in me, and connecting with a teenager so he would trust me
What advice would you give to someone who is considering becoming a CASA? It's not all "beer and skittles." Don't take negative developments personally.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A musician
What is the best part about living in Lancaster? I like living in the midst of an Amish farming community and knowing my Amish neighbors
What is your dream vacation destination? Cuzco
What are you reading, watching or listening to right now that’s worth sharing with others? I’m currently reading about the overthrow of the Aztec Empire and the ensuing desolation, and listening to the Beethoven late piano sonatas written while he was almost deaf
Two people, current or historical, you most admire. Helen Keller & LBJ
What’s your go-to comfort food? Or alternatively, the best restaurant you’ve ever been to? The Orchard (Kennett Square & now sadly closed)
What's an activity you do outside of volunteering/work that you love? Tutoring elementary school students & handweaving/spinning
