First Judicial District CASA Program : Board of Directors Meeting Schedule
4th Monday of the month, 5:30 to 6:30 pm at the CASA Center for Child Victims; 1417 N 4th Street in Midtown
FY23
July 25, 2022 - Mandatory Annual Meeting 
August - no meeting; CASA Classic Golf Tournament 
September 26, 2022
October - no meeting; CASA Uncorked
November 28, 2022
December - no meeting due to holidays
January 23, 2023
February 28, 2023
March - no meeting; Ray of Hope Community lunches
April 24, 2023
May 22, 2023
June - no meeting; end of fiscal year 
​Out of respect for member's schedules, meetings may be cancelled when the agenda does not contain action items beyond approving the monthly financials. Occasionally, a meeting may be moved to the 3rd Monday of the month due to scheduling conflicts.  All meeting changes will be publicly posted .

North Idaho CASA Board of Directors


​Melisa McTaggert - President 
Melisa is a second generation native to Coeur d’Alene.  She graduated from Boise State University with a master’s in social work and a bachelor’s in psychology and organizational science from University of Idaho.  Melisa is a licensed mental health professional working with children and adults throughout the community.  Prior to being on the Board of Directors she volunteered as an Advocate for North Idaho CASA.  Melisa is the proud mom to three children: Anna, Sawyer, and Savoy and two Golden-doodles: Charlie and Wilson. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, working out, golfing, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.   
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​Kristina Lallatin - Vice President 
Kristina is a native of North Idaho and was born and raised in Coeur d’Alene. With an Associate of Science Degree from North Idaho College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Accounting from the University of Idaho, Kristina has had a career as a CPA and a financial executive that spans nearly 35 years. The building and forest products industry has been the focus of her career and she currently holds the position of CFO for Plummer Forest Products in Post Falls Idaho. Her community roots run deep as the daughter of two long time School District 271 educators as well as her late father’s involvement not only in local county government but at the state level as well. Kristina joined the CASA Board in 2021 and has a long list of volunteer roles in North Idaho, most of which have been inspired by her children’s interests. She is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for United Way of North Idaho and has held similar positions for other organizations such as Canfield Middle School PTO, Hayden Little League, Kootenai County Girls Softball Association, and the CHS Graduating Class parent group, to name a few. Kristina and Ken, her husband and best friend of 23 years, are humble and proud parents of Jake, Katie and the youngest Kara, who will be a third generation CHS Viking graduate this spring! The highlight of Kristina’s life is sharing her time with her family, cooking, traveling, downhill skiing, and ANYTHING to do with the beautiful lakes in North Idaho, especially Hayden Lake where she and Ken call home.
Justan Kinsel - Secretary 
Justan joins the CASA board after working with the office through Intermax as a MSP Sr. Systems Engineer for years. He is an important part of the CASA events team and chairs the Fundraising Committee.  
Ed Morse
The First Judicial District CASA Program welcomed Ed Morse to the CASA Board of Directors at the end of 2014. In 1972, Ed graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. degree and obtained his MBA degree in 1973. In 1977, he graduated Cum Laude from Gonzaga University with his Juris doctorate law degree. Since 1973, Ed has worked as a real estate appraiser in Coeur d'Alene for all types of real property interests and as a consultant. He holds the CRE designation from the Counselors of Real Estate and the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. Ed has served two terms on the Idaho Real Estate Appraiser Board and served two terms (including the position as Chairman) on the Appraisal Qualification Board of the Appraisal Foundation. He was a member of the Coeur d'Alene Library Foundation and served one term in the Idaho House of Representatives for Legislative District #2. Ed was raised in the northwest and he and his family live in Hayden. Ed's family includes his wife, Terri, his son Chris, and the family dog, Zamba.

​Coco Jensen
Coco has been in the real estate industry for over 18 years and has been a REALTOR for 10 years at Windermere CDA Realty.   Coco earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with Marketing and Management from the University of Montana.  Coco has also earned many designation's in real estate (GRI,ePro,ABR,RSPS).  She enjoys spending time volunteering locally to help our community and playing outside in our beautiful part of the country. Coco is a single mom to three amazing kids.

​Tara Malek - Past President 
Tara is an Idaho licensed attorney practicing in state and federal Court in business and commercial litigation. Tara has experience in both civil and criminal law. Previously, she worked as a Kootenai County Deputy Prosecutor, a Special Assistant United States Attorney, and an Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney’s Office in Boise. She is now the Chief Litigator at Smith + Malek as well co-owner. One of Tara’s biggest career accomplishments is a reversal of a jury verdict in federal court that is now on appeal at the Ninth Circuit. Tara was born in England, but she grew up in Washington State and Arizona. She holds a B.A. in political science from the University of Arizona in Tucson, and she moved to Idaho in 2008 to attend the University of Idaho College of Law, where she met her husband, Luke Malek. She graduated with her J.D. in 2011.In 2018, the Idaho Business Review named Tara among Idaho’s Women of the Year honorees, and in 2019, she was named among the publication’s Leaders in Law. “I chose a career in law because I wanted to pursue justice and equality and help make the world a better place,” says Tara. She currently serves on the board of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and is a past board member at Safe Passages in Coeur d’Alene. In her free time, Tara enjoys volunteering in the community, backpacking, hiking, and fly-fishing with her husband, Luke Malek.
Tyrel Stevenson
Tyrel is  Legislative Director for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. He handles tribal issues at the federal, state and local government levels.  Stevenson has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Office of Legal Counsel since 2007, where he worked to address a number of tribal issues that included land use and acquisitions, trust reform, health care, tax policy, tribal code, and environmental issues.  Prior to working for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Stevenson worked in the Canyon County public defender’s office for two years. An Idaho native, Stevenson graduated from Caldwell High School. He was a member of the track and field team for the University of Idaho, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a law degree. He joined the CASA Board of Directors in 2017. 
Additional Board Members: Jessi Webb, Treasurer, Layne McWilliams and Nick Forsberg

North Idaho CASA Board Liaisons

Dan Hammes (Benewah County)
Dan Hammes owns and operates the St. Maries Gazette Record with his wife, Cindy. In addition to the community newspaper, the business is an Internet Service Provider and offers services in St. Maries, the surrounding area and Harrison.
Dan and his wife have two daughters and six grandchildren. The consensus is the grandchildren are quite bright and generally remarkable.

​Lara Gamel Wohllaib (Bonner County)
Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Lara moved to Southern California after high school, where she started a career in the fashion industry. After spending several years as a buyer for a retail chain of 65 stores, she went on to receive a degree in fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Lara then enjoyed a wonderful career for 15 years years designing swimwear and traveling the globe for her job. The last 8 years of her career she severed as Vice-President of Design and Merchandising for Manhattan Beachwear which is now on of the largest swimwear companies in the US. After marrying her husband Alex and welcoming her first born, Lara decided she step away from her demanding career and move to Sandpoint, Idaho to be closer to family. Lara now enjoys life as a homemaker and hands-on mom to their 2 children from juggling multiple sports and regularly volunteering at their school. Since their relocation, Lara has found her passion for the community as a volunteer and supporter for services caring for children in need. Lara is heavily connected throughout the community and can always be found working on projects and events to help others. Member of the 101 Women and active with supporting KinderHaven, she is a pillar of the philanthropic community. 

​Brad Corkill  (Shoshone County)
The First Judicial District CASA Program wishes to express its appreciation for the many years of service Brad Corkill has provided us. Mr. Corkill has recently stepped down from the Board of Directors but remains a loyal supporter of CASA. Mr. Corkill and his company, Whiteman Lumber in Cataldo, have been faithful supporters of our mission to serve our community's children.