Board Member Spotlight: CARL BRANTLEY

It was ten years ago when CASA’s Board President, Carl Brantley, retired from his career in sales management. As International President of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, Carl had worked with and mentored college students and alumni. Carl and his wife Kathy had a history of caring about children and young adults, so it was a natural progression for Carl to become a CASA volunteer upon retirement.

Becoming a CASA was a natural fit in Carl’s life of service  

Back in 2008, a pregnant 17-year-old girl and her 18-year-old boyfriend had run away from their Minnesota homes and somehow ended up at Catholic Charities in Colorado Springs. Kathy Brantley worked there and she helped the young couple get jobs and an apartment.

When the boy left and the girl’s water broke – it was Kathy she called. And it was Kathy who cut the umbilical cord. The young mother and her baby were invited to live with Carl and Kathy. Eventually, the father came back, the couple reestablished contact with their families in Minnesota, and they settled down to start their family. Nowadays, Carl and Kathy go by Gaga Kathy and Papa Carlo when they visit once a year.

“What would have happened to those two if they hadn’t met Kathy,” Carl asks now. “What if they hadn’t known us? It helped me gain perspective of what kids go through.”

Carl began his CASA service in 2018.

Four days after his swearing-in ceremony, Carl got his first CASA case – a teenage boy who was given up by his parents and passed over for adoption by the uncle who adopted his younger brother.

The boy was juggled from foster homes to residential programs to Denver Children’s Home which is where he lived when Carl first met him in 2018.

“He was one of those kids that didn’t trust anybody. He thought everybody was out to get him and it was very challenging because I had never worked with anyone that didn’t trust anyone,” said Carl.

Over time, Carl earned the young man’s trust, and the break-through moment came in a simple manner as break-through moments often do.

“He told me that even though he had grown up in El Paso County, he had never been to the zoo,” Carl said. “So I took him to the zoo and he looked like a six-year-old kid. He was 16 but he was in heaven.”

“The best thing about that case is the first time he called me on a Saturday. ‘Carl,’ he said, ‘I need to talk.’ My heart just went yes. He trusted me enough to call me to talk.”

With Carl advocating for his best interest, the boy made progress and eventually became the head of his class at Denver Children’s Home before emancipating and moving in with his aunt, uncle, and younger brother. While the case didn’t end the way Carl envisioned, he knows he made a difference. Carl was a role model. He showed the boy what a trustworthy, respectful adult man looks like.

Carl’s passion for CASA extends into Peer Coordinator and Board of Directors roles.

It didn’t take Carl long to realize that CASA was a new family for him. After his first case ended, he stepped into the role of Peer Coordinator and now provides support and mentoring for newly trained advocates.

In 2024, he joined the Board of Directors at the urging of Rob McDonald who was another board member at the time. Carl went on to serve on several committees and became the Board President on July 1, 2026.

Carl’s first case is the #1 reason he’s so passionate about CASA. But his second reason, he’s quick to tell you, is the camaraderie built by being involved with an organization that has both volunteers and staff. Carl says he is proud to be associated with CASA’s diverse and supportive board.

“We’re like a family. We have fun, support, and look out for each other. I don’t know other nonprofits that have the camaraderie that we have,” he says. “Being on the board is my way of trying to give back for all I’ve gotten from this organization.”