Passaic County Court Appointed Special Advocates welcomed Dr. Gerard Costa and Mr. Al Kahwaty as new members to the organization’s Board of Trustees in November of 2022.

Dr. Gerard Costa’s resume boasts decades of experience in early childhood mental health and infant/toddler development while Al Kahwaty brings excellence in filmmaking, journalism, and the nonprofit sector. They are strong additions to this Wayne-based child advocacy organization.

Passaic County Court Appointed Advocates (CASA) champions the best interests of abused and neglected children who are living in the foster care system. Through a triad of complimentary, yet distinct, programs Passaic County CASA ensures that each child in the child welfare system has the opportunity to thrive in a safe and permanent home.

Dr. Costa joined the Passaic County CASA board after a storied career in the field of early childhood mental health. Dr. Costa was the founding director of the Center for Autism and Early Childhood Mental and is a Professor in the Department of Family Sciences and Human Development at Montclair State University. He has served as a consultant to the national organization, ZERO TO THREE for the past 20+ years and is one of the first 16 “Expert Faculty” selected by ZERO TO THREE in the new DC: 0-5 (2016) Classification system. Since 2018 he has served as the Coordinator of the Northeast Regional Terrorism and Disaster Coalition. Most recently, Dr. Costa served as the Principal Investigator of the New Jersey Inclusive Education Technical Assistance (NJIETA) project, an $8 Million, 5-½ year project advancing full inclusion in New Jersey Public Schools.

“As the organization has grown, I have been honored to support Passaic County CASA’s newly launched New Jersey Safe Babies Court Team in a variety of ways, and now joining the board will continue to elevate this work which I wholeheartedly believe in.” Costa said.

Mr. Kahwaty spent a large part of his career producing long-form television news at shows such as 60 Minutes and Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. He now owns his own New Jersey based production company, Kahwaty Media. Mr. Kahwaty has also served many years as a Little Falls Council member and as the chairman of the Passaic County Film Commission.
Mr. Kahwaty’s involvement with Passaic County CASA began when he produced a video for the recent 2022 Storybook Gala. While working on that video, his passion for the organization and the children CASA serves became evident. “I have been honored to help share the stories of CASA volunteer advocates and the children they serve through film and look forward to building on that as a board member.” said Kahwaty.

Founded in 2007, Passaic County CASA has experienced significant growth over the past decade, serving more than 400 child victims of abuse and neglect during the last year through a triad of distinct, yet complimentary programs.

For more information about Passaic County CASA, including how you can become a CASA volunteer, attend an upcoming information session or e-mail training@passaiccountycasa.org