Purdue Extension announces staff shifts; CASA warns of potential VOCA grant cut

Purdue Extension officials and court administration updated council on staffing and program issues at the Dec. 16 meeting.

Justin Curley, county extension director, said he will transfer to Wayne County effective Jan. 1. He introduced Emily Kring as the incoming county ag educator and noted Amanda Bullion will take over as county extension director. Vicky Gassaway, the 4‑H educator, told council the program serves more than 300 4‑H youth and over 100 adult volunteers and emphasized that 4‑H activities now include STEM and non-livestock projects.

Court administrator Emily Anderson told the council that the federal VOCA grant—administered at the state level for CASA entities—may be cut by 40% when the state allocates funds. "That does not mean that our CASA grant will be cut by 40%, but it's 40% for all the CASA entities within the state," Anderson said. She said the worst-case scenario for her program is losing a full-time staffer, and that if that happens they will likely request County General funding to maintain operations; the final impact will not be known until July.

Council thanked department staff and heard no public comments. The session closed with holiday remarks and an adjournment.