Meet Casey

Casey Christopherson has been with SMART since the summer of 2008, when Pat Bird approached him about joining the group. As a child welfare administrator with DCFS, Casey knows first hand that prevention doesn't get nearly enough attention or funding, and he's happy to have an avenue to address some community problems from the front end.

Casey's experience with child welfare and family issues make him a great resource on our team. He supervises all the DCFS teams in Provo, so he sees a great deal of the problems in our community. He knows that addressing substance abuse can have an impact not only on the safety of our community, but can also positively affect child abuse and neglect of children who suffer from parental addictions.

A native of Utah County, Casey grew up in Spanish Fork and ended up settling there for good about thirty years ago. He and his wife met while working at the same grocery store, and together they have four children, ages 9 to 21.

When asked about something he's done in his life that he's proud of, Casey said, "I worked the first seven years of my marriage in a warehouse. The plant closed down and . . . I decided to go back to school. I am proud that I did that. I had to work two and three part-time jobs, I had two kids at the time, and I was older than the majority of the college kids. It was hard, but I earned my undergraduate degree and then my MSW in 5 years. Looking back, I don’t know how I did it! " Casey earned his MSW from the University of Utah in 2001. Prior to that, he earned a B.A. in psychology, with a minor in Spanish.

When he's not solving Utah County's problems at work, Casey enjoys reading, mountain biking, playing guitar, and spending time with his family, many of whom live close by. He likes to travel, and the most exciting place he's visited is Mexico. Speaking Spanish probably came in handy there! He'd like to visit Norway (his great-grandmother came from that country) or just about anywhere. One of his dreams is to own a small resort on a tropical island and offer a place to get away from it all. Of course that will require his being on hand at all times to run the place, but he thinks he's up to the job.

Among Casey's favorite movies are The Graduate, and Shrek. He recently read The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, by Bruce Perry, which he recommends as an interesting, albeit "bit depressing" read.

Thanks for letting us get to know you a little better, Casey!