Michael Piraino has been active in domestic and international child advocacy since 1977, primarily in the areas of child poverty, maltreatment, and foster care. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College, a law degree from Cornell Law School, and a master’s degree from Oxford University. While practicing law, he served as a pro bono guardian ad litem for children in foster care and as pro bono counsel for children in juvenile delinquency cases. He taught law at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, served as planned giving director, college counsel, and executive assistant to the president at Allegheny College, and as an Associate Research Scientist at the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University, where he was responsible for developing and implementing a minority fellows program. Most recently, Mr. Piraino served for 21 years as the Chief Executive Officer of the National CASA Association. He retired from that position in June, 2015, and is now serving as Senior Advisor to The Justice Project, an organization whose mission focusses on social, educational, economic and environmental justice. In this capacity, he provides consultation and collaborative project development assistance to help bring the latest scientific research into the child welfare field. As a result of his service to children, Michael Piraino received the New York Decade of the Child award in 1992, the National Association of Social Workers Westchester Citizen of the Year award in 1994 and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Presidents award in 1998. The Friend of Children Award was jointly presented to him and to all CASA/GAL volunteers by the North American Council on Adoptable Children in 2006. Most recently, Mr. Piraino was selected for inclusion into The Non Profit Times Non Profit Leaders of Power & Influence Top 50 in 2013 and 2014. A frequent speaker at domestic and international symposia on children, Mr. Piraino has served on several local and national boards and committees dealing with ethics, multiculturalism, and accountability for both nonprofit organizations and government agencies. He currently serves as a board member for Independent Sector.