Feb 22 2022

Meet Volunteer Advocate Lisa Grant Davis

By Sara Blake

“I believe a person’s lived experience adds real value to the bigger conversation. We all have unique lenses and experiences that shed light, create comfort, open mouths, break down barriers and can bring a new perspective to someone out there,” CASA volunteer Lisa Grant Davis states with a smile. “Maybe relatability isn’t something you can teach, but you can model how to respect diverse viewpoints and make room for the perspective of someone else. And that’s something CASA promoted in the volunteer training.”

Lisa is an original Austinite, raised here until 10 years old and choosing to return for college. She graduated from Phyllis Wheatley High School in San Antonio, named after the first published female Black poet. She then returned to her hometown to attend UT Austin, where she studied English and African American culture. Lisa later began a master’s program in organizational management which helped lead her to where she is today in her career.

Lisa has worked for the state of Texas since 2009. Today, she manages an innovative training program for long-term care providers, including assisted living facilities and nursing facilities for the aged and disabled. “We offer training to providers to help them improve the care that they provide. We have made huge inroads on things like reducing the use of antipsychotics, historically overused just to stop a patient’s behavior,” Lisa explains. “In 2012, right before this program began, Texas was last in the nation in this field. But now in the first quarter of 2022, we are 10^th!” she shares proudly. “Now, when a patient is displaying undesirable behavior, we ask questions: Are they in pain? Are they bored? Lonely? There are so many effective solutions if we take the time to ask the right questions. We have seen such progress just by teaching providers to get to know their patients and treat them as an individual.”

“As the mother of two young men, I see many of the things missing in young Black men’s lives, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cultural competency reflected in CASA’s training. I could see the awareness and humility the trainers had, especially around racial disparity. They taught us how to address our own biases and encouraged us to question and challenge things.”

Not surprisingly, Lisa has brought this mindset to her work with CASA over the last two years. “Like many people, I first heard about CASA years ago, but I was working full time and raising my three children. But as they got older (they are now adults with children of their own), I realized it was time.”

When she began her work with CASA, Lisa knew she wanted to work with black teens, particularly males. “As the mother of two young men, I see many of the things missing in young Black men’s lives,” she shares. “But I was pleasantly surprised by the cultural competency reflected in CASA’s training. I could see the awareness and humility the trainers had, especially around racial disparity. They taught us how to address our own biases and encouraged us to question and challenge things.”

“If anyone is reading this and thinking about becoming a CASA volunteer, but isn’t sure they have what it takes, I would just say this,” says Lisa: “It is not about your education or professional experience. CASA has amazing training and leadership, but we need you to bring your personal experience and passion to the table for these kids.

In Lisa’s most recent case, she had to use all her experience breaking down barriers to form a connection. “He was a young Black man who barely spoke to anyone. But when I first sat down with him, I could immediately tell there was more to the story than met the eye,” describes Lisa.

“I started off by asking him ‘What should I know about you?’

No answer.

‘Okay, what do you need to know about me to help build trust?’

No answer. I asked him to think about it and let me know at our next meeting.”

“When I saw him again, he told me he wanted to know what my motive was for doing this. I told him why I wanted to do this work, about my own sons, and that I was a volunteer who just wanted to help him as best I could. And at our third meeting, we had our first real conversation. I told him he had been put here on earth for a reason, and that there was a way out of whatever he was going through. And that it may mean facing things you don’t want to face. But the danger of staying in your imagination is that everything seems bigger and scarier. Then I challenged him: if you can use your imagination for the worst, what about using it for the best? Can you use it to imagine a good and happy future for yourself? When I think about that interaction, I remember a video we watched in training about how even in a short period of time, you can have an impact on someone. Sometimes it’s just about being there at the right time, even if that time is short.”

“If anyone is reading this and thinking about becoming a CASA volunteer, but isn’t sure they have what it takes, I would just say this,” says Lisa: “It is not about your education or professional experience. CASA has amazing training and leadership, but we need you to bring your personal experience and passion to the table for these kids.

If you are willing to look someone in the eyes, learn their story, and advocate for them, you have what it takes.”