Casey LaFrance: Shaped by Hardship, Sustained by Kindness

When someone has faced as much tragedy and trauma as Casey LaFrance, the last thing you expect to find is peace. And yet, Casey offers a powerful perspective. His story is filled with adversity, from environmental degradation in his Appalachian hometown, to systemic failures in mental health and justice, to personal loss that defies imagination. And still, he leads with humility, humor, and deep humanity.

Casey is a strategy consultant, educator, and public systems thinker who sees the world not in binaries, but in nuance. His journey into public administration was unplanned, prompted by disillusionment with clinical psychology and a series of life pivots. He struggled to make sense of the field at first but was encouraged by a professor who introduced him to Dr. Alice Sampson, founder of the Appalachian Studies Center at the University of North Georgia. Under Alice’s mentorship, Casey was exposed to community-based participatory action research and human-centered design—approaches that emphasized listening to and co-creating with the community rather than imposing solutions. The shift changed everything.

“People where I’m from are used to being told what they need,” he said. “But if you ask—and truly listen—you find solutions people will stand behind.” That insight came from mentors who invested in him when they had nothing to gain. Their acts of kindness altered the course of his life.

One of his most personal teachers now is his young daughter, Letty. “She doesn’t hate anybody. She doesn’t harbor resentment. She doesn’t remember being angry about the wrong bottle.” In raising her, Casey reaffirms his belief in dignity and agency. “I’m the luckiest person I know, despite all that has happened.”

Casey has faced challenges and multiple experiences with gun violence. One moment that left a lasting mark was the mass shooting on February 14, 2008, at Northern Illinois University. He had just finished teaching on campus the day five students were killed and the gunman died by suicide. When classes resumed later that semester, he noticed a shift. “My students kept their eyes on the door at the side of the room instead of the front,” he said. “So I started teaching in front of the door.”

That intention now shows up in how he teaches, parents, and leads. As a neurodivergent, trauma-informed educator and coach, Casey centers his work on value creation, emotional safety, and systemic transformation. He speaks openly about forgiveness—not because others always deserve it, but because peace is something we owe ourselves. “The golden rule isn’t about what the other person is going to do,” he said. “It’s about what you ought to do at all times because of the kind of person you want to be.”

In his academic research, Casey has explored accountability in public administration—as a constant balancing act between competing expectations. “Whose interests’ matter? What does good policy look like when everyone has a stake?” These questions continue to shape his work across sectors.

Kindness, for Casey, is a value. And often, it shows up in small moments. He recalls being 19, working in a jail, when a supervisor made a request and followed it with, “Thank you, sir.” That simple phrase stayed with him. “Nobody had ever called me ‘sir.’ I was white trash. You don’t call white trash ‘sir.’” It was the first time he felt seen, respected. That experience still shapes how he treats others—with dignity, patience, and respect.

He shares insights as someone who has known darkness and chosen not to live in it. “Not every crow is a raven,” he said. “If we treat every bird like it will our eyes out, we should not be surprised if they are not kind in return.”

“Our legacy is not about ego or monuments built to us. It is in what others are able to do because they worked with us.”

Casey LaFrance is a systems strategist, educator, and human-centered leader who demonstrates that kindness is not weakness—it is a discipline. His story calls us to listen more, assume less, and invest in the better versions of each other.