Beth Casbon, president and attorney at Komyatte & Casbon, P.C. in Highland, has spent decades delegating her time between her law practice and non-profit work. Guided by her Catholic faith and love of philanthropy, Casbon builds up equity in the diverse communities she serves.
Casbon, a South Bend native, initially followed her high school dream to become the next Perry Mason. In between achieving her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University in 1988 and her Doctor of Law (JD) from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1995, she took a part-time role in a general civil practice firm that would become Komyatte & Casbon, P.C.
“I did a lot of things my partners needed me to do, like business transactions and divorce work, but what drove my career was starting a family. So I decided to move from late worknights to working with healthcare clients,” Casbon said.
Casbon assists clients through adherence to privacy practices, policies, and procedures out of hospital systems. She is also one of the few lawyers in Indiana who was originally trained and licensed to assist clients with the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)—the standard for protecting individuals’ private medical information.
“What I focus on is healthcare financial management, so I work with CFO offices, patient financial services, and lots of insurance and business contracts. I work with quite a few hospitals in the state of Indiana and large physician groups,” Casbon said.
A key partner in the law firm, the late Richard Komyatte, served as a great mentor for Casbon in law and in faith.
“He and I were the two that ended up staying together and building this practice, but we found out we had a lot in common. We had our Catholic faith and we were big Notre Dame sports fans. He was a mentor to me in a million ways, but not the least of which was he was one of the most philanthropic people that I’ve ever met.” Casbon said.
Komyatte served as a Trustee for Catholic Charities, a national network dedicated to reducing poverty through community outreach programs. Komyatte also assisted in bringing Women’s Care Center, a pregnancy resource center founded in South Bend in 1984, to Northwest Indiana.
Casbon, a former volunteer for the center during her college years, worked with Komyatte and Catholic Charities to bring the center to its Lake County locations in Hammond and Merrillville.
Casbon and Komyatte shared a love of advocacy for social justice. Casbon now serves as the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Gary. She is also the chair for the Diocesan Commission for Social Teaching, which centers on the Church’s stance on human dignity and the integration of social justice. Casbon also plays an active role in the St. Vincent DePaul chapter of her home parish, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Valparaiso.
Casbon runs her law practice and charities with the same morals in mind. Her goal as a business owner is to ensure her employees have the means to a decent life.
“I try to make it clear I have a Christian background. Whether it’s an emissary in a legal manner, or an employee in my office, or somebody I run into through the organizations I work with, I want to treat everybody fairly and kindly. I believe in Catholic social teaching, and with that, I also believe everyone deserves to earn a living wage,” Casbon said.
Casbon’s acts of service are also exemplified outside of the work setting. Inspired by her children’s service projects, Casbon became a great proponent for Opportunity Enterprises, Inc. (OE) a non-profit working toward maximizing self-sufficiency for people with disabilities.
“The organization is a great place and resource for people with disabilities in the community. Its executive director is a visionary who unites the whole concept of diversity and integration. Top to bottom, employees, board members, executive groups, they’re all fantastic,” said Casbon.
On June 22, 2023, Casbon received the Jeanne Baird Volunteer of the Year for her dedication to OE. Casbon is also happy to announce that she will be taking over as the next Chair of the Board for OE on July 1, 2024.
As Casbon prepares for the future of her philanthropic projects, she is excited for short and long term projects for Catholic Charities and St. Vincent DePaul. She is also thrilled for her oldest daughter who is graduating and getting married this May.
For more information about Catholic Charities, visit https://www.catholic-charities.org/. Or for additional information about Opportunity Enterprises, Inc. visit https://www.oppent.org/.