Do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet?—Brandi Carlile   

Kate Berger, MAT, is the LMS specialized instructional designer for CWTS. She is passionate about creating systems and structures that help all children thrive. In this role, she is responsible for the design, maintenance, and quality control of the learning management system, ensuring ease of use for learners. 

As a lifelong educator, Kate works hard to help people understand complex problems in ways that make sense to them. She started her career as a high school science teacher in Leland, Mississippi. She relocated to Los Angeles and then Washington, DC, where she taught biology and physics to students in grades 7–12 while earning her master’s degree. After realizing she could impact more students as an administrator, Kate became the dean of academics at Maya Angelou Academy at New Beginnings, a charter school located inside a youth detention facility. There she joined an amazing group of students and staff working tirelessly to change outcomes for youth who had been adjudicated delinquent, many of whom had experience with the child welfare and foster care systems. In 2012, she relocated to Denver, where she was founding principal of STRIVE Prep—Excel High School. After transferring to an assistant principal role at North High School in 2016, it was not long before she felt the call back to the classroom, and she taught AP Physics for two more years at North through the pandemic. Kate joined the Kempe Center in May 2023.   

Wendy is a learner experience coordinator, striving to ensure successful learning delivery by providing support and coordination to learners, facilitators, providers, and stakeholders before, during, and after training. 

Wendy earned her Bachelor of Science in marketing management from Virginia Tech and began her career, and family, in the Washington D.C. metro area, before moving to Colorado, in 2007. A few of her favorite roles prior to joining the CWTS team include sales management for a national wholesaler, resource management for a large international consulting firm, and marketing and product management for a small manufacturer and distributor. In each of these positions and in others, she has honed her skills in program management and client relations.  She thrives on challenges and finding resolutions that come with great customer care.    

When she’s not working, Wendy is outdoors as much as possible. She loves to hike in the spring and fall months and ski in the winter—Telluride is her favorite place for both. She enjoys traveling and tries to keep a destination on the calendar as often as possible. 

In February 2016, Mr. Comer joined the Colorado Child Welfare Training System (CWTS) at the Kempe Center. He is currently an instructor in the Pediatrics Department for the University of Colorado School of Medicine. 

Dan has over 30 years’ experience in the human services field and was one of the creators of the Principles of Partnership, used by several states as the guiding principles for all work with their families, colleagues, and community partners. Over the last two decades, Dan has traveled the country delivering training and coaching to all levels of child welfare staff related to workforce well-being, retention, resiliency, implementation of Differential Response, change management, leadership, and best practices in family engagement.   

Prior to joining the Kempe Center, Mr. Comer served as a clinical instructor within the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina. He has worked previously with Appalachian State University, Barium Springs Training Group, and American Humane Association. Dan’s early career included time as a foster care worker, supervisor, and residential services administrator. 

Mr. Comer received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio University and his master’s degree in special education from Appalachian State University. Mr. Comer has also received formal training in solution-focused practice, coaching, leadership, and facilitation skills. 

Ida has over twenty years of experience in the human services field, primarily in public child welfare. As an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Kempe Center, she has served multiple consulting and research projects including the Capacity Building Center for States and the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development. She is currently the Principal Investigator for the Colorado Child Welfare Training System, Kempe’s Assistant Director of Workforce Development, and Principal Investigator for the Kentucky Alternative Response project. She is a social work educator at Metro State Denver and the University of North Dakota. Prior to joining the Kempe Center, Ida was a research and data analyst for the Colorado Department of Human Services. Before that, she guided Colorado child welfare funding as the CAPTA administrator. In 2009, she served as project director for the Colorado Consortium on Differential Response. Her early career was on the front line in Minnesota as a child welfare caseworker. 

Ida received her Bachelor of Arts and Social Work at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. She earned her Master of Social Work at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. She completed her Doctor of Philosophy at the School of Public Affairs at University of Colorado Denver in 2019. 

Stacy works as a faculty instructor and learning development specialist for the Child Welfare Training System based in Western Colorado. She originally joined the CWTS project in February of 2018 as a learning coordinator. In August of 2022, she began her current role in development. Stacy completed her undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in English at Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University), and a Master of Social Work through the University of Denver. Before she began her career in child welfare, she worked as a school-based behavior coach.  

Prior to joining the Kempe team, Stacy worked as a program advisor for a federal, grant-funded program providing mentoring, coaching, and academic advising for first-generation college students. This work inspired Stacy to return for her own master’s degree, and she completed internship work in integrated behavior health clinics across rural Western Colorado. Stacy was born and raised in Western Colorado and she’s an avid outdoor enthusiast. She formed an outdoor adventure group and regularly leads hiking trips and other outings. She has volunteered with several non-profits, including Girls, Inc., Spark the Change in Metro Denver (behavioral health support), and Foster Alumni Mentors. 

Krystal is the project director for CWTS and a faculty instructor for the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine, at the Kempe Center. As a social worker, she is committed to social justice and to helping give voice to individuals who may not have one. She knows the importance of a prosperous and robust learning system to support child welfare professionals to reach their full potential, heighten their own self-awareness, and best serve the families they work with. 

Krystal has worked in the community and child welfare for more than fifteen years. Her work in child welfare began in 2006, when she became an intake caseworker in El Paso County. After five years, she transitioned to training, serving one year as the child welfare training specialist and another two as the Child Welfare Training Academy supervisor.  

Krystal earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Colorado–Colorado Springs and her Master of Social Work from Colorado State University–Fort Collins. She is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Colorado. She also is a certified professional Co-Active coach and serves as a leadership coach for child welfare professionals.  

Amy (Rohm) Hahn is an Assistant Professor at the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine. Amy currently serves as the Project Director for the Kentucky Alternative Response project and oversees curriculum development for Colorado’s Child Welfare Training System.  

She has spent more than fifteen years in child welfare helping cultivate improvements to the systems that serve children and families in crisis, working for American Humane Association before joining the Kempe Center as faculty in 2012. Amy has worked with many states to support their successful development, implementation, and evaluation of child welfare reform efforts like Family Group Decision Making and Differential Response. Amy has facilitated training, coaching, and technical assistance with child welfare staff at all levels across the country on subjects including Differential Response, change management, solution-focused supervision, coaching, leadership development, and family engagement. 

Hahn received her B.A. from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and a M.S.W. from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work in Colorado. She is a certified Organization, Relationship and System coach and currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin. 

Paula Haugerud is honored to serve as a learner experience coordinator for the CWTS, where she is responsible for the coordination of development, training logistics, and special projects for CWTS and the Kempe Center and offers support to our community stakeholders to ultimately further the greater mission of the organization. 

Paula grew up in Colorado and studied psychology at the University of Colorado. She began her career with a national nonprofit organization in a variety of administrative and leadership roles serving youth-based program development and events. Later, Paula worked in multiple roles in the public school system, from teaching in the classroom to serving as program specialist providing direct vocational and transition services to young adults in the community in partnership with the State of Colorado. Every pathway of her work with stakeholders, volunteers, and youth drives her commitment to succeed. She feels great passion about working with programs that impact and enhance the community and state that she loves.

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”
―Walt Disney

Skyla joined the CWTS team in 2023 as a small-county learning coordinator. She facilitates learning for new caseworkers and supervisors, aiming to create a safe and comfortable environment for learners so that they leave with more knowledge and confidence to work with the families they serve.  

Skyla graduated from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a bachelor’s in sociology and a minor in women’s and ethnic studies. She started her career in child welfare in 2013 as an ongoing caseworker in Fremont County. She then spent nearly nine years in Pueblo County, working her way up to becoming an ongoing supervisor. In that time working with children and families, she worked mostly with children six and under. Skyla finished her career in Pueblo County as a Supervisor in Ongoing. She brings experience working in treatment facilities, with domestic violence survivors and families within the child welfare system. 

When Skyla is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends and often volunteers at her church. She has a love for sports and coaching her children. During the summer months, Skyla can be found on a lake enjoying the beautiful outdoors of Colorado. 

Adrian comes to The Child Wefare Training System with multisystem experience and currently contributes as a Virtual Learning Specialist and Leadership Coach. 

A belief in the safety and well-being of children, change, and self-growth inspired Adrian to seek a life in the field of human services. His passion in his work is derived from an organic belief in people and a vision that systems can help to develop strong families and highly contributing generations of children. Adrian earned a BA in criminal justice through Colorado Mesa University. In the fall of 2016, he received his MS in criminal justice with specializations in the analysis of criminal behavior as well as the theory and practice of law enforcement and crime prevention.  

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you are right.“
―Henry Ford

Holly joined the team at the Kempe Center in October 2015 as the regional training specialist for the Southeastern Regional Training Center, located in Canon City, Colorado, where she facilitates the Fundamentals courses. Her focus is to provide the best possible training and education to new caseworkers to better serve the children and families of this great state.  

Holly has a bachelor’s in psychology as well as a master’s in clinical counseling. She brings many years of direct child welfare practice to the team. She worked across all child welfare teams during her nearly eight years in Fremont County and has experience and expertise in intake, ongoing, and in-home services for families. While in Fremont County, Holly served as supervisor of the intake team, the adult protection team, and the resource/therapeutic team.  She also coordinated, organized, and served as the agency representative for Fremont County’s Child Protection Team. In addition, Holly served on a variety of other joint committees with community partners, including the Combined Investigations Response Team and the ECHO Council for Early Childhood Programs in Fremont County.  

“Every job is a self-portrait of the person doing it. Autograph your work with excellence.”
―Ted Key

Michelle Mares is a recognized faculty member of the University of Colorado School of Medicine as Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Kempe Center. She is also recognized as an active faculty member for CRR Global, LLC, a systems coaching organization.   

Michelle oversees the foster, kin, and adoptive parent training department for Colorado’s Child Welfare Training System.  She has spent more than 28 years working with children and families in various capacities of familial and educational support; over five years specifically with Colorado’s child welfare.  

Michelle is responsible for writing and facilitating the state-wide curriculum for the educating and training of foster, kin, and adoptive parents. She is responsible for ensuring the skills and strategies for parents who foster and offer kinship care for children and youth in crisis. 

Michelle is a global coach who trains other professional coaches, from across the globe, on specific coaching curriculums and systems strategies. She is a certified Organization, Relationship and System coach and is a life-long Colorado resident. 

Michelle received her B.A. from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a double major in Speech Communications and Psychology. She attended Regis University and received her master’s degree in business management, Organizational Leadership, with endorsements of Strategic Business Management and Executive Leadership.    

Kendall is the legal learning manager for CWTS and faculty instructor for the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Kempe Center. He loves helping the child welfare workforce understand how to use the law to produce better outcomes for vulnerable children and their families. 

Kendall served as executive director of the National Association of Counsel for Children and as deputy director and bureau chief of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. He holds a master’s from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, where he received the Wilma Walker Honor Award, and a JD and certificate in child and family law from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was an Honorary Child Law Fellow. His direct service experience includes working with homeless and aging-out youth on Chicago’s south side. As a writer and editor, he was responsible for the weekly blog Children, Families and the Law and oversaw the publishing of the third edition of Child Welfare Law and Practice, the leading national treatise on child welfare law. 

Kendall grew up in a family that welcomed six foster youth, and as an adult he has been a foster and adoptive parent.  

Sheila Ornelas is proud to be a learner experience coordinator for the CWTS; her responsibilities include the coordination and training logistics for Kempe CWTS courses. Sheila’s goal is to provide a pleasant experience and helpful hand to learners in the learning management system. 

Early in her career, Sheila worked in the child welfare field in the Jefferson County Intake Unit. There she witnessed true superheroes in action and was inspired by their bravery and dedication to children. Later, Sheila served in an administrative role with Denver Adult Probation for nine years before joining the CWTS team, where she feels privileged to be a contributing team member. 

Sheila is a proud Colorado native who enjoys spending time with her family and is the mother of a beautiful daughter. In the cooler months, Sheila enjoys football, scary movies, and trying new recipes. In the summer months, life is an adventure of road trips, concerts, and time well spent in Steamboat Springs.

“We rise by lifting others.”
―Robert Ingersol

Kari joined the CWTS team in November 2017. Serving in an administrative and systems support role, Kari is a member of the learner experience team and oversees various projects and tasks that ultimately serve the greater mission of the organization. 

Kari graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education in 1997 from the University of Mary, followed by her master of education from Northern Arizona University in 2005.  She began her career as a middle-school English teacher and coach, later transitioning to roles in  collegiate student services, office management, and program coordination. A native of Montana, she currently resides in Goodyear, Arizona, with her family.  

In her free time, Kari can be found experimenting with new recipes, watching a good movie, or spending quality time with her husband and children.

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.”
―Walter Elliot

Brandon is the IT specialist for CWTS. He enjoys this position because it allows him to use a wide array of his tech skills, like assisting in the creation of web content and maintaining CWTS’s ever-growing library of equipment.  

Brandon is originally from the Finger Lakes region of New York, where most of his family still resides. He is a trained chef, having worked in the restaurant industry since leaving high school. In 2006, he moved to Colorado with his wife so that she could attend the University of Denver. Brandon has also always had a passion for technology, and after moving to Colorado he decided to focus his skills in the tech field and returned to school. He studied software engineering at DeVry University, focusing on game design. Brandon leveraged his technology affinity into a contracting business that included clients like the American Humane Association and many smaller local businesses around Colorado and New York. From network administration to Web design, media production to coding and robotics, he has a vast interest in anything electronic.  

Carolyn serves as the writing and communications specialist on the CWTS team at the Kempe Center. She earned a BA in English and psychology from Carroll College and an MA in English at Indiana University (IU). She taught composition at IU and Red Rocks Community College, working in five years of bookselling at Barnes & Noble along the way. After attending the Denver Publishing Institute (DPI) in 2005, she joined the staff at Fulcrum Publishing, a nonfiction publishing company, and worked her way up the editorial ladder, from associate editor to managing editor. In 2012, she transitioned to project editor at Perseus Books Group, where she worked with Running Press, Da Capo Press, and Westview Press. She joined the CWTS staff in 2016.  

Maritza is grateful to be employed in her role as a learner experience coordinator for the CWTS. As a learner experience coordinator, Maritza manages the coordination of all training logistics. 

Maritza grew up in Colorado, where she earned her bachelor’s in digital media studies at the University of Denver. Upon graduation, she began her career with a nonprofit organization, where she acquired much of her professional expertise. Maritza has a strong inner drive and sense of commitment. She values kindness and enjoys bringing out the best in others. 

Maritza loves to read; two of her favorite authors are Eckhart Tolle and Karen Armstrong.

“The great task of our time is to build a global society, where people can live together in peace.”
―Karen Armstrong

Stacy is a faculty instructor at the University of Colorado-Anschutz, and the coaching program manager for the CWTS. Stacy is a trained Co-Active and Organization and Relationship Systems coach. She believes coaching is a powerful tool for effecting change. Stacy provides individual and systems coaching, coordinates the Colorado Coaches Collaborative, and facilitates learning opportunities focusing on coach-like leadership.  

Stacy is from Florida and attended the University of Miami, earning a bachelor’s in health sciences and minor in sociology. She is a Professionally Certified Coach (PCC) trained in both Co-Active and Organization and Relationship Systems coaching models” as the second sentence replacing what’s currently there. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, Stacy moved to Colorado and completed her MSW at the University of Denver. She is a licensed clinical social worker with expertise as an individual therapist, focusing on anxiety, depression, and trauma. 

Stacy began her career in child welfare in 2011, serving as an intake caseworker, practice coach, and most recently supervisor in the field. Stacy is committed to lifelong learning about the impacts of privilege and oppression and working to advance equity in child welfare. 

Outside of work, Stacy enjoys being outside with her spouse, daughter, and dog. While she still misses the Florida beaches, skiing has helped her make it through winter in Colorado.   

Lisa is an instructional designer at CWTS, where she develops WBT and LMS courses, designs information graphics, and supports instructional development needs. She is excited to be part of the CWTS team!  

Lisa brings nearly thirty years of professional service in the creative, training, and education fields to CWTS. Lisa earned her bachelor’s in English from Florida State University and her first master’s in educational media from Indiana State University. She was a middle school media specialist and video production teacher for seven years before completing a second master’s degree in instructional systems from Florida State University. Upon graduation, she entered the field of instructional design with the Florida Department of Children and Families. Missing direct interactions with youth, Lisa returned to teaching for seven more years, where she branched out into yearbook production, graphic design, Web design, and gifted education. Lisa has worked as an independent consultant since 2006 and has provided senior instructional design and graphic design services for federal, state, and commercial organizations. She has worked with child welfare agencies across the nation and has developed more than thirty instructor-led and Web-based training courses for foster parents, caseworkers, supervisors, child protective investigators, and licensing specialists.