Hispanic Heritage Month – Informing Spanish Speaking Current and Future Participants of Benefits Available Through the Child Support Program
Wednesday, October 15, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. MST
(12:00 pm Pacific, 3:00 pm Central, 4:00 pm Eastern)
This was a FREE Webinar! Watch the recording!
Description
Reaching and serving the diverse populations served by the child support program is critical to their family’s financial independence. This month we will showcase three unique and impactful communication campaigns targeted to educate current and potential Spanish speaking child support program participants on the services available to them and as well as the benefits to their families.
Speakers
Mayra Canela
Program Manager, San Joaquin County Department of Child Support Services
Mayra Canela embarked on her child support career in 2007 with the San Joaquin County Department of Child Support Services. Armed with a Paralegal degree, Mayra has traversed various roles within DCSS, contributing her expertise as a Legal Technician, Paralegal, Child Support Officer, Supervisor and as a Program Manager.
In her current capacity as Program Manager, Mayra orchestrates the seamless functioning of three Family Involvement Teams (FIT). Each team is meticulously composed of a supervisor, a lead, establishment and enforcement caseworkers, a satellite office, Debt Reduction Program, and Specialize Project Teams. Mayra has been instrumental in reshaping the organizational dynamics, transitioning from a task-driven setup to a performance-based framework.
Mayra piloted the office’s inaugural Spanish caseload initiative, managing cases exclusively involving Spanish-speaking parties. The success of this endeavor led to the establishment of a permanent team of four Child Support Officers catering to the Spanish-speaking community.
Mayra’s commitment extends beyond her immediate role, as evidenced by her coaching involvement during the Behavioral Interventions for Child Support (BICS) grant Phase I. Serving as the California BICS Site Lead for San Joaquin County, she plays a pivotal role in project planning and implementation of BICS activities. Mayra is also an active mento to BICS sites nationwide, showcasing her dedication to advancing industry standards.
Her influence is felt not only within the office, but also in various conferences across the country, including presentations at CSDA in Orange County, California; WICSEC in Omaha, Nebraska; Spokane in Washington State, and Washington; ERICSA in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Outside her professional endeavors, Mayra holds family as her most cherished possession. She is happily married, a proud mother of two children agreed 25 & 22, a stepmother to two sons, and a step-grandmother to five adorable grandbabies.
Mayra Canela takes pride in laying the foundation for a customer service-focused culture and remains actively engaged in providing departmental trainings and participating in special projects, consistently demonstrating her commitment to excellence in the realm of child support services.
Natalie Dillon
Director, Colusa Sutter Yolo Regional Child Support Agency
Natalie Dillon is the Director for the Colusa, Sutter, Yolo Regional Child Support Agency. In January 2021, the three local child support agencies merged to create a single regional agency.
Natalie had been the Director of the Yolo County Department of Child Support Services and previously worked as Deputy Director for the California Child Support Directors Association (CSDA). At CSDA she was heavily involved in the coordination of California local child support agency input in matters of automation, policy, and outreach. She was responsible for the Association’s participation in and development of educational material, training and conferences.
Natalie is the Past President of the CSDA Board of Directors and is currently a Board member. She served on the National Child Support Engagement Association (NCSEA) Board of Directors as well as Leadership Symposium Planning Committee and is a lifetime Board member of WICSEC (the Western Interstate Child Support Engagement Council) as well as Past President. Natalie previously served as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the children’s home, Progress Ranch Treatment Services for Children.
Natalie has worked extensively in the Human Services arena. In addition to the Child Support Program, areas of expertise include public assistance and employment service programs and programs for at risk youth. She was a part time instructor for the University of California at Davis, Continuing and Professional Development.
Natalie received the CSAC (California State Association of Counties) credential for County Senior Executives and is the recipient of the 2008-09 American Society of Public Administrators (ASPA) Award for Intergovernmental Cooperation, the CSDA CCSAS Excellence Award and in 2022 received the CSDA Truly B. Knox award.
Betina Gonzales McCracken
Child Support Services Division Director, New Mexico Health Care Authority
Betina Gonzales McCracken is the Director of the New Mexico Child Support Program, where she has been serving in that capacity since May 2021. She was promoted from Deputy Director of Field Operations, a position she held since 2013.
The Child Support program provides services to help families establish parentage, child support and medical support orders, and enforce those orders. Over the last four years the program has implemented several modernization changes to help parents and children benefit more from the program, including family first distribution and referrals to the Department of Workforce Solutions for job development and job opportunities through the STEPUp! program. Those efforts were recognized in 2022 when the when the New Mexico Child Support program was the recipient of the 2022 Western Intergovernmental Child Support Engagement Council Excellence Award for Making a Difference.
Betina has been with the New Mexico Human Services Department since 2003, where she began as Communications Director. As Communications Director her responsibilities were to promote the national and state programs that serve approximately half of the state’s population including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, Medicaid, Child Support services and Behavioral Health services for adults.
Prior to joining the Human Services Department, Betina worked at KOB-TV, the NBC affiliate in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, Betina held several positions in the newsroom: Assignment Editor, Investigative Producer, Line Producer, Executive Producer and, finally, Managing Editor. She has won several awards, including Best Investigative Story andBest Spot News from the New Mexico Associated Press; Best Media Award from the New Mexico Bar Association; and The American Red Cross Philos Award from the Mid-Rio Grande Chapter of the Red Cross. Betina graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelor’s degree in communications.
Janet Rodriguez
Child Support Officer, San Joaquin County Department of Child Support Services
Janet Rodriguez began her career with San Joaquin County DCSS in April of 2021 as an Office Assistant. She joined the Customer Contact Center after her training, establishing an exceptional customer service foundation. In July of 2022, Janet was promoted to Child Support Officer and assigned to the Spanish Team, were she currently carries a caseload primary consisting of Spanish speaking customers. Janet activity participates in Outreach functions for the department.
Prior to working for DCSS, Janet worked in customer service, as well as at a school where she supervised a kindergarten class for an afterschool program.
Janet graduated from CSU Stanislaus with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, with a concentration in Juvenile Justice in 2019.
Fun fact about Janet, she enjoys attending sporting events and went for the very first time to Disneyland this year with her 5-year-old. She definitely plans on returning!