Meet Our Team Members | Social Work Month

Did you know that March is National Social Work Month? This is a time to recognize the passion, empathy, and exceptional support of those who work in the field of social work. Social workers are ESSENTIAL. Thank you to everyone who is part of the DABSJ team that supports the many children and families of our community. Read below to learn more about why our team members love doing what they do.

Andrea Denes

Andrea has been part of the DABSJ team for 12 years and works in our Family Support Services program as a Supports Coordinator.

"Kids are just a ton of fun and you never know what adventure they're going to bring to the day. I find such joy when kids are able to progress or achieve anything that they’ve set their mind to or worked hard on, because for some of them, those achievements are years in the making!!!”

Susan Saavedra

Susan has been part of the DABSJ team for the last nine years and we're so lucky to have her!

"I love social work because it allows me to help others and because I find people and their stories fascinating.

I get to work each day because I know the children assigned to me did not get a say in their life circumstances, nor did they get a say in which adoption worker they were assigned. I want to do everything in my power to be the absolute best adoption worker each of my kids (and families) could have been assigned to."

John Jones

John is one of our Behavioral Health Therapists and we've been lucky to have him on the DABSJ team for the last 2.5 years.

"Social work, as a profession, provides me with the unique opportunity to witness some of the boldest acts of courage taking place in our communities every day. Every day I see people overcoming barriers to success, standing face to face with their biggest fears, and supporting one another through even the darkest of times. I feel very privileged to help the children and families we serve get just a little closer to living the kinds of lives they want to live."

Veronica Gerdes

Veronica is one of our Foster Care Licensing Specialists and has been part of the DABSJ team for two years. We are so lucky to have her!

"I love seeing the transformation from year to year in each foster child and the foster family as a whole. Since I do annual visits, it blows me away to see how much growth (personal, physical, emotional, developmental, etc.) occurs within the children and families each year."

Mercedes Noble

Mercedes has spent the last 4.5 years as a therapist on our Trauma Focused - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy team and we are thrilled to have her be part of DABSJ!

"I love this work because I get to walk alongside children and families as they heal and make meaning from their most difficult experiences. This gives me a daily opportunity to be amazed by what humans, even the tiniest ones, are capable of overcoming."

Leilani Marx

Leilani has been a Lead Case Manager on our Foster Care team for the last two years.

"Making one person smile can change the world – maybe not the whole world, but their world. This is the quote I feel I have lived by. It has been an inspiration to me in difficult times both in my personal life and work life and keeps me inspired to continue doing the work we do."

Sierra Williams

Sierra has been on our KSSN team as a Site Team Clinician for just under two years, and we are so happy to have her!

"A quote that I always live by is, 'You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending' - C.S. Lewis. Everyone has a story, and giving someone the support, motivation and encouragement to pave their future forward in a positive way, and look at what they have accomplished, is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a social worker."

Cassady Kauble

Cassady is a specialist in our Community Living Support & Behavioral Support Services programs! We've been happy to have her on our team for the last seven years.

"I love what I do because I am able to directly help children and their families work through and overcome obstacles together. I love being able to see progress over time with the children and create a meaningful connection with not only them, but their families as well. I have worked with many families for multiple years and many families for only short amounts of time and have been able to see positive impacts on both the children and families."

Shelley Garcia

Shelley is our Parent-to-Parent Supervisor for our Adoption Family Support Network and we're thrilled to have her here at DABSJ for the last 6.5 years!

"I love social work because helping kids and families is my passion. Empowering parents with tools to help them parent more effectively and being their support person and cheerleader through the ups and downs of this journey is incredibly rewarding. I get to work with like-minded individuals as well who share a passion for social justice and know the importance of the work we do.”

Lenair Correll

We are thrilled to have Lenair on our Enhanced Foster Care and Behavioral Health Services teams here at DABSJ, and even more thrilled to report that she's been here going on 22 years!

"Lenair's passion for the children and families she works with shines through in her work. Lenair is dedicated to person centered care and has high expectations for the outcomes of her cases. Lenair has demonstrated DABSJ core values in teaming and creativity by often volunteering to take on extra responsibilities and supporting her teams before even being asked." - Sarah Koon, Lenair's Supervisor

Missed our last post? Meet Mary, Our President/CEO!