Marilyn Jones to lead Child Welfare
I am pleased to announce that we have hired Marilyn Jones to be the new Child Welfare Director for DHS starting October 9. Marilyn has worked for DHS since 1998 in a variety of roles.
For the past decade, she has been the district manager for Child Welfare and Self-Sufficiency Programs in District 13, based in Baker City. She is known for setting high expectations for herself as well as her district leaders and staff. She is committed to promoting strong community partnerships, transparency, leadership and employee engagement.
Marilyn's commitment to child welfare is personal as well as professional. Years ago, she and her family began providing respite care for foster parents who needed a break. But they felt they could do more, so they took the training and became a foster family, hosting 11 foster children over the years. Two of their foster daughters were not able to reunite with their original family or relatives, so her family adopted them. Marilyn and her husband continue providing strong support for their daughters and making their needs a top priority. This personal commitment gives her a unique understanding of many facets of our child welfare system.
Prior to her district manager role, she was a community development coordinator, School Site One Stop coordinator and an Early Start/foster home certifier for DHS. She also has extensive experience in the private sector as a business owner and partner.
Chris Black, current District 13 Child Welfare program manager, will be interim district manager.
In her new role, she will lead a statewide staff of dedicated, passionate employees working to make life better for Oregon's children, families and communities. I hope you share our excitement about this announcement.
I also want to thank Laurie Price for stepping in to fill the gap between when the previous Child Welfare director left and when Marilyn starts. Laurie has given so much of her time, energy and commitment to keeping our efforts moving forward during this transition. She is a leader in every sense of the word. She is talented, thoughtful and caring. Perhaps most of all, she is unwavering in her drive to make life better for children and families in their most trying times. We will all continue to depend on Laurie's leadership as our work keeps moving forward.
September 13, 2017
