ShropTalk: Voices from the Field

In episode 12, our last episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Mary Gail Foster, the Records Management Administrator in Support Services. Foster started as a library technician and then became the agency’s official librarian after she finished her master’s degree. Now a certified records manager, Foster oversees the agency’s Records Center which...

In episode 11 of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with David Johnson, Programs Administrator with Post Adoption and Guardianship, and Dr. Bonni Goodwin who serves as the Statewide Coordinator of Adoption Preservation Services. Dr. Goodwin is also the Director of the Center for Adoption and Family Well-Being and serves as Assistant Professor and Online Prog...

In the tenth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Terry Benjamin, Case Manager with Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS). In this episode, Benjamin articulates the importance of bringing your heart and full self to our work and the benefit that brings to our clients. From the big moments in clients’ lives like going to A Night to Shine, to...

In the ninth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Laree Reidenbaugh, Human Resources Programs Manager II with Human Resources Management (HRM), and our agency’s coordinator for the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP supports employee wellbeing by offering help through emotional, financial or legal stressors, as well as coaching and training...

In the eighth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Sarah Bouse, Programs Field Representative with Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Adult and Family Services. As part of the agency’s administration of TEFAP and CSFP, more than $20 million was distributed to food banks, pantries and...

In the seventh episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Aviva Harvey and Kellie Reed of Digital Pathways and the Digital Transformation Office. In this incredibly fun installment of the podcast, we learn from Harvey and Reed how raising your hand and your voice to improve the agency and its tools can create pathways to hope for our employees and th...

In the April episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Esther Rider-Salem who recently retired from Oklahoma Human Services after dedicating 44 years to Child Welfare Services (CWS). Rider-Salem served in many progressive roles over the years, most recently overseeing all Pinnacle Plan core strategy and semi-annual reporting, as well as federal repo...

In the fifth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Richie Scifo, the State Funded Adult Day Services Contract Monitor for Community Living, Aging and Protective Services (CAP). Scifo works daily offer hope and dignity to elder Oklahomans, prolonging their ability to remain safe and thriving in their community through a variety of services that s...

In the fourth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Scott Price, Digital Adoption Specialist II with Digital Pathways. Price recently celebrated his 27th anniversary with Oklahoma Human Services, but with many family members having worked and retired from the agency, he says “I’ve been in the family business since I was born.” In this episode, P...

In the third episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Marla Stripling, Oklahoma Human Services Programs Administrator for the Office for Civil Rights. Celebrating her eighth year with Oklahoma Human Services, Stripling shared how she came to work at the agency and the day-to-day work of the Office for Civil Rights. She also teaches us about the imp...

In the second episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Catherine Darko, Child Welfare Specialist V in Tulsa County’s Permanency Planning team. In this heartwarming episode, Darko teaches us how she uses the science of Hope to support her clients as they work to reunify their families. She also shares a personal story that has shaped how she walks a...

Dr. Deborah Shropshire is the agency director for Oklahoma Human Services and recently announced the recording of a new podcast where she will meet with staff to share their stories and the incredible work they contribute to our agency. The first episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field has launched with some of the agency’s latest news and a discussion with a member of your Communications team...