Sometimes a Great Podcast

Season 1, Episode 91: July 8, 2026 Length: 26:57 This week, The Big Picture comes from South Salem, where we sit down with Kylie Pedraza, a lead worker at the South Salem branch, and Rodrigo Rodriguez, branch operations manager for District 2, to talk about a rapid process improvement event focused on eligibility interviews, triage and serving Oregonians at first contact. The conversation starts w...

Season 1, Episode 90 July 6, 2026 Length: 9:53 This week’s episode jumps across the ODHS multiverse, where time entry, SNAP accuracy, Transformation, First Contact and retirement planning all have their own portal, deadline and very specific set of instructions. The episode begins with a payroll update: starting with the August mid-month payroll run for the Aug. 14 pay date, DAS will stop auto-app...

Season 1, Episode 89 — July 1, 2026 Length: 9:23  In Discover, there are the stories that tell you what’s changing—deadlines, programs, policies—and then there are the stories that show you what the work actually looks like. This week, as we will from time-to-time, we’re going to tell you more about that work, and more importantly, the people doing it. Taken together, these stories point to someth...

Season 1, Episode 88 — June 29, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode boldly goes where Teams meetings have gone before, with updates on in-person work expectations, inclusive hiring, workplace collaboration and a few reminders from the ODHS calendar. The episode begins with Director Liesl Wendt’s June 24 Discover message clarifying what is changing — and what is not — around in-person work guidan...

Season 1, Episode 87 — June 24, 2026 Length: 17:36 This week, The Big Picture returns to Grant County for a follow-up conversation with Krista Qual, a family coach with ODHS and Self-Sufficiency Programs, and Kristina Krieger, a case manager with Aging and People with Disabilities. A few months ago, we visited Grant County to talk about rural service, distance, and the community resources that bec...

Season 1, Episode 86 — June 22, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode follows the thread through a full flock of ODHS updates, from courage and access to hiring, technology, community, preparedness, safety, belonging and remembrance. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with World Refugee Day, Inclusive Hiring Advocates and ADA anniversary webinars. From there, Da...

Season 1, Episode 85, June 17, 2026Length: 26:29 This week, The Big Picture comes from Mingus Park in Coos Bay, where we sit down with Shara Arnejo, a public benefits specialist with the Virtual Eligibility Center, and Dylan Bessey, a rotational supervisor with the Oregon Eligibility Partnership in North Bend, to talk about eligibility work, staff support and the family connection that gives this...

Season 1, Episode 84 — June 15, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode enters the Chamber of Very Specific Things, where every update has a label, a purpose and at least one instruction staff may want to read twice. The episode begins with Governor Tina Kotek’s June 30 employee town hall, including how staff can participate, submit questions and find the recording afterward. From there, the episode...

Season 1, Episode 83: June 10, 2026 Length: 24:51 This week, The Big Picture is in Astoria, where we sit down with Tracy Sahlberg, business analyst - and expert - for District 1. We’re talking about the work behind ODHS’ move into a new building downtown and what it takes to turn an old, empty shell into a place that can actually serve people well. The conversation begins with the building itself:...

Season 1, Episode 82 — June 8, 2026 Length: 9:58 This week’s episode climbs through a lighter set of ODHS updates, with agency progress, health coverage changes, summer wellbeing resources and mindful pauses all finding their place in the chorus. The episode begins with Director Liesl Wendt’s June 3 Discover message on ODHS’ first 100 days, including progress on child welfare overdue assessments,...

Season 1, Episode 81  Length: (21:51)    This week, we’re in Lakeview, talking with Stephanie Angelozzi, an OS2 for Child Welfare in one of Oregon’s frontier communities, where the office is small, the county is huge and the work rarely fits neatly into a single job description.  Stephanie shares what it’s like to be one of the first people Oregonians meet when they walk through the door—often on...

Season 1, Episode 80 — June 1, 2026Length: 9:24 This week’s episode kicks off summer at ODHS with clear language, grocery support, and one very useful OWL page all packed into the cooler. With no new 4Minutes4U, no Fact of the Week, and no brand-new Deadline items, the focus shifts to reminders and updates that still matter as the season gets underway. From Summer EBT returning for 2026 to a newly...

Season 1, Episode 78 — May 27, 2026 Length: 23:28 This week, The Big Picture comes from Grants Pass in Josephine County, where we sit down with Tanner Moss, achild welfare coaching and training specialist, and Brynn Orr, an intake worker in District 8, to talk about child welfare work in Southern Oregon and the distance between what people imagine rural communities are like and what lifethere actu...

Season 1, Episode 78 — May 26, 2026 Length: 9:46 This week’s episode charts a fresh course through ODHS, with leadership development, public comment opportunities, workplace accessibility, and sustainability tools all lined up like trail markers on the map. The throughline is planning ahead—whether that means preparing future leaders, shaping services for older adults and people with disabilities,...

Season 1, Episode 77 — May 20, 2026 Length: 24:22 This week, The Big Picture comes from District 7, where we sit down with Hayley Roe, an administrative specialist in the North Bend office, to talk about artificial intelligence, everyday problem solving, and what happens when a new tool starts making the to-do list feel a little less impossible. The conversation focuses on GenAI not as a replaceme...

Season 1, Episode 76 — May 18, 2026 Length: 9:35 This week’s episode brings a full calendar and a little friendly rivalry, with the launch of the first Beaver Duck Innovation Classic leading the way. The focus is on practical ideas from ODHS staff—ways to reduce red tape, cut duplication, improve communication, make daily work more efficient, and better support the people we serve. The episode als...

Season 1, Episode75 — May 13, 2026Length: 25:18 This week, The Big Picture comesfrom Klamath Falls, where we sit down with Bethany Pillow, a public benefits specialist in District 11, to talk about eligibility work in a rural community. The conversation explores how the same job description can look very different depending on where the work happens. InKlamath County, transportation, job availabil...

Season 1, Episode 74 — May 11, 2026Length: 9:04 This week’s episode leans into the quiet consistency that keeps everything moving—planning ahead, checking twice, and building systems that work not just once, but over time. With no major disruptions on the horizon, the focus turns to the habits and routines that create stability across the agency. From required trainings to emergency preparedness,...

Season 1, Episode 73: May 6, 2026 Length: 29:22 This week, we’re in Roseburg in Douglas County’s District 6 with Michelle Sumner, a resource developer in Child Welfare—and the mayor of nearby Sutherlin. Her work sits at the intersection of formal systems and informal networks, where relationships often matter as much as resources. The role of resource developer reflects a gap between what systems...

  Season 1, Episode 72 — May 4, 2026 Length: 9:58 This week’s episode settles into the rhythm of steady progress—the kind that doesn’t always make noise but keeps everything moving forward. With no major agency-wide updates, the focus shifts to the smaller, meaningful moments: quick learning opportunities, intentional pauses, and the everyday work that builds stronger systems over time. From suppo...

The Roads of Jebediah Clark: When systems meet the frontier Season 1, Episode 71 — April 29, 2026 Length: 15:03 This week is the final episode of our trip through Grant County, one focusing on how responsibility shifts when systems fall short. What might be handled by formal infrastructure elsewhere—food access, printing services, deliveries—moves instead into the hands of volunteers, small organi...

The Roads of Jebediah Clark: When systems meet the frontier Season 1, Episode 69 — April 22, 2026 Length: 13:54 This week’s episode continues the journey through Grant County by moving past observation and into the mechanics of what makes frontier work fundamentally different. Through conversations with Krista Qual, a family coach, and Kristina Kreger, a case manager for APD, the episode examines...

Season 1, Episode 68 — April 20, 2026 Length: 9:52 This week’s episode focuses on what it looks like when the work shows up both organized and still in motion—where trainings, events, policy updates, and program tools all connect across a shared purpose. From building individual resilience to celebrating culture and strengthening protections, to hearing directly from youth and accessing practical...

The Roads of Jebediah Clark: ODHS on the Oregon Frontier Season 1, Episode 64 — April 15, 2026 Length: 14:33 This week’s episode continues the journey through Grant County, moving beyond first impressions into the realities that shape daily life across its frontier communities. Traveling with Krista Qual, a family coach, and Kristina Kreger, a case manager for APD, the episode examines how assumpt...

Season 1, Episode 66 — April 13, 2026 Length: 9:56 This week’s episode leans into a simple idea: sometimes the work doesn’t arrive as a complete set. Instead, it shows up as a mix—updates, reminders, system shifts, and small adjustments that only make sense once you start putting the pieces together. From real-time communication tools to evolving data structures and everyday workplace practices, t...