Marty Lowrey, LCSW
Director of Workforce Development
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Ms. Lowrey currently directs the Child Welfare Partnership training and educational stipend programs. She is responsible for the work of 23 staff focused on strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce and improving the outcomes of children and families who come in contact with the Child Welfare system. In addition to administrative responsibilities, Ms. Lowrey is often asked to participate in and chair task forces because of her capacity for strategic planning, strategic thinking, and inclusion of all points of view. A career social worker, Ms. Lowrey has worked in child protection, clinical and residential work, training and education, and received the Tom Moan award, the state’s highest recognition for child welfare caseworker contribution.
Marty's specialty areas include leadership and supervision, project management, family Systems, values and ethics.
Jon Garcia, MBA, M.A. Ed.
Logistics Manager
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Jon Garcia has worked for the Child Welfare Partnership since 2019 overseeing training logistics, coordinating and developing the training schedule, budget and work orders. He also oversees the administrative support and I.T. staff. Jon has extensive experience in overseeing training programs and large-scale initiatives across numerous industries and training topics such as unconscious bias, cultural competency and employee engagement. He has previously worked for OHSU and DHS, where he contributed to the implementation project team for eCourt in Clackamas County, coordinated permanency committees, citizen review boards and was a LEDS Operator for CPS.
Jon's specialty interests include strategic planning, project management, budget and finance, employee engagement, curriculum design, learning theory, diversity, equity and inclusion, and unconscious bias.
Kirstin O'Dell, MSW
Child Welfare Workforce Evaluations Manager
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Kirstin O’Dell is the Child Welfare Workforce Evaluations Manager for the Child Welfare Partnership at Portland State University. For the past 15 years, her work has focused on the evaluation of training for child welfare staff, caregiver, and community partners. Ms. O'Dell has expertise developing competency-based evaluations using utilization focused and participatory approaches. She has worked with trainers and subject matter experts to develop knowledge and skill assessments, including five simulated practice experiences for new child welfare workers. She also has extensive experience developing effective quality assurance measures and feedback tools for training.
In her free time, Kirstin enjoys kayaking and spending time with her husband, 3 teenagers and 3 dogs.
Jose Maciel, BS
Workforce Development and Training Manager
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Jose worked six years as a child protective services worker in Linn county prior to becoming a trainer at the PSU Child Welfare Program. Jose is bilingual/bicultural which has allowed him to provide culturally specific services to the Latinx community.
Enjoying time with his family is the primary motivation and brings him the most joy. His extracurricular interests include developing and supporting youth soccer officials. Jose is heavily involved in the soccer community which he has a great passion for.
Daniel Schneider, JD
Training Administrator
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Daniel earned a B.S. in Psychology with a focus on Substance Use Prevention from the University of Oregon in 2000, a J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law in 2006, and passed the Washington and Oregon State Bars in 2006 and 2012, respectively. Daniel was employed by the Oregon Department of Human Services for over six years as a permanency and legal assistance referral caseworker, and for a year as a Permanency Training Academy Unit supervisor (2008-2015). He has been employed with Portland State University's Child Welfare Training Partnership since July 2015 and specializes in training permanency and court-related activities. Daniel participates in the Juvenile Court Improvement Program, Governor's Advocacy Office Foster Youth Advisory, ODHS Peer Advisory Review, and ODHS OR-ICWA Implementation, Training, Case Mapping, and Rule Advisory Committees.
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys listening to music, collecting vintage audio equipment and vinyl records, gardening, cooking, and traveling with his lovely bride, caring for their fur (two dogs and a cat) and feathered (chickens) babies, video games and movies, and reading books related to history and social justice.
Radhika Niles, MSCR
Associate Director, Culturally Responsive Child Welfare Education Program
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Radhika Niles joined the PSU Child Welfare Partnership in 2021 as a Training Specialist. Prior to this she worked for the Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare as a permanency caseworker, Family Engagement Facilitator, and developmental supervisor.
She did her undergraduate work at Portland State University, majoring in Psychology and Family Studies. She also attended Portland State University for her Graduate work, receiving a Master’s of Science in Conflict Resolution, specializing in family systems.
Over the past five years, Radhika has been an Adjunct Professor with the Conflict Resolution Department at Portland State University, teaching family and peer mediation. Her interest in conflict resolution has lent to her work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with specific work in understanding unconscious bias and antiracism.
Outside of work, Radhika enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, painting, and fishing.