Child Protection and Prevention Unit Spotlight

​Dr. Lucinda Wayland Connelly, (she, her, hers) Child Protection and Prevention Services Unit Manager

I started my “grown-up” career in Family Systems and Early Childhood with a Bachelor degree in Home Economics/Family Studies; A Master of Science degree in Family and Consumer Science (Family Systems/Early Childhood) and a Doctorate in Public Administration. I worked in policy and program implementation for several years before transitioning to child welfare where I worked at a Colorado county for 9 years before moving to CDHS. I have been the Child Protection Manager since 2015.  The unit added prevention services oversight in 2021 to align prevention and protection practices.

I am passionate about families, as systems themselves, as well as the systems that support them.  Child welfare often gets involved with families in their worst moments and I know that we can provide support, services, and interventions to families when we do not allow their worst moments to define them.

I am a 5th generation Colorado native!  I am a Mom to one daughter and one stepson; Grammy to one granddaughter and one grandson and an Auntie to 15 nieces and nephews; 4 great-nieces and nephews and two great-great nephews. I love cooking, baking, reading, and occasionally, crafting. I practice yoga and I love traveling and spending time outside gardening and walking.  I live alone but spend time regularly with my partner of 16 years, Nathan.  

Teri Bokn (she, her, hers), Program Assistant

I began working for the CDHS Division of Child Welfare in August 2017. I earned an Associate of Arts Degree in 1995 with a major in Humanities; a Bachelor of Science Degree in 2001 with a major in Criminal Justice and a minor in Human Service; and a Master in Social Work in 2016 with a concentration in Individuals and Families/Child Welfare. I started working for the State of Colorado in 1987 as a public service career trainee for the Community College of Denver. Prior to coming to CDHS, I had been working in higher education as an administrative assistant, secretary, or executive assistant. I was also an ongoing caseworker for a brief time after receiving my MSW. I feel blessed every day that I am now part of the Child Protection and Prevention Services unit and that I am able to use both my administrative and casework skills to support my amazing team!

I am a mother of three adult children Mollie, Brent, and Karen (daughter-in-law Terra) along with four grandchildren, Andrew, Kendall, Cameron, and Ryder. I have three older sisters who live nearby that are not only my sisters, but my best friends. There is nothing better to me than spending time with my family!  I can’t forget that I have the sweetest granddog, Stella, who keeps me company while working from home.

A little trivia about me: My paternal grandfather, Andrew Bokn, was born on Bokn Island in Norway. When I was 18, I traveled there and stayed with relatives I had never met and saw the house he was born in on the island.

James Connell (he, him, his), Intake & Assessment Administrator

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia, I began my work with children, youth, and families conducting child welfare assessments in rural Missouri communities. Several years later my wife, Sarah, and I relocated to Colorado because once you have visited Colorado, moving here is all you can think about. I continued my assessment work with families at a county department before joining CDHS in 2014. As a Referral and Assessment Specialist with the Division of Child Welfare, I managed the implementation of the Colorado Family Safety and Risk Assessment tools and Differential Response. In my current role as the Intake and Assessment Administrator, I oversee our hotline, referral, and assessment programs.

I enjoy what I do because working for and with organizations and people who show a strong commitment to child safety and helping Coloradans thrive aligns with my personal values. Being part of a dedicated, fun, and supportive team makes my day, every day.

Outside of work I enjoy spending time with my wife and newborn son, playing guitar, and foraging for edible mushrooms in Colorado’s high country. 

Joey Brozek (he, him, his), Institutional Abuse Assessment Specialist

I started my career at CDHS with the Division of Youth Services working at Mount View Youth Services for more than 9 years. I then moved to my current position as the Institutional Abuse Assessment Specialist in DCW where I am responsible for state-wide oversight of institutional referral/assessment practice. I have been in this position for more than four years. I am the Chair of the Institutional Assessment/Abuse Review Team (IART). IART is a citizen review panel and is required to create a report for the  Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR).

I enjoy looking at statewide macro-level solutions, and feel we are making a difference with the clients we serve. I continue to collaborate and motivate my colleagues to be driven, dedicated, and passionate about their work, which motivates and inspires me every day.

Outside of work, I enjoy golf, snowboarding, mountain biking, and hiking. Most of all spending time with my family and friends. 

Laura Carter-Beck, Referral and Assessment Specialist- Differential Response

I earned my JD in 2006 at the University of Wyoming College of Law (Go Pokes!). I have served at-risk children and families in many different capacities since 2003.  This includes five years of ongoing child protection casework in Colorado as well as two years as a family engagement practitioner.  

My biggest motivator in this work is practice improvement. I enjoy learning from my peers at DCW and my county partners.  Their commitment to the children, youth, and families of Colorado is a true inspiration.  

Outside of my professional life, I value time spent with family, friends, and my pets.  I love watching my girls play sports and having movies and nacho night. I have a fondness for karaoke, horror movies, and making people laugh. 
                           

Matt Holtman (he, him, his), CAPTA & Federal Programs Administrator

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) from Wisconsin and received my undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in psychology and my Master in Social Work from the University of Denver (DU).  My work in child protection began in Wisconsin before moving to Colorado to complete my graduate education.  I have been an adjunct professor with DU and I started with the State of Colorado in 2013, first assigned to the rollout of Colorado’s Differential Response Model and later transitioning to the role of CAPTA and Federal Finance Administrator overseeing Colorado’s anti-human trafficking specialist, substance-exposed newborn specialist, federal reporting specialist, and the core and prevention specialist.

I enjoy what I do because I have the pleasure of working with the most dedicated, kindest, hard-working group in the Division of Child Welfare. I understand I may be a tad partial. I enjoy having an impact on Colorado’s programming across systems to help the counties work with the children and families.

When not working, I enjoy spending time with my family (my wife Abby and son Porter), Green Bay Packers football, the outdoors, and woodworking.  

Meghan Langfield, Core Services Program Administrator

Meghan will be starting on April 26 and she will be helping bring this new role to DCW.  This position will work to streamline and supervisor the state Core funding program along with integrating the prevention aspects of Families First into Colorado’s child welfare practice.

Meghan Langfield is an experienced Social Worker who joins us most recently from Denver Human Services as the Supervisor of the Foster Care Recruitment, Training, and Certification team. She has nearly ten years of experience in Child Welfare in a number of roles from Adolescent Casework to in-home interventions and Utilization Management. She is also a learning facilitator with the Child Welfare Training System.

Outside of work, Meghan enjoys anything outdoors from hiking to snowboarding to riding bicycles and river tubing. She comes from a very big extended family with 23 Aunts and Uncles not counting their spouses and too many cousins to count! Meghan loves spending time with her extended family and traveling across the nation to see them whenever the opportunity presents. She identifies as a lifelong learner and loves to read, practice yoga, meditation, and values physical and mental well-being. Crafting and going to sporting events are additional hobbies.

Brooke (Heavey) Byrd, Human Trafficking Specialist

After earning a bachelor’s in Criminology from Kansas State University, I began my career in adult corrections where I quickly discovered that I wanted to work helping others and address the root causes of criminality. I pursued my master’s degree in Social Work Administration at the University of Kansas and moved to Colorado after graduation. I worked in direct care as a Lead Counselor at a residential youth facility and as a Lead Case Worker on the Sex Abuse Intervention Team for Denver County where I co-chaired the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) Youth Sub-Committee and served as the Denver County Human Trafficking Trainer. In 2019, I moved into my role as the State Human Trafficking Specialist where I am excited to apply macro-level knowledge to impact change in child welfare practice. In addition to providing technical support on the subject of Human Trafficking, I manage the Department of Justice Improving Outcomes Grant and lead the Labor Trafficking Rule Task Group.

I love what I do because I truly believe that the work we do is important and improves the lives of others. I feel motivated to work alongside colleagues who share the same compassion and commitment to effecting change.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, and (one day) going to outdoor concerts. 

Alysia Chang, Federal Reporting Specialist

I am the Federal Reporting Specialist at DCW, and I am responsible for drafting the reports that our division submits to the Children's Bureau. This includes our Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR) and progress reports for the Child and Family Services Review Round 3 Program Improvement Plan (CFSR Round 3 PIP).

I love what I do because I know that every day, I am making a difference, no matter how big or small. I am motivated and inspired every day by my wonderful colleagues who are similarly driven, dedicated, and passionate.

Outside of work, I enjoy hiking, traveling, trying to grow (?) a green thumb, out-sassing my dog (Justice!), and all things food.

Suzy Morris, Substance Exposed Newborn Specialist

I have a bachelor's degree in Family and Consumer Science (Early Childhood) and a Master’s degree in Family Studies(Prevention/Education). Prior to moving to Colorado, I worked with at-risk youth for 17 years in rural communities in Arizona providing individual and family therapy, mediation, and developed prevention and education programs in school settings and for the Conciliation Services (Arizona’s Superior Court).   Prior to coming to DCW three years ago, I managed a crisis unit along with several community housing programs in Boulder that provided clinical services and housing support to adults diagnosed with Severe and Pervasive Mental Illness.

Currently, I am the Substance Exposed Newborn Specialist, providing practice guidance and support for substance-exposed newborns to all 64 county child welfare departments. I oversee the implementation and the rollout of the Plan of Safe Care as well as the ongoing review and collaboration with counties, birthing hospitals, and other state and community partners. I am leading the Rule Writing Task Groups for Substance Exposed Newborns and the Plan of Safe Care.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my two teenage boys and two dachshunds, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. I also enjoy all things swim, bike, and run! I train and compete as a Triathlete and participated in 20 (prior to COVID) open water swim, running, cycling, and triathlon races a year.