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ODHS announces Child Welfare leadership updates

The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) announced that Child Welfare Director Aprille Flint-Gerner accepted a position with Casey Family Programs as Senior Director of Strategic Consulting. The new role will allow her to continue the work of improving the well-being of children and families, but at a national level, while also giving her more flexibility to take care of family needs. Flint-Gerner’s last day at ODHS will be June 20.

During her tenure, Flint-Gerner expanded the Child Welfare leadership team to better support investments in data-driven improvements, safety practice and workforce development.

“I am grateful for Aprille’s strong leadership over the past two years as Child Welfare Director. In her new role, I know she will continue to lead needed changes in child welfare that will positively affect children and families nationwide,” said ODHS Director Fariborz Pakseresht.

Rolanda Garcia, a leader with nearly three decades of experience within ODHS, will serve as interim Child Welfare director. Garcia has held a variety of leadership roles in both Child Welfare and ODHS’s Self-Sufficiency Programs, focusing on improving the experience of people served by the agency. She is known for building strong community partnerships to better serve Oregonians and data-driven decision-making.

“Rolanda brings a deep knowledge of Child Welfare and Self-Sufficiency Programs, as well as a strong commitment to advancing Child Welfare’s priorities of keeping children safe within their homes and communities. I am confident her strong management and business operations background will benefit Child Welfare,” Director Fariborz Pakseresht said.

Flint-Gerner, who joined ODHS Child Welfare as Deputy Director of Equity, Training and Workforce Development in 2020, served as director for the past two years. Flint-Gerner championed a wide-reaching child safety initiative this year and oversaw the successful rollout of a program designed to better support families and prevent a possible Child Welfare intervention. Child safety and family support programs have contributed to a decline in the number of children in Oregon’s foster care system, from a high of 7,908 in 2018, to 4,481 at the close of 2024.

“We have a strong foundation in Child Welfare thanks to Aprille’s leadership and the team she built around her,” Pakseresht said. “Rolanda’s combination of broad and deep experience will enable her to build upon the progress underway to improve the lives of children and families in Oregon.”

About the Oregon Department of Human Services

The mission of ODHS is to help Oregonians in their own communities achieve well-being and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect choice and preserve dignity.

Contacts

Media contacts
Jake Sunderland
Oregon Department of Human Services
503-877-0170
https://www.oregon.gov/odhs/

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