Jordan Steffen joined the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in July 2016. Jordan has extensive experience researching and analyzing public policy, laws and rules concerning child protection in Colorado. Prior to joining the office, Jordan held an award-winning career in synthesizing data and stories from within the child protection system to inform the public.

For more than five years, Jordan worked as a journalist at Colorado’s largest newspaper, The Denver Post. During her time at The Post, Jordan covered stories in every part of the state, writing about everything from high-profile criminal cases to local farmer’s markets. Jordan was part of the team awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Aurora movie theater shooting. She was also part of the team named as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for coverage of the Waldo Canyon wildfire in Colorado Springs. Jordan was recognized as the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2015 Colorado Palmer Hoyt Journalist of the Year for her innovative work covering both practice and policy within the legal field.

But some of Jordan’s most significant work centered on investigations into the policies, practices and inadequacies in Colorado’s child protection system. Through years of reporting, Jordan researched long-standing state policies and practices for preventing child abuse. Her reporting gave the citizens of Colorado insight into shortcomings that repeatedly led to the abuse of children and explained systemic issues within the state system. Jordan was part of a team that produced an eight-part investigative series by compiling data and information on 72 children who died of abuse and neglect after entering the child welfare system. That series was recognized both locally and nationally.

Tiffany Madrid has served as the Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy for Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman since January 2020. Prior to joining the office, Tiffany helped establish Colorado as a leader in evidence-based policymaking and helped multiple organizations leverage research and data to better their practices and policies. 

For five years, Tiffany worked in the Colorado Governor’s Office analyzing research and costs, and working with diverse stakeholder groups, to make recommendations to decisionmakers and policymakers. Specifically, she analyzed programs, policies, operations, and expenditures related to child welfare, behavioral health, prevention, healthcare, juvenile justice, and adult criminal justice to help the state and service providers better understand their investments and plan. As such, Tiffany has a robust working knowledge of Colorado’s programs, policies, expenditures, legislative process, and child protection system.

Additionally, during her time in the Governor’s Office, Tiffany helped establish Colorado’s Evidence-Based Policymaking Collaborative (Collaborative) and she continues to be an active member. The Collaborative, a nonpartisan group comprised of professionals from the nonprofit, private, and public sectors, is promoting the use of the best available research to improve program delivery and results for Coloradans. As part of their work, the Collaborative created evidence standards that the Joint Budget Committee unanimously adopted in November 2018 that ensure state funds target programs with robust evidence of effectiveness. Currently, the Collaborative is working to increase Colorado’s capacity to utilize evidence-based policymaking tools and practices.  

Furthermore, while at the Governor’s Office, Tiffany was part of a team that received national recognition from several entities for establishing Colorado as a leader in evidence-based policymaking. 

Tiffany also has a deep understanding of the impacts of social programming. While at the US Department of State and the US Department of Transportation, Tiffany worked directly with people providing programming and services and learned firsthand about the responsibilities and fulfillment that comes with serving others and witnessing social change. For both organizations, she tracked operations and identified successes and areas for improvement, all while learning about the value and undertakings of outcome monitoring.   

Tiffany received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Colorado in 2004 and 2007, respectively, and her Master of Social Science from the University of Colorado in 2014.

Karen Nielsen has been involved in public health and child welfare since 1994. Karen held positions as Outpatient Senior Counselor, Support Staff Supervisor, and Administrative Coordinator over an 18 year period at Jefferson County Public Health. She was further the on-site Drug and Alcohol Liaison for eight years at Jefferson County Division of Children Youth and Families. Karen also served as member of the Jefferson County Division of Children, Youth and Families Utilization Review Team for eleven years, served as a Design and Implementation Subcommittee member for the HB1451 Jefferson County Collaborative Management Interagency Oversight Group for two years. Karen also served as a Member of the State of Colorado Specialized Women’s Substance Abuse Program Collaborative Interagency Group for twenty one years, and as a member of the Adult Diversion Council, Office of the District Attorney 1st Judicial District for seven years.

Additionally, Karen is a Certified Addiction Counselor III (CAC III) since 1990 as required by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. Most recently, Karen worked for Specialized Out-patient Treatment Services, LLC as an Admissions and Administrative Coordinator where she assisted with completing intakes and evaluations, identifying, consulting, collaborating, and educating a wide variety of community agencies and attorneys on agency DUI and substance abuse treatment services. Karen has twenty four years of experience in treating individuals with substance abuse and mental health issues in outpatient and residential settings, and has a vast knowledge within the field of substance abuse and mental health treatment. Her expertise is in the areas of community collaboration, substance abuse, women’s issues, parenting, cultural issues, and in the child welfare system.

Amanda Pennington joined the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in May of 2018. With her she brought six years of experience working directly with children and families. She spent five years working in Mesa County as a Child Welfare Senior Case Manager, specializing in complex cases and cases involving multiple systems. Most recently, Amanda spent just under a year working in public health, supervising SafeCare of Mesa County, an in-home visitation program aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect.

In her roles, Amanda has spent years dedicated to working with families impacted by the child welfare system. As part of her work with families, Amanda provided financial program eligibility and benefits education, child welfare case management in both assessment and ongoing. Amanda worked closely with youth and their families coping with situations that were impacted by substance use, mental health and developmental delays. Amanda worked collaboratively with multiple agencies to enhance awareness and education about the child welfare system and how it serves the communities. Her work within child welfare and public health afforded her the opportunity to build and maintain relationships with treatment providers, county administrators, educational and judicial representatives.

Amanda was a volunteer for emergency deployment with the American Red Cross during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, giving her experience to recognize how families are impacted by natural disasters and how the systems work to stabilize affected communities.

Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Colorado Mesa University. She has been qualified as an expert in the field of child abuse and neglect more than a dozen times throughout her work in dependency and neglect court proceedings. She has completed over 200 hours of continuing education in addition to the Child Welfare Training Academy. Amanda is well informed regarding professionals providing trauma informed care to youth. Amanda also served on an advisory panel for community partnerships working for families.

Claire Hooker joined the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in October of 2019. Previously, Claire worked in Child Welfare for Denver County for over 10 years. During that time, Claire was an ongoing child protection caseworker, and a Family Team Meeting facilitator before becoming the Program Administrator for the Family Team Meeting unit.

In ongoing child protection, Claire specialized in cases where families were involved with the Family Integrated Drug Court. She worked with families struggling with substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence concerns.

As a Family Team Meeting Facilitator, Claire worked with families involved at all levels of the child protection system, including children and youth involved with delinquency court. During this time, Claire also worked closely with a range of professionals, including attorneys, therapists, and educational professionals to address issues of child abuse and neglect with the family at the center of the process.

In the role of Program Administrator for the Family Team Meeting Unit, Claire created a data collection system to analyze trends in the use of Family Team Meetings, and how family engagement impacts a family’s navigation of the child welfare system. Claire was involved in making continuous improvements to the Family Team Meeting process to make it the most effective and positive process possible for children, families, caseworks, and other stakeholders.

Claire completed Denver Peak Academy’s Black Belt training in September 2018, and went on to receive her Black Belt in January, 2019. The Black Belt training teaches tools and techniques in continuous process improvement. Claire enjoys looking for ways to make processes more efficient, saving both time and money and creating a better experience for families and everyone who is involved in the child welfare system.

Claire received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Saint Louis University and holds a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology from the University of Denver. She has maintained over 40 hours of training per year and is currently certified at supervisor status in Colorado’s Child Welfare Training Academy.

Derek Cooley joined the Office of the Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in June 2021, bringing with him more than 10 years of experience working with children and families impacted by trauma. Derek has a specific interest in helping those involved with the child welfare system and previously worked as an intake child protection caseworker investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect for Adams County Human Services Department (ACHSD). While with ACHSD, Derek focused on investigating Institutional Abuse/Neglect allegations within 24-hour placement providers, including foster homes, residential child care facilities, Colorado Division of Youth Services (DYS) youth centers and kinship homes. Throughout his years investigating these concerns, Derek collaborated with many partners within child protection and beyond to include direct care staff, foster families and kin, DYS staff, court personnel, licensing workers and, most importantly, children and families.

Derek has been in various advocacy roles throughout his career. He has advocated for those impacted by sexual violence and domestic violence, served in a clinical capacity assisting adults diagnosed with anxiety and trauma to achieve independence and self-sustainability and served as a case manager working with children diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse needs. Derek also volunteered for a suicide prevention hotline, which taught him the importance of hearing and amplifying the voices of those most in need.

Derek earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kansas. He has maintained his certification as a caseworker through the Child Welfare Training Academy. He is looking forward to supporting those in need of the services from the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman.

Wendy Oldenbrook joined the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in July of 2021. Wendy has been an ongoing child welfare caseworker at Denver Human Services for the past five years. 

Prior to child welfare, Wendy worked in Denver’s homeless service provider community as the Program Director of the Catholic Charities, Father Ed Judy House, a homeless shelter for single women with children. The Father Ed Judy House provided semi-transitional housing and an open-ended alumni program to help families find housing and rebuild their lives. The program provided services and support to help women address a variety of barriers to housing including domestic violence, substance use, criminal histories, mental health issues, and involvement with child welfare.

Wendy has also been involved in the larger nonprofit community, focusing on the intersection of homelessness and domestic violence. She volunteered with the Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, Housing Colorado and the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Wendy received the Purple Ribbon Award for Outstanding Executive Director presented by the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence in 2011. Recently, Wendy was temporarily re-deployed to supervise a COVID motel for people who were both COVID positive and experiencing homelessness as part of Denver’s pandemic response.

With a bachelor’s in social work, Wendy brings tenacity and compassion to her role at the CPO.  She looks forward to serving Colorado families and improving the systems that keep our children safe. 

Allison Valencia joined the Office of the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman in March 2022, Previously, Allison worked in child welfare for Denver County as an intake caseworker for more than a year investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect. She was one of the top caseworkers consistently making timely responses within the division.

Allison specialized in investigating sexual abuse and worked closely alongside many partners within child protection and beyond, including law enforcement, attorneys, therapists and medical professionals. In addition, she is passionate about working with youths involved within juvenile justice system and was a part of an ongoing assembly to discuss the challenges youths and their families face and the services available to them.

Prior to working in child welfare, Allison worked to provide financial program and benefits eligibility to families residing within Denver County.

In 2019 Allison completed Denver Peak Academy’s Green Belt Training. The Green Belt training aims to focus on the identification and elimination of waste within a process by using improvement methodology.

Allison has volunteered with Denver Adoption Day and with Downtown Denver Partnership Group. 

Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado Denver. She has maintained her certification as a caseworker through the Child Welfare Training Academy. She looks forward to serving Colorado families and improving the systems that keep our children safe.