Who We Are
About Us
We are independent from the state and county agencies that work on behalf of children and families. We listen to the public about their experience with and concerns about child protection, research and investigate those concerns, and determine the best way to resolve each concern. Our work also allows us to collaborate with lawmakers, professionals and other stakeholders to advance legislation and policies that will have a lasting, positive impact on our children and families.
Our Mission
The Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman (CPO) is committed to ensuring the state’s child protection system consistently provides high quality services to every child, family and community in Colorado.
How We Work for Colorado
Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman was created to ensure the state’s complex child protection system consistently provides high quality services to every child, family and community in Colorado.
Listen
We listen to people about their experience with and concerns about child protection.
Investigate
We research and investigate concerns reported by any Coloradan about service delivery within the child protection system.
Resolve
We determine the best way to resolve concerns – that might mean bridging communication barriers or resolving conflicts based on misunderstanding.
Identify Trends
We identify trends where the community’s needs have changed and the system hasn’t had the funding, resources or practices to keep up with it. As a result, we make public recommendations for system improvement.
Lasting Change
We convene lawmakers, professionals and other stakeholders to advance legislation and policies that have a lasting, positive impact on children and families.
How We Work for Colorado
Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman was created to ensure the state’s complex child protection system consistently provides high quality services to every child, family and community in Colorado.
Listen
We listen to people about their experience with and concerns about child protection.
Investigate
We research and investigate concerns reported by any Coloradan about service delivery within the child protection system.
Resolve
We determine the best way to resolve concerns – that might mean bridging communication barriers or resolving conflicts based on misunderstanding.
Identify Trends
We identify trends where the community’s needs have changed and the system hasn’t had the funding, resources or practices to keep up with it. As a result, we make public recommendations for system improvement.
Lasting Change
We convene lawmakers, professionals and other stakeholders to advance legislation and policies that have a lasting, positive impact on children and families.
Colorado's Child Protection Ombudsman
Stephanie Villafuerte
Stephanie Villafuerte has served as Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman since 2015. For the past 25 years, Ms. Villafuerte has dedicated her legal and public policy career to improving the plight of abused and neglected children.
In this capacity Ms. Villafuerte worked extensively with the state’s juvenile courts, human service providers and other non-profit agencies to address the myriad of needs of this vulnerable population.
Ms. Villafuerte also has an extensive public policy and legislative background on children’s issues. For four years, she worked in the Colorado Governor’s Office as a senior advisor on juvenile justice and child welfare issues working closely with numerous state departments, key constituency groups and members of the Colorado state legislature. She also oversaw a number of special projects including the Colorado Criminal and Juvenile Justice Commission, the DNA Task Force and the Governor’s Child Welfare Action Committee.
She has also had a distinguished legal career. For fourteen years, she served as a chief criminal prosecutor handling felony level child abuse, internet pornography and child trafficking cases at the Denver District Attorney’s Office and the Colorado United States Attorney’s Office. During her tenure, Ms. Villafuerte spearheaded a multi-disciplinary approach towards handling child abuse cases. She also led legislative reforms on behalf of child victims including expansion of the use of “closed circuit television” and “videotaped depositions” for child victims who are required to appear in court.
Ms. Villafuerte has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field including: the Aspen Institute Children and Families Health and Human Services Fellowship 2017, the Denver Business Journal Outstanding Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award 2015, the Latina’s First Foundation Trailblazer Award 2015, the Bonfils-Stanton Livingston Fellow Award 2015, the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Raising the Bar for Children Award 2013, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association Outstanding Lawyer of the Year Award 2011, and the Colorado District Attorney’s Council Robert R. Gallagher Award for Prosecution Excellence 2005.
Ms. Villafuerte received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Denver in 1987 and her Juris Doctorate degree from UCLA in 1991.
Our Staff
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.
Since joining the CPO, Jordan has worked extensively on the agency’s public policy initiatives. This work includes in-depth research regarding systemic issues impacting the child protection system – such as adoption assistance programs and Colorado’s processes for reviewing child fatalities – and helping to draft correlating reports, briefs and legislation. She has also works to promote education and understanding of ombudsmen principles and theory nationally. Currently, Jordan serves on the United States Ombudsman Association’s Board of Directors.
Prior to joining the CPO, Jordan worked as a journalist at Colorado’s largest newspaper, The Denver Post. During her five years 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.
Jordan earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Colorado in 2010 and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver in 2022.
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 2019. She has spent the past decade working with children, youth and families who are engaged with the child protection system. As a child welfare caseworker, Amanda managed complex cases which involved multiple system. She also supervised an evidence-based child maltreatment prevention program within public health.
Amanda oversees the CPO’s Client Services Team. This dynamic team of professionals work to resolve citizens’ questions and concerns related to the child protection system. Additionally, Amanda serves on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Child Fatality Prevention Review Team Colorado Department of Public Safety’s Juvenile Justice Reform Committee. She also works to implement new programming for critical incident reviews and unaccompanied immigrant children.
Amanda holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Public Administration. She is certified in mediation, child welfare social casework/supervision, solution-focused and reflective supervision and motivational interviewing.
Claire Hooker joined the Office of Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman as a Client Services Analyst in October of 2019. Previously, Claire worked at a county department of child welfare for more than 10 years. During that time, Claire was an ongoing child protection caseworker, a Family Team Meeting facilitator and program administrator.
In ongoing child protection, Claire specialized in cases in which 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 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.
Claire has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and holds a master’s degree in Forensic Psychology. Claire is currently certified as a child welfare caseworker supervisor through Colorado’s Child Welfare Training System.
Abbey Koch joined the Office of the Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in September 2022, bringing with her more than five years of experience working with children and families from both social services and within the criminal justice system. Abbey served as a deputy probation officer and probation officer from 2018 to 2022, working alongside youth involved with delinquency and truancy court as well as adults. During this time, Abbey found her passion to advocate and support self-growth for her clients, as well as protecting the community she served.
Furthering her devotion to children and family protection and advocacy, Abbey has served as a member of her county’s Child Protection Team. Furthermore, she has been appointed to the Board of Directors for SHARE Inc., a non-profit domestic violence agency in 2021. Abbey has also been an active volunteer with the Morgan County Golden Stars, a local non-profit providing support and resources to children and families in need during the holiday season.
Abbey earned her bachelor’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Northern Colorado. She is looking forward to serving Colorado’s children and families and advocating for systematic changes within child protection.
Bryan Kelley joined the Office of the Colorado’s Child Protection Ombudsman in September of 2023.
In his position as Public Policy Analyst, Bryan’s work includes conducting research on a wide range of state policy approaches to issues being considered by the CPO, and supports the work of the Mandatory Reporting Task Force and the Timothy Montoya Task Force to Prevent Youth from Running from Out-of-Home Placement.
Prior to joining CPO, he worked for four years at Education Commission of the States, where he tracked state education legislation in all 50-states, wrote policy reports and 50-state comparisons, responded to research requests from policymakers, and presented on education policy topics to a wide range of stakeholders. His work largely focused on policies addressing disparities in access to education and resources, attempts to make education systems more equitable, and issues around the separation of church and state in education policy.
Bryan also previously worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures and AcademyHealth, where his work focused on public health policy research, including women’s, children’s, and maternal health care access; place-based and socio-economic determinants of health, and health care access in schools. Bryan’s work has been cited in many books, journal articles, and news sources. He has been interviewed by journalists and invited to write articles, particularly on the topic of the shifting legal understanding of the relationship between church and state in public education policy.
Bryan graduated from Colorado College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Religion, from the University of Manchester with a Master of Arts in Religion and Political Life, and completed part of a doctoral program at the University of Colorado in Political Science. He is a Commissioner with the City of Aurora’s Human Relations Commission, and lives in Aurora with his wife and their dog Crumpet.