Today’s On Location comes to you from Green Bay, Wisconsin: Salem, Oregon; and Anchorage, Alaska.  Tim Lightner (CGI) hosts Lisa Skenandore (VP -- Business Development at Systems and Methods, Inc.) and Kate Cooper Richardson (Director of the Oregon Child Support Program and current President of the National Council of Child Support Directors).  You recently heard legislative updates from The Hill.  Now take a deeper look into the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and their February 2023 memo on “unauthorized” disclosure and no longer holding findings in abeyance.  Lisa and Kate talk about the direct impact on child support vendors, and how it relates to the National Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act as it currently sits in Congress.  Hear them as they discuss what is being done to address and assist -- including with NCCSD -- and the potential affects on the families we serve within the child support program.

This episode of On Location comes to you from North Carolina, Michigan, and Alaska.  Co-hosts Tim Lightner (CGI in Anchorage, AK), and Erin Frish (IV-D Director of the Michigan Child Support Program; and NCSEA President-Elect) welcome NCSEA’s newest addition, Executive Director Christopher Wood. Listen as they introduce Chris to our membership and have a conversation to learn more about him and his journey to NCSEA.   Hear Chris talk about his experiences with associations, what sparked his interest with NCSEA and what made him apply.  Hear also about what he brings to the table, his vision and what he is excited to see happen.  As you listen to get introduced to Chris, be ready to introduce yourself to him at the 2023 Leadership Symposium in Anaheim, California.

Coming to you from Washington DC and Alaska, Tim Lightner (with CGI in Anchorage, Alaska) hosts a conversation with Tom Joseph (Vice President and Managing Partner for Paragon Government Relations in DC). Learn about Tom and his leadership journey, as well as how he got involved in the child support community and child support issues.  Hear what services Tom provides to NCSEA and the importance of this partnership.  Listen as Tom talks about legislative updates from Capitol Hill as they relate to child support, including the IRS/FTI notice that came out in February; the Tribal Child Support Enforcement Act (S.534); the House Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee hearing titled “Welfare is Broken – Restoring Work Requirements to Lift Americans Out of Poverty”; and the Federal debt ceiling and the federal budget. 

**Note:  This On Location episode was recorded on Wednesday, 5/17/23 and legislation and updates may change as Congress acts.

Today’s episode comes to you today on location from Georgia, Washington, and Alaska.  On today’s show, Tim Lightner (CGI) welcomes Liz Schriber (GA Dept of Human Services, Child Support Division) and Wally McClure (Ravenwings Consulting).  Liz and Wally are currently serving as the co-chairs of NCSEA’s Research Committee.  They talk about their own career journey and how it led them to where they are today, and how the Research Committee brings together the importance of leadership and good research, in a larger emphasis on collaboration to support the NCSEA community and child support professionals everywhere.  They talk about some of the work of the Research Committee, projects from the past and

Check out NCSEA’s Research Topics page:   https://www.ncsea.org/resources-info/research/

Today’s show comes to you on location from Missouri and Illinois.  Pat O’Donnell (YoungWilliams) welcomes Ellen Rutledge.  Ellen is the Director of Professional Development at YoungWilliams, an NCSEA Board member and a co-chair of this year’s NCSEA Leadership Symposium.  Today Ellen and Pat discuss the meeting heavy nature of our work and the world we live in.  We’ve all seen that joke about how our last meeting could have just as well been an email.  We all get frustrated with the content and the need for meetings, but it seems that over the past few years with the advent of much more remote work, meetings and their importance have only increased.  Ellen has made it her mission to improve the meetings she leads and today she shares some tips and advice on how we can make the most of this necessary part of our lives. 

On today's program, Pat O'Donnell (YoungWilliams) in Chicago, Illinois welcomes Leadership Symposium co-chairs Phyllis Nance (Director, Alameda County, CA DCSS) in Oakland, California, and Ellen Rutledge (Director of Professional Development, YoungWilliams) in Jefferson City, Missouri. They share their thoughts and insights on leadership, and talk about the hot topics planned for the plenaries and breakout sessions at the conference this year. And preview some surprises and opportunities for Leadership Symposium attendees.

On Location comes to you today from Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, California and Alaska.  Tim Lightner (CGI) hosts Ashley Dexter (Deloitte Consulting), John Hurst (Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Services), Robbie Endris (Conduent) and Laura Van Buskirk (Director, Placer County, California Department of Child Support Services).   Join them for a conversation of one of NCSEA’s premier events, NCSEA U:  it’s origins, it’s purpose, and its significance.  Find out about the 2023 NCSEA-U at the Leadership Symposium – the dates, the curriculum and the instructors.  Learn how to apply, and when applications are due.  Listen as our guests share about their journey within the child support program and with NCSEA U, and even learn something personal about each!

Check out the NCSEA website for more information:  https://www.ncsea.org/ncsea-u/

Today’s podcast comes to you from Shoreline, Washington; Sacramento, California; and Charlottesville, Virginia.  Mariellen Keely (VA Division of Child Support) hosts a discussion about the Section 1115 grants for the Intergovernmental Case Processing Innovation project which was awarded by the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE).  She is joined by Alexis Ramirez (California Department of Child Support Services) and Tom Atkinson Washington Division of Child Support).  They discuss what drew them into this federal demonstration grant, what were there favorite things about the project, and what their state implemented based on what they learned.  They also talk about if they did their own evaluation, or involved a vendor as part of the project.  Bonus:  hear who is the father of a wonderful three-year old! 

Coming to you on location from Virginia and California, join Emily Jernigan (California Department of Child Support Services) as she hosts Barbara Lacina Director, Virginia Child Support Enforcement) and David Kilgore (Director, California Department of Child Support Services).   They have a conversation focused on the National Child Support Market Research Survey that was recently launched.   Hear some of the preliminary findings that were discussed at the February 2023 NCSEA Policy Forum in Washington DC, and some thoughts about how to turn the trends around as they explore how the child support program will look in the future.   Listen as they discuss barriers to delivering services, shifting from mandated referrals to “selling” the child support product, and what has to change with the program’s current philosophies. 

This episode comes to you on location from Maryland and Alaska.  Tim Lightner (CGI) hosts today’s program where we welcome someone directly involved in the shaping of the child support program as it exists today, and who can speak to the history and progression of the program.  That person is none other than Vernon Drew.  Listen as they have a conversation about how the child support program came about, including some milestones, and how they impacted and influenced the child support program.  Vernon addresses topics including mandatory building blocks, automation, program management, tangible benefits to a strong child support community, and the value of partnerships.  Hear Vernon also share about how he got his start in child support, and his own journey in the program.