Big issues, bigger heart
For us, public service is a calling and way of life.
Public servants by experience and at heart, the C!A® team is comprised of former government employees who have dedicated much of their professional careers to public service. Each team member brings unique and diverse practical experience representing all different levels of government operations, and has a deep understanding of government processes working with state and county agencies, their local offices, and the associated federal agencies.
Led by Ken Miller, Blake Shaw, and Leo Ribas, our award-winning change agents have big ideas that we use to fundamentally change your culture by changing minds and fixing systems. Our people are accomplished consultants and gifted speakers with an intense focus on relationships and results.
Our team’s words from the heart:
“I’ve had a lifelong desire to make a difference for people in need as I grew up in similar circumstances. I was able to accomplish this through working in government for 20 years for each community in which I worked. When C!A helped improve our business process I felt so much joy in the customer service improvements that were made. Now working for C!A, the impact I have to help those in need has increased exponentially.”
“I am grateful each day for the opportunity to work with thousands of managers and line staff who serve millions of public assistance recipients in the many states we serve. We help feed families and provide access to medical care for those in need. Our entire C!A team is highly skilled and 100% committed to making a difference in the lives of many. I’m so proud to be part of the team!”
“As someone who knows the challenges of caseloads and being on the other side of the desk, I feel passionate about helping those who do the work. We all know that people of government are noble and it’s an amazing benefit to see their work-life drastically improve with the process improvements they helped change.”
“We’re a company that believes in the work of government. We were all public servants, and we all know the daily struggles. Our goal now is to build capacity to help you do more good.”
“As a human services assistant director, I saw first hand how C!A worked with teams of our staff, creating real change from the ground up. The improvements are sustainable and meaningful, and what really strikes a chord with me, is seeing relief and happiness from hard working people when the ideas they came up with are really happening. We’re all in this business to help people, and we actually get to do it through this work-that fuels my passion every day.”
“I used to be the captain of the technology train. I thought 80% of our problems could be corrected through the right software and confused innovation and automation. True innovation is in fundamentally changing how we work, and that’s where the potential is. C!A unleashes that potential by focusing on how we work first.”
Our Leadership Team
Our Team
Bill McCracken joined the Change & Innovation Agency with 18 years of experience in human services. Bill’s career started with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), where he served in a variety of positions, including eligibility worker, social worker, tribal liaison, supervisor, service delivery redesign project manager, and office administrator. As a Community Service Office Administrator, Bill managed one of the largest offices in the state, administering SNAP, TANF, Employment and Training Services, childcare, state-funded cash programs, drug and alcohol treatment, and Medicaid. Bill led his office through the business process redesign (BPR) process at a time when demand for services was at an all-time high and staff resources were at an all-time low. The redesign effort resulted in significant improvements in how services were delivered. Since joining the Change & Innovation Agency, Bill has had the pleasure of working with Arizona, Kansas, Hawaii, Vermont, Connecticut, Fairfax County, Virginia, and Illinois to help implement process improvement strategies that have greatly improved service delivery to customers in need.
Jacky Beshar has served in Rhode Island as a special assistant for Lean Project Development to the state Treasurer and as an assistant for Governor Gina Raimondo. In these positions, she worked primarily with the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, helping the agency refine its processes to provide more efficient services to the residents of the state. Since joining the Change & Innovation Agency in 2016, Jacky has led process improvement initiatives with the Washington, D.C., Department of Human Services.
Leona Hodges began her career at the Arizona Department of Economic Security in 1993 where she worked as the Chief of Internal Audit within the Division of Employee Services and Support, Assistant Director for the Division of Employee Services and Support, Assistant Director for the Division of Child Support Services, and, most recently, Assistant Director with the Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility. Leona was responsible for many programs that assist families and individuals in need including SNAP, TANF, medical, Tuberculosis Control, and the Disability Determination Services Administration. Collectively, these programs serve more than 1.5 million Arizona individuals and families in need. With the Change & Innovation Agency, Leona works with managers, supervisors, and directors across the State of Texas to help streamline their service delivery.
Reginald Wright began working for the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in 2001. For 14 years, he served in a variety of positions including financial service specialist, program manager, lead worker, and administrator. As the EBT/EFT and Contracts Administrator for the DSHS Community Service Division (CSD), his responsibilities were to apply the principles of state budgeting and accounting practices to managing, monitoring, and providing oversight for the annual $75 million contract for the EBT program and the more than $204 million CSD personal and client service contracts. He also had direct oversight of cash benefits totaling more than $5.5 million per month for direct deposit clients. In 2013, Reginald joined the Change & Innovation Agency to apply his expertise across the country.
Suzi Stott began her career in human services in remote Western Alaska as an eligibility worker more than 25 years ago. During her career, she worked her way up through the Department of Health and Social Services serving as an agent for change in a variety of positions through every level of management. Suzi has a passion for helping families in need of services, and for the hard-working staff who serve them. As a Regional Manager and later as the Chief of Field Services for Alaska’s Division of Public Assistance, Suzi was part of the Division’s leadership team that led the charge to improve Alaska’s service delivery model that resulted in both timeliness and accuracy performance bonuses for the state.
Clint Brooks has a deep passion for helping people overcome obstacles on the path to reaching their true potential. Growing up in a home that fostered more than 300 children, Clint understands the impacts of a broken system. With that knowledge, Clint began his career in human services working in the trenches with government staff from clerks to upper management as an agent for change. Prior to joining the Change & Innovation Agency, Clint was the manager of Community Education & Outreach in Colorado for the Department of Human and Social Services. There, Clint was responsible for networking with local community partners to ensure a holistic approach to social services, and worked with a team that streamlined business practices and service delivery to better adapt to customer needs.
Jenni Ellerman has a personal and professional passion for helping people. She has extensive expertise in human services, particularly in the areas of public assistance, including Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and Employment and Training. She has served as an Administrative Specialist, Eligibility Worker, Staff Development Specialist, Management Evaluation Reviewer, and Business Process Management Manager for the State of Kansas. As a Management Evaluation Reviewer, she led the team that helped redesign the Kanas public assistance service delivery model. As the Business Process Management Manager, she managed the day-to-day process for the entire state and served on the design team for the Kansas Eligibility Enforcement System, documenting the business processes to ensure the state could maximize their technology investment by designing their IT solution around the successful service delivery model. One of many successes of the new service delivery model led Kansas to achieve the 2014 SNAP High Performance bonus for “Most Improved Payment Accuracy.” Since joining C!A in 2015, Jenni has worked with South Carolina, Hawaii, New Mexico, Alaska, the District of Columbia, Texas, and Kansas to help implement process improvement strategies and conduct ongoing maintenance activities that have greatly improved service delivery to customers in need.
Larry Lee has dedicated his life’s work to public service. After serving a distinguished career in the United States Air Force, he began his 20+ year career in human services working for the State of Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS). During his tenure with the state, he held various positions, each with increasing responsibility in both child support enforcement and Medicaid and other social safety net programs.
Patrick Toole spent much of his career in the private sector. Patrick was part of a medical device team that served the State of Florida supporting hospitals, general surgeons, oncologists, nephrologists, and nursing staff. He was part of a team at AOL/TWC where he traveled the world to AOL’s call centers and offices helping people connect to the Internet for the first time. Later, Patrick was part of a small, innovative team that started Bridgevine Inc., an advertising technology company focused on digital customer acquisition that optimizes SEO, SEM, Mobile, Social, and Display marketing. Patrick founded Philanthropy360.com, a company that invests online/web marketing industry knowledge, money, and energy into nonprofits. It is his love of serving others that led Patrick to the Change & Innovation Agency, where he helps state and local government human services agencies streamline their call center and technology services.
Karl Allison had a 22-year tenure at the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), where he worked in positions ranging from clerical staff at a call center to eligibility worker, supervisor, and Deputy Administrator. As Deputy Administrator, Karl served as interim Regional Administrator in Western Washington and later in Eastern Washington (overseeing three offices and 60 staff members). He was also responsible for facilitating the implementation of the business process redesign (BPR) project throughout the rural and urban offices in the region. Karl has experience providing eligibility determinations and direct client services for programs including TANF, General Assistance, SNAP, Medicaid, childcare, and WorkFirst (Washington State’s welfare-to-work program). Since joining the Change & Innovation Agency, Karl has worked with the states of Washington, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Colorado, South Carolina, and Texas to help implement process improvements within social service organizations.
Gregg Broyles spent 30 years of his career dedicated to improving operations in the State of Washington. This included 15 years with the Division of Child Support where he held the positions of Support Enforcement Officer, Program Administrator, and Regional Administrator. Gregg then transitioned to the state’s SNAP/TANF agency where he was the Interim Chief of Field Operations and oversaw the statewide business process redesign initiative and change management operations. Gregg resides east of the Cascade Mountains in Yakima, Washington, where he enjoys hiking, running, and directing running events.
Nicole Shields spent her career in social services administration in Fairfax County, Virginia. She has held positions as benefit program specialist, quality assurance specialist, staff development and training coordinator, and operations manager. In her role as operations manager, the Benefit Program Division implemented a new service delivery model. Nicole now serves as a Change Agent with the Change & Innovation Agency, and has worked with the states of Texas and North Carolina, and the District of Columbia, on the assessment of current operations and redesign of their business practices.
Liz Steele spent 35 years of her career managing multiple public service programs for the State of Arizona. She has assisted Arizona families in need of food, financial assistance, Medicaid, and child support, and has helped individuals develop and improve employability with job search, referral, and placement assistance. Most recently, Liz served as Program Administrator for Field Operations at the Arizona Department of Economic Security, overseeing 2,300 staff statewide in 60 local offices and 22 hospitals who determine eligibility for SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid programs. At the Change & Innovation Agency, Liz has been instrumental in co-managing regional operations for the State of Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Lorrie Walker joined the Change & Innovation Agency with 30 years of experience in human services. She began her career with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and served as an eligibility worker, as well as in leadership, project management, and consultant positions. During her time with Washington State, Lorrie was the team lead for the business process redesign (BPR) project that drastically changed how business was conducted. Since joining C!A, Lorrie has worked with 14 state social service agencies to help implement process improvements strategies. Her focus is on providing service and benefits to customers in a more efficient and effective way while ensuring greater accuracy and timeliness.
Rebecca Henrie has 15 years of experience in state government, including 13 in management and nine leading or assisting with BPR efforts at the executive level. She is a skilled project and change management lead, and has substantial experience in process analysis and performance management, as well as SNAP policy. As Chief of Field Operations for Community Services in Washington State, Rebecca was responsible for developing and deploying service delivery changes to help bring consistency to Washington State operating procedures. With the Change & Innovation Agency Rebecca works with the states of North Carolina, New Mexico, and Kansas.
Lisa Kim began her career in social services as an eligibility worker in Santa Barbara County, California – working Medicaid, SNAP, and AFDC (the TANF precursor) – and later as a social worker. From Santa Barbara County, she relocated to San Francisco to accept a federal position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Food and Nutrition Service, overseeing SNAP operations in twelve western states and Pacific territories. Lisa retired from FNS in March 2015 after 26 years of service to join the Change & Innovation Agency.
Arturo Serrano is passionate about helping individuals receive the services they require in the most efficient manner possible. While working with the Department of Human Services in El Paso County, Colorado, Arturo led a business process redesign (BPR) change effort that helped bring same-day services to the area’s neediest residents. Since joining the Change & Innovation Agency, he has harnessed his talents to provide support to states across the country as they work toward their own service delivery improvements that provide enhanced levels of service for clients and better work environments for staff.
Alisa Henson is a problem solver who is passionate about applications development. In her 20-plus years of IT experience, she has worked as a developer, manager, and director. She enjoys creating IT strategy and building high functioning Agile teams. Alisa has worked in development her entire career, which has given her the opportunity to work with application development, system administration, business intelligence, integration, ETL, data warehousing, EDI, strategic planning, change management, vendor selection, and contract negotiations. In her role as Director of Systems Development at Sonic Drive In, she was instrumental in converting their waterfall development process to Agile. Further, she helped implement business intelligence analytics to help operating partners and corporate franchise managers improve drive in operations, and converted several low functioning teams to be highly productive
Dennis Davis has more than 25 years of strategic leadership experience in state government, business, nonprofit, and academic settings. He enjoys a history of significant success as a key change agent in several leadership positions. Dennis’ work in implementing business process redesign (BPR)/process management principles includes assignments in New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Colorado. Dennis’ skill and ability allow him to impart his knowledge and instill contagious optimism in change-reluctant individuals.
Evelyn Stice has 15 years of experience in software quality assurance and requirements analysis. Her deep experience with all aspects of QA, with a focus on web-based projects, small remote teams, and multiple testing methodologies makes her ideal to drive the Change & Innovation Agency’s test efforts.