Show Notes
Season 2, Episode 13: August 19, 2026 Length: 27:18 This week, The Big Picture comes from the Dallas ODHS office for the first half of a two-part conversation about collaboration, transformation, and what it looks like when Self-Sufficiency Programs and Child Welfare work together around the same families. We sit down with staff from both programs. From Self-Sufficiency, Lisa Heath joins as operations manager, along with family coaches Ray Scott and Kim Morgan, and program manager Dawn Myers. From Child Welfare, we hear from Lorelle Gould, CPS supervisor and recovery court supervisor, and Amber McClelland, Child Welfare program manager. In this first half, the group talks about how Dallas built relationships across programs before collaboration became a formal transformation goal. For some staff, “transformation” is less about a new initiative and more about recognizing work they have already been doing: coming together, sharing what they can, and making sure families do not experience ODHS as a set of disconnected doors. The conversation also looks at the real barriers that still exist, including privacy rules, program roles, and limits on what information can be shared. Staff explain how trust, relationships, shared space, and clear roles help them keep families at the center even when the systems around them are still complicated. In the end, this first half is about how collaboration becomes real before it becomes formal. In Dallas, that means staff know who to go to, what questions to ask, and how to work through barriers so families can experience ODHS less as separate programs and more as one connected source of support in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: [email protected]
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Season 2, Episode 31 Length: 20:07 This week, The Big Picture sits down with ODHS Director Liesl Wendt for a conversation about leadership, transformation and what it means to put the human back in human services. Fresh from a visit to Burns, Liesl talks about the resilience of rural communities, the pride ODHS staff take in their work and her vision of One ODHS: an agency where people come before acronyms, bureaucracy supports rather than obstructs service, and leadership is something employees practice at every level. The conversation also explores the changes facing ODHS and why Liesl believes the agency needs to become more comfortable trying new ideas, learning from what doesn't work and building on what does. From budget challenges and frontline experiences to the importance of giving staff the tools and freedom to solve problems, she describes a culture where change is an ongoing process rather than a single destination. You'll also hear what excites Liesl about the agency's future, including the staff-driven ideas from the Beaver-Duck Innovation Classic and the emergency response work that has earned ODHS national attention. For Liesl, both demonstrate what happens when employees closest to the work help shape the solutions. In the end, this episode is about curiosity, teamwork and recognizing the leadership already happening throughout ODHS. From rural offices to agency headquarters, Liesl makes the case that putting people first means listening to staff, trusting their expertise and finding better ways to serve Oregonians together in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsGuest: Liesl Wendt, Director, Oregon Department of Human ServicesProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: [email protected]
Season 2, Episode 26 — Oct. 19, 2026 Length: 9:59 This week’s episode takes Discover to Hollywood with updates on intersex awareness, data equity, workplace accommodations, SNAP and OHP work rules, Workday sick leave entries, Outlook changes and domestic violence resources. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with Pride ERG’s Intersex Awareness Day event, the State of Oregon Data Equity Summit and an ABLENet session on workplace accommodations. From there, Fact of the Week highlights resources for navigating separate SNAP and OHP work rules, while Dateline covers shift differentials, Outlook’s new Promotions folder and domestic violence support and awareness. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week
Season 2, Episode 29 — Oct. 14, 2026 Length: 23:44 This week, The Big Picture hops into the wayback machine to bring you an interview we did a year ago. It’s story focused on National Disability Employment Awareness Month, where we sat down with Diane Navarrete, an ODHS communications officer whose story is also featured in the October 8 ODHS Facebook post. Diane lives with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a genetic condition that affects nerves and muscle strength — though, as we will explain, not the teeth. Diane’s story is about much more than a diagnosis. She’s also someone who has received the kinds of support Vocational Rehabilitation can provide, including learning to use voice recognition technology so she could continue her career and keep doing the work she loves. And now, Diane helps tell that story for others. As a strategic communicator with ODHS Communications, she works in what she considers her dream job: communicating about Vocational Rehabilitation and helping more people understand the services, tools and opportunities that can support people with disabilities in the workforce. In the end, Diane’s story is a reminder that disability inclusion is not only a goal. It is one way Oregon’s workforce becomes stronger, more creative and more connected. When barriers are removed and people have the tools they need to thrive, everyone moves forward in… The Big Picture. CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: [email protected]
Season 2, Episode 28 — Oct. 12, 2026 Length: 9:57 This week’s episode goes prospecting through Discover for updates on annual required trainings, public charge resources, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, 2027 health plan recordings, employee store passes, Pride ERG’s Queer Identity Series and advisory seats supporting LGBTQIA2S+ older adults. With no new 4Minutes4U this week, the episode begins in Deadline: ODHS with three required trainings due by Oct. 31. From there, FACT of the Week highlights a new public charge FAQ from the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, while Dateline covers DVAM resources, health plan training recordings, Nike and Adidas employee passes, the next Queer Identity Series session and openings on the LGBTQIA2S+ Subcommittee of the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services. 4Minutes4U: Nothing this week
Season 2, Episode 27 — Oct. 5, 2026 Length: 34:50 This week’s episode of The Big Picture comes from District 2 and features a conversation about refugee support, Child Welfare, Self-Sufficiency and the ODHS Transformation. Bethany talks with Kosrat Meman, a Human Services Manager who works with Refugee Services and SSP, and Child Protective Services supervisors Rebecca Lusk and Tara Bridges. They discuss what happens when families are working with more than one ODHS program, especially refugee and immigrant families who may be navigating trauma, unfamiliar systems, language barriers and different relationships with government. More than reflections and questions, however, this episode also includes answers and observations from Marissa Moon, interim District 2 manager. Who, as she listens to members of her team, connects the staff experiences raised in the conversation to the goals of the ODHS Transformation: stronger coordination across programs, clearer pathways to expertise, less duplicate work and a more connected experience for families.All of them giving a Transformational view of ODHS already underway… in The Big Picture.