In episode 12, our last episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Mary Gail Foster, the Records Management Administrator in Support Services. Foster started as a library technician and then became the agency’s official librarian after she finished her master’s degree. Now a certified records manager, Foster oversees the agency’s Records Center which houses not only critical agency files, but also documents, publications and many other materials that represent the agency’s entire history.

Next March, when Foster is set to retire, she will have served the agency for a half-century! Oklahoma Human Services looks quite differently than it did 50 years ago, and we are excited for the work we’ll do together as we approach the agency’s 100th anniversary in 2026.

Though this is our last episode with Dr. Shropshire, Marshall and Foster, we have thoroughly enjoyed the conversations and history we have made together through ShropTalk: Voices from the Field. We hope you’ll like this episode and share it and others with a friend. You’ll find all episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen on your favorite platform.

In episode 11 of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with David Johnson, Programs Administrator with Post Adoption and Guardianship, and Dr. Bonni Goodwin who serves as the Statewide Coordinator of Adoption Preservation Services. Dr. Goodwin is also the Director of the Center for Adoption and Family Well-Being and serves as Assistant Professor and Online Program Faculty for the University of Oklahoma.

This episode discusses the many facets of successfully serving children and families during and after their adoption experience, including adoption competent mental health, helping families adjust to adoption and the lifelong impacts of adoption on families. Dr. Goodwin’s and Johnson’s work together also demonstrates the importance of cross-systems collaboration to ensure adoptive families have all the tools they need to thrive in their new lives together.

We still have one more ShropTalk conversation to share before Dr. Shropshire moves on to her next adventure later this month! You’ll find this and our last episode on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen on your favorite platform. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

In the tenth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Terry Benjamin, Case Manager with Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS). In this episode, Benjamin articulates the importance of bringing your heart and full self to our work and the benefit that brings to our clients. From the big moments in clients’ lives like going to A Night to Shine, to small ones like getting a haircut and a new outfit, Benjamin describes how our focus on person-centered services improves lives and brings dignity for those we serve.

We still have a couple more ShropTalk conversations to share before Dr. Shropshire moves on to her next adventure in mid-September! You’ll find this and those upcoming episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen from your car or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

In the ninth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Laree Reidenbaugh, Human Resources Programs Manager II with Human Resources Management (HRM), and our agency’s coordinator for the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP supports employee wellbeing by offering help through emotional, financial or legal stressors, as well as coaching and training that support personal growth. All agency employees are eligible for 12 EAP counseling sessions per household, per year.

We still have several more ShropTalk conversations to share before Dr. Shropshire moves on to her next adventure in mid-September! You’ll find this and those upcoming episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

In the eighth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Sarah Bouse, Programs Field Representative with Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) in Adult and Family Services. As part of the agency’s administration of TEFAP and CSFP, more than $20 million was distributed to food banks, pantries and soup kitchens, along with food boxes to help supplement the diets of low-income Oklahomans. Bouse and her small but mighty team ensure our state’s residents, including seniors and children, have access to the nutritious foods they need to stay healthy and thriving.

You’ll find this and future episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen from your car or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

We hope you’ll join us each month for ShropTalk: Voices from the Field.

In the seventh episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Aviva Harvey and Kellie Reed of Digital Pathways and the Digital Transformation Office. In this incredibly fun installment of the podcast, we learn from Harvey and Reed how raising your hand and your voice to improve the agency and its tools can create pathways to hope for our employees and the clients we serve.

You’ll find this and future episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen from your car or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

We hope you’ll join us each month for ShropTalk: Voices from the Field.

In the April episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Esther Rider-Salem who recently retired from Oklahoma Human Services after dedicating 44 years to Child Welfare Services (CWS). Rider-Salem served in many progressive roles over the years, most recently overseeing all Pinnacle Plan core strategy and semi-annual reporting, as well as federal reporting, and consultation and technical assistance for child welfare programs. The establishment of the agency’s statewide abuse and neglect hotline is also credited to Rider-Salem who helped create the hotline and served as its director for many years after it launched in Nov. 2009.

You’ll find this and future episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen from your car or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

We hope you’ll join us each month for ShropTalk: Voices from the Field.

In the fifth episode of ShropTalk: Voices from the Field, Dr. Shropshire and Austin Marshall speak with Richie Scifo, the State Funded Adult Day Services Contract Monitor for Community Living, Aging and Protective Services (CAP). Scifo works daily offer hope and dignity to elder Oklahomans, prolonging their ability to remain safe and thriving in their community through a variety of services that support their health, nutritional, social and daily living needs. He joined Oklahoma Human Services in 2007 by way of an unlikely career shift from amateur and professional boxing. However, he credits his former career for giving him unique tools that have created pathways to success in his life – tools that he generously shares with all of us throughout the podcast.

Fear is a friend of exceptional people. -Cus D’Amato

You’ll find this and future episodes on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music and more to make it easier to listen from your car or wherever you prefer to listen to podcasts. If an episode resonates with you, please like and share it with a friend.

We hope you’ll join us each month for ShropTalk: Voices from the Field.