Category Field Services Show all
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New Center City District Supervisor
By Jacob McLellan
I am pleased to announce Tessa Nelson will be the new District Supervisor for the Center City District.
Tessa began her career in corrections starting in Colorado supervising youth at a residential treatment facility and later as a case manager in Boulder, CO. Tessa returned to MN and began working for 180 Degrees through a contract position with Ramsey County. In 2010, she was hired with Pine County Probation as a pre-trial agent and eventually was hired with MN DOC in 2013.
Tessa is a Motivational Interviewing trainer and MITI Coder and has been coaching others in EBP for over 10 years. Tessa brings with her a highly motivated attitude and desire for growing others. Tessa will officially start her duties on 7/24/2024.
Please help me welcome Tessa as our new District Supervisor!
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Shout Out: Buffalo Field Services Staff
By Willie Swanson
Les Gruwell and I would like to recognize the Buffalo FS staff who have been short-staffed for significant period of time. The Buffalo agents and support staff have worked very hard during this time.
Thank you for your dedication and hard work! Several agents from around the Litchfield District have pitched in and taken on PSI's for the Buffalo office to help carry the load.
Thank you for the teamwork and effort!!!!
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Shout Out: Agent Sangren
By Willie Swanson
Agent Christine Sangren received this message from a former client along with a picture of the client and her child (not included in this post). Christine makes a difference in her clients lives on a daily basis.
"Hey I just wanted to drop a line and let you know how things are going. I am 3 years sober now by the grace of God. I was actually in Litchfield on April 30th, I stopped in cuz I wanted to say hi and the lady at the front desk of probation told me you were working remote. Anyways just wanted to let you know that I'm doing really well. And I just wanted to thank you again for never giving up on me and pushing me, and seeing the potential in me!"
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New Moorhead District Supervisor
By Jake McLellan
I am pleased to announce Dale Arnold has accepted the Moorhead District Supervisor position.
Dale is coming to us from Tri-County Community Corrections where he has been the Deputy Chief Probation Agent for the past 5 ½ years. Dale started his career with Grand Forks Correctional Center in 2007 as a Correctional Officer and was later accepted at Tri-County Corrections as an Associate Agent in 2008. Dale rose through the ranks as an agent, senior agent and then promoted to Deputy Chief in 2018.
Dale was instrumental in development of the Intensive supervision unit for Tri-County, MITI Coder and trainer for Motivational Interviewing, Carey Guides, Thinking for a Change, and an active Decision Points facilitator. Dale has a strong background implementing new initiatives and has been a leader throughout Minnesota with the State-Wide Training Academy and Evidence Based Practices.
Dale will officially start March 27, 2024. Please help me welcome Dale to the Moorhead District and DOC!!
Dale Arnold -
Shout Out: Agents Janice Kampfe and Wade Lennox
By Wendy Spry
On February 28, 2024, Community Stability Program Director Kate Erickson and myself, DOC Tribal Relations Director Wendy Spry, engaged in a meeting with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe relative to community supervision and re-entry planning.
MLBO staff expressed high praise for their working relationship with Agents Janice Kampfe and Wade Lennox, whose caseloads include those residing on the reservation. These agents were described as responsive and communicative. Even more importantly…. as partners eager to work with the tribe to develop effective supervision plans for those MLBO members on supervision.
Chi Miigwech (huge thank you) to Janice and Wade for your engagement and collaboration with tribal nation staff. The work you do with and for its members has not gone unnoticed.
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Shout Out: Bemidji District Office's Cheri Pula
By Karen Fredrickson
Cheri was recently featured in the MNJIS Connection Spring 2024 Newsletter's TAC Corner which is put out by the MN BCA.
How long have you been the TAC at your agency?
Cheri: I have been with the Department of Corrections for almost 26 years. I have been the TAC for the Bemidji District, which includes three agencies, for the past 12 years.
What is the one thing people should know about what you do, but don't?
Cheri: I assist all staff in the district with CJIS, CODNA, MyBCA and POR account setup. This is maintained for every new hire, retirement, interagency move and moves to other districts. This requires organization and good communication with other TACs. I also work closely with my auditor to ensure our agency stays compliant with the BCA and FBI.
What are the most challenging aspects of being a TAC?
Cheri: There are many challenges, but staying on top of the changes in policy and implementing the changes within our agency to remain compliant ranks number one. Second to that is managing staff changes and certifications. With staff retirements, new hires and movement within our agency, it proves challenging to ensure accounts are created in various databases/systems for new staff, accounts are activated and deactivated when required, and certifications are completed before expiration, especially with the change to an annual certification.
What advice do you have for new TACs?
Cheri: Don't be afraid to ask questions, reach out to other TACs for ideas to get organized, utilize Launch Pad or reach out to your auditor and the BCA Service Desk; they are a wealth of information and want you to succeed. I also recommend taking refresher TAC workshops to stay informed, especially if you have an audit in the near future.
The BCA thanks Cheri for her many years of outstanding service as a TAC.
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EBP Trainers in the Wild: MACCAC Agent Conference
By Rachel L. Miller
Several of the statewide EBP trainers, from several different agencies and EBP disciplines, joined the MACCAC Agent Conference on February 15-16th. These go-getters attended training, presented training, and helped with conference planning. Some of them are pictured here, enjoying the evening of hospitality and posing for our first ever, “EBP Trainers in the Wild" photo.
L to R: Matt Seeger-Ramsey; Deric Jackson-Scott; Chris Schweich-Ramsey; Aaron Osborne-Rice; Kari Berg-D&O; Mary Evers-Anoka; Carter Diers-DOC; Rachel L. Miller-DOC; Jeffrey Landgraff-Anoka; Sue Weyer-Anoka; Brian Hibbs-Washington; Christel Roelofs-Kandiyohi; Darnell Brethorst-Wright; David Fink-Washington -
Shout Out: Heather Sanden
By FS Admin - Melissa Greiner, Genevieve Wilkens, Becca Clemens-Wells
The FS Admin Team has been diligently working on a very lengthy Minnesota Department of Revenue Audit for the past 10 months. With the transition of Meeker County to DOC there was a large sum of prior claims that needed to be updated within MNDOR system to abide by current Statute of Limitation rules.
Without missing a beat, Heather volunteered to take on the task of updating over 300 claims in MNDOR and assuring that our system reflected the correct information as well. It was no small task and was a huge help to us.
Thank you so much Heather, for your amazing and speedy work!
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Shout Out: Field Services OAS Senior Extraordinaires
By Becca Clemens Wells
MN DOC Field Services OAS Seniors throughout the state were instrumental in the most recent release of CSTS Web, and they have done a remarkable job at helping train and troubleshoot issues for staff.
This release wouldn't have gone as smoothly if it wasn't for each of you. Thank you for the important work you do for the Stat of Minnesota.
On behalf of FS-Admin we want to give praise to:
Keri Yerhart, Albert Lea
Cheri Pula, Bemidji
Anne Brew, Bemidji2
Joy Fusco, Center City
Linda Baker, Chaska
Stephanie Lyman, Detroit Lakes
Bernadette Gardner, Grand Rapids
Carol Nelson, Litchfield
Kim Jelen, Marshall
Kris Grommesh, Moorhead
Kim Crowley, New Ulm
Kassandra Rother, Red Wing
Kaitlin Leither, St. Cloud
Renee Rumpca, Winona
Robin Conlon-Dingmann, ISR-Central
Karen Fredrickson, ISR-North
Kerry McGuire, ISR-South
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Shout Out: St Cloud District Simply the Best!
By District Supervisor Deb Anderson
This staff Shout Out goes to all the members if the St. Cloud District.
I am so grateful to have this team. This past year the team received the Transforming Lives award for May 2023 and ultimately the FY23 First Place Award in the category of Project Recognition for piloting the WAI-SR project.
This project was aimed at receiving client feedback regarding supervision and alignment with agents. In addition, the staff worked hard at getting the voters' rights letters out to all clients. In August they were tasked with making sure the statutory probation terms of their clients were adhered to. It was been a busy year for this group of people.
They have stepped in to help each other and the district during staffing shortages. They continue to take on new challenges!! An amazing group of people and I am grateful to work with all of them. THANK YOU!!
