My name is Leah Morken and I am the Director of Minnesota Programs. My first day as a director was on May 23, 2016 but that was not my first day at Family & Children’s Center. I started here in December of 2014 as a Case Manager/Supervisor of the Elementary Day Treatment Program in Winona. I then moved into the position of Coordinator of Children’s Programs in Minnesota. In May, I moved from Coordinator to Director of Minnesota Programs. As the Director I want to see Family & Children’s Center become a leader in helping individuals in the community by improving our programs and promoting all the great things that we do. As many of you know already I enjoy spending time in all of the programs here at Family & Children’s Center and encourage everyone to come to me if they need any support.
I am learning a ton as a director. Most recently I have been a part of strategic planning which provides a “road map” for the agency and different points of focus. Each year we come up with a plan that envisions the direction of the agency and also address challenges that Family & Children’s Center may have. I am also busy introducing myself to different referral sources and setting up meetings for contract negotiations, referral information, and general information about Family & Children’s Center. This is one area that we are all a part of, whether we are in programming or in administration, our interactions out in the community carries over into our workplace.
Along with being a director I am also a CPI instructor, which I really enjoy! It gives me a chance to meet every person who is a part of programming and problem solve with multiple programs. If any of your programs are struggling with de-escalation techniques, understanding the ways to interact with clients when the client is presenting different ranges of behaviors, or ways to take a trauma informed approach to situations with clients please contact me and I would be glad to talk to you or your teams about anything related to CPI or programming. If you have any questions for me I am more than happy to have a discussion with you so send an email, give me a call, or stop by my office if you are in Winona!