CLAUDIA HOUSE

Ms. Hartnagel has worked in social services and public service her entire life.  Starting as a Social Services Assistant within Federal Civil Service at the Family Support Center on an Air Force Base in the Midwest where she is from, she attended Wichita State University (WSU) in Wichita, KS, where she completed her Bachelor's degree in Social Work.  While working on her Social Work degree, Ms Hartnagel volunteered at the Wichita Children's Home, a 24hr  emergency residential facility as a direct care staff supervising youth in State care. In doing so, Ms Hartnagel became familiar with appropriate responses to challenging behaviors. She then went on to work for the States of Kansas, Oregon, and Washington as a Child Protective Services/Child Welfare worker, lastly doing the work as an After Hours worker where she directly witnessed the lack of placements for teens and the need for extra support of teens in transition in the foster care system. 

While Ms. Hartnagel often found the various systems' to at times hinder the positive development of teens, she always valued the direct work with youth and believes that when youth feel heard and supported, they are more likely to be successful in whatever they do, whether it be in school, in family and other relationships, or simply in their belief in themselves.