RICHARD H. CALICA
ACTING DIRECTOR

Richard H. Calica, a graduate of the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, was named Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services by Governor Pat Quinn. A national authority in child welfare and licensed clinical social worker, he has broad expertise in risk assessment and child safety, family preservation and support. Calica is a lifelong social worker with extensive leadership experience in serving children and families throughout the state. Mr. Calica has consulted nationally and internationally with social workers, attorneys, judges and administrators of county and state child welfare systems on issues related to child maltreatment and protection.

LARRY CHASEY
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FIELD OPERATIONS

Larry Chasey has been appointed as Deputy Director of Field Operations. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Chasey served as the Associate Deputy Directior of Field Operations focusing on its Downstate management. He has spent over 35 years in child welfare, serving 21 years with DCFS in numerous capacities including Field Services and Program Manager. Mr. Chasey spent 14 years in the private sector as child care worker, caseworker, supervisor, and prior to coming to DCFS was Vice President of Residential and Day Treatment services at Bethany Home in Moline. Mr Chasey has a B.A. in Human Services from Judson College and a Master of Divinity from Northern Baptist Seminary.

DEBRA MATLOCK
AGENCY PROCUREMENT OFFICER

DCFS welcomes Agency Procurement Officer, Debra Matlock, who will insure Contract Compliance and Administration. Mrs. Matlock recently joined the Department after serving as General Counsel, Department of Central Management Services, and then Director, Office of Contract Administration and Procurement, for the Department of Human Services. An expert transactional professional and attorney, Debra Matlock brings to the State her extensive private-sector experience in creating, leading and counseling teams responsible for strategic business alliances at a number of leading-edge innovator companies.

Prior to the State, Debra served as Director of Contracts at Rockwell, Licensing Account Executive at Microsoft, Director of Contracts and Strategic Alliances at Motorola, Manager of Contracts at FMC, and Contract negotiator on avionics and defense at Honeywell. She began her career as a staff attorney at Allstate Insurance.

Debra earned her law degree at Northwestern University and her B.A. in Sociology and Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. She serves as a member of the American Bar Association and its Science and Technology Section, Executive Board of the National Bar Institute, the philanthropic arm of the National Bar Association. Debra has also been a member of the National Bar Association serving on its Board of Governors, as a former Vice President, Chair of the Corporate Law Section, and Chair of the Women Lawyers Division. Debra continues to serve as a panelist and convener of seminars on various aspects of technology licensing, transactional and corporate law.

Mr. Marlowe brings a strong background in child welfare to a position that is responsible for building understanding of this field for both the media and the people of Illinois. He joined the Department's Division of Service Intervention in 2005, after serving three years as the Director of Development for Sullivan House child welfare agency. Much of his work in Service Intervention focused on projects related to our growing older youth initiatives. He earned a masters degree in 2006 as an honors student at the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration, where he received the Wilma Walker Honor Award, and is currently an Honorary ChildLaw Fellow at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Mr. Marlowe also understands this field on a more personal level; he grew up with six foster siblings and has experience as a foster and adoptive parent.

KARA TEEPLE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PLACEMENT AND PERMANENCY

Kara Teeple has been appointed Deputy Director of the Division of Permanency and Placement. Ms. Teeple holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio and a Masters Degree in Social Work from Loyola University. She brings over 15 years experience in the field as she started her career at Allendale as a childcare counselor before becoming a case worker for Catholic Charities. She came to the Department in 1997 and her previous roles at the Department include POS Norman Liaison, Foster Care Performance Based Contracting Referral Manager, and Foster Care Administrator.

D. JEAN ORTEGA-PIRON
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, GUARDIAN AND ADVOCACY

D. Jean Ortega-Piron served the Department with the responsibility of being the guardian of all children/youth committed to the Department by the juvenile courts of the state of Illinois. In that role, she was instrumental in establishing the first-in-the-nation Memorandum of Understanding between a state child welfare agency and Mexico, and also established a system for monitoring psychotropic medications for state wards, described by the Chicago Tribune as the “gold standard” in the country. Additionally, from 1994-1996, Ortega-Piron worked for Governor Edgar in his Office of Special Counsel for Child Welfare Services where she focused on the development of innovative public/private relationships with the state's child welfare system to improve the provision of services and participated in all policy discussion, analysis and initiatives related to Juvenile Court reform. She has also served as the DCFS chief administrative law judge and administrator of the Appeals and Hearings Unit. Prior to that, she worked as chief legal counsel for the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Ortega-Piron attended Rosary College, and the Illinois Institute of Technology's Chicago Kent Law School.

JOAN NELSON-PHILLIPS
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, QUALITY ASSURANCE

Joan Nelson-Phillips has been appointed Deputy Director of the Division of Quality Assurance. Ms. Nelson-Phillips holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from Illinois State University and a Masters Degree in Social Work from the University of Chicago. She brings over 20 years experience to this position and has served as a caseworker, placement team supervisor and, for the past decade, as a member of the Division of Quality Assurance here at DCFS. Joan is a certified reviewer and team leader for the Federal Child and Family Services Review project, certified peer reviewer and team leader for the Council on Accreditation and a nationally recognized expert on Continuous Quality Improvement processes. She most recently served as a Special Assistant to the Director.

ROBERT STANEK
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, BUDGET & FINANCE

Robert Stanek has been appointed Deputy Director of the Division of Budget and Finance. He has recently served for 5 years as CFO for the Department of Human Services. Prior to entering public service he worked for over 30 years in the Private Sector. Most prominently as the owner and operator of a manufacturing company in the construction and farm equipment sector. Robert Stanek holds a B.A. in History from the University of Chicago and a M. B. A. in Finance from the University of Chicago.

DANA YOWELL
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

Prior to her January 2006 appointment, Yowell worked for the Illinois Senate Democrats on the Communications and Research staff. During her six-year stint, Yowell worked closely with several state senators on a number of technical assignments. Her duties included formulating legislative initiatives, writing press releases and performing research. She was very involved in the legislative process as new legislation made its way through the General Assembly process to become law. Yowell’s social work background was instrumental in dealing with human service issues. Before working with the Illinois Senate, Yowell worked for seven years with the Macoupin County Mental Health Center. Yowell holds a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois in Springfield.

MILLER ANDERSON
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, POS MONITORING

Miller Anderson has been appointed Deputy Director for the Division of Monitoring. Miller Anderson began his career in child welfare as a caseworker with the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services in 1975. During his fifteen years with IDCFS, Miller served as a casework supervisor, managed contracts and contract negotiations with private providers in the Division of Youth and Community Services and served as the Regional Administrator for the DCFS Northern Region.

In the years since leaving DCFS, Miller has served in many capacities within the child welfare arena. He was the Associate Director for the Child Care Association of Illinois, and Director of Child Welfare Services at Habilitative Systems Inc. At Children’s Home & Aid Society of Illinois, he served as Vice President for the Northern Illinois region and two years as the Chief Operating Officer. In 2000, Mr. Anderson served as Executive Director of Chicago Youth Centers, a multi-service agency that provides foster care, child care and after school programs. Most recently, he has worked for the Child Welfare League of America as the Midwest Regional Director and has done extensive work in child welfare and delinquency prevention as an independent program consultant. Miller has also served as an adjunct professor with Chicago State University, School of Social Work.

Mr. Anderson obtained his Masters degree in Social Work Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an undergraduate degree in Sociology from Illinois State University.

DANIEL FITZGERALD
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SERVICE INTERVENTION

Daniel Fitzgerald has been appointed Deputy Director of the Division of Service Intervention. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Fitzgerald served as Deputy Director of Programs and Services with the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse; served as Assistant to the Director of IDCFS from 2003-2005 and has over 20 years experience in child welfare through his work with Casa Central and Youth Guidance. He also serves as an Instructor at both Loyola University Graduate School of Social Work and Northeastern Illinois University School of Social Work. Mr. Fitzgerald holds a Bachelors degree in Social Work from Southern Illinois University and holds two Master Degrees: one in Business Administration from North Park University and the other in Social Work from the University of Chicago.

MICHELLE JACKSON
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, HUMAN RESOURCES

Michelle Jackson is the Deputy Director of Human Resources for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Prior to her current appointment, she served as Assistant Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Children & Family Services. She began her legal career at the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian where her primary responsibility was representing children involved in the child protection system as attorney and guardian ad litem. Prior to joining the Department of Children and Family Services’ Office of Legal Services, Ms. Jackson was the Interim Director of the Illinois Attorney General's Gang Crime Prevention Center. Michelle is committed to improving the lives of children and families. An accomplished attorney, Michelle has expertise in both traditional and non-traditional legal areas, including civil litigation, real estate, child welfare, juvenile justice family law, and policy making. She is an enthusiastic volunteer with several non-profit organizations. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law and a Bachelor’s degree from Jackson State University.

DIXIE LEE PETERSON
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, GENERAL COUNSEL

A 1975 graduate of The John Marshall Law School, Dixie Lee Peterson was a capital partner in a major national law firm, concentrating in environmental law. She made law in several instances, has been on the cutting edge of policies and programs of the Environmental Protection Agency, and published numerous articles on environmental law and health and safety related issues.

In 1993, she was awarded The John Marshall Law School Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award and in 1994 was named to the "100 Women Making a Difference" by Today's Chicago Woman magazine. She is a speaker and organizer of the American Bar Association’s Women Rainmakers in the Legal Profession, and past Chairwoman of the 18,000 member Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association. Ms. Peterson is also a member of the Board of Trustees and former Adjunct Professor at The John Marshall Law School, and served as Secretary of the Chicago Bar Association.

In 2000, she was one of just twelve lawyers nationwide to receive the Burton Award for Legal Achievement in Writing given by the Legal Publication Foundation, and in that year accepted an appointment as Deputy General Counsel of the Department of Children and Family Services at Cook County Juvenile Court, where she managed the DCFS Office of Legal Services there. In 2004, she became Deputy General Counsel supervising the legal staff outside of Cook County, and in 2006 became DCFS Acting General Counsel. In 2007, Ms. Peterson was elected President of the Women’s Bar Foundation.

CYNTHIA L. TATE, PH.D
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CLINICAL SERVICES

Cynthia Tate has been appointed to serve as Deputy Director for the Division of Clinical Services. She has more than twenty years of experience as a clinician, administrator, educator, and consultant.

Dr. Tate has served as a consultant to the Illinois Department of Human Services where she was the co-developer and professor of the Leadership Development Institute and to major case management initiatives for the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, and was a consultant to the Governors Task Force on Human Service Reform.

Dr. Tate was also the co-founder of a behavioral health managed care company, developing and managing its professional operations and has served on the faculty of the Illinois School of Professional Psychology.

Dr. Tate most recently served as a Special Assistant to the Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Human Services.

Cynthia L. Tate holds a Bachelor’s degree from Fisk University and a doctorate in clinical /community psychology from the State University of New York at Albany.

WILLIAM WOLFE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PLANNING AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Bill Wolfe has been appointed Deputy Director for Planning and Performance Management. In the public service phase of his career he has been a member of the Taxpayer Action Board and Managing Deputy Budget Director for the City of Chicago. Prior to entering public service he worked as a management consultant and as a staff and line manager in private industry.

Career shaping experiences include working with startup companies, running a 4,000 man operation as Country Manager for Saudi Arabia for Waste Management, leading Waste Management’s effort to put power plants on landfills, leading strategy, cost reduction, and reorganization efforts at Combustion Engineering and as a consultant for McKinsey and Company.

He has a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University, read Politics and Economics at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and is all but complete on his dissertation in Economics from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

GEORGE VENNIKANDAM
ACTING DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CHILD PROTECTION

George Vennikandam has been appointed as the Acting Deputy Director of the Division of Child Protection of DCFS. Since December 2006, he also serves as Special Assistant to DCFS Director.  Mr. Vennikandam joined DCFS in 1995, after 16 years of supervisory and management experience in social service and corporate settings. At DCFS, he served as an Intact family caseworker, Placement supervisor, Field Services Manager, Site Administrator, Regional program manager; Administrator of Cook County POS monitoring and ILO/TLP Statewide monitoring, Associate Deputy Director, Division of Monitoring and Quality Assurance, Acting Deputy Director of Division of Monitoring and QA etc.

Mr. Vennikandam holds a Masters degree in Sociology from Kerala University, India, and a Masters Degree in Social Work from Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, also affiliated with Kerala University, India.

SHAUN LANE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, SERVICE SUPPORT

Shaun Lane has been appointed to serve as the Deputy Director for the Division of Service Support. Mr. Lane has demonstrated a passionate commitment to protecting children and supporting families over his 23-year professional career as a social welfare administrator and advocate. He previously served as Chief Program Officer with The Children’s Place Association, Vice President with Prevent Child Abuse America, and vice president with Children’s Home & Aid Society of Illinois. Mr. Lane also worked previously with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Office of Litigation Management where he served as the private sector liaison for the implementation of the B.H. consent decree. In addition, Mr. Lane serves as an adjunct instructor at The University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration and a peer reviewer and team leader with the Council on Accreditation. Mr. Lane began his child welfare career as a caseworker with Lawrence Hall Youth Services, a life-changing experience that inspired his steadfast commitment to excellence in child welfare practice.

Mr. Lane holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Jane Addams College of Social Work, and a master’s degree from The University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration.

JAMES JACKSON
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS - DUALLY INVOLVED YOUTH

James Jackson has been appointed as Deputy Director of the Division of External Affairs-Dually Involved Youth. Jackson joined DCFS in 2007, as consultant for Northern Illinois University as the Juvenile Justice Administrator for Dually Involved Youth.

Prior to DCFS he held the positions of Superintendent and Warden with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and Illinois Department of Corrections. He also worked in the private sector for Aramark and Service Master as a facility director, technical director, regional manager and training and development manager, in their healthcare, education, and support services divisions throughout the Midwest.

Mr. Jackson has also been employed by the Chicago Park District, Chicago Housing Authority and the Chicago Board of Education. He attended undergraduate school at Columbia College and graduate school at Spertus College in Chicago.

DEBRA DYER
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Prior to her appointment as Deputy of Affirmative Action in September of 2011, Debra Dyer served as the Chief Deputy General Counsel of DCFS since July 2003. In this capacity she directed and supervised the activities of staff attorneys engaged in conducting extensive legal research, writing legal opinions, drafting legislation and Department rules and Procedures, while assisting the General Counsel in the development and implementation of legal strategies designed to minimize litigation risks. Debra has also served as an assistant state's attorney in the State's Attorney Office of Cook County. As the lead prosecutor in a juvenile justice/child protection courtroom, she was responsible for conducting trials and hearings, training prosecutors, and managing the day-to-day prosecutorial activities of the courtroom. Previously, Dyer served as Deputy Director of External Affairs for DCFS. In that role, she collaborated with internal and external partners; resolved problems and improved relationships with external constituents; and managed the Office of Communications, African American Services, and Latino Services. Dyer has also served as supervisory legal counsel, technical advisor, public service administrator, child protective service investigator, and child welfare specialist for DCFS. She holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the Chicago Kent College of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology, a Master's degree from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, and a Master's degree in Education and a Bachelor's degree in Social Science from Jackson State University.