Shelby Russell-Hays’s personal history with adoption sparked an interest in a career in Social Services from an early age. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Pepperdine University in 2010, she immediately began working for a private child placing agency in Pierce County as a Foster Care Case Manager. In this position, Shelby provided direct support to Children’s Administration (now DCYF), children in out-of-home care, and their Caregivers.

A few years later, Shelby became employed with Children’s Administration in Pierce County as a Placement Coordinator; eventually transferring to the Vancouver office in Clark County in the same position. In Fall 2018, Shelby accepted her current position at the Alliance with a focus on serving the Caregiving Community through educational support.

Shelby’s passion for this work is rooted in ensuring safe spaces for children in out-of-home care; although, she believes that a true sense of safety includes cultivating an inner feeling of safety within each child. Because this process can be long and complex, Shelby and her team strive to empower those who care for these remarkable children by equipping them with the knowledge and tools that create connection and promote healing. She is grateful to work alongside others at the Alliance who share in her passion and inspire her, every day, to stay curious!

Penny Michel - mpen300@uw.edu

Penny Michel is a Development and Facilitation Specialist at the Alliance.  She is member of a team who is responsible for development and facilitation of pre-licensing and continuing education trainings for licensed caregivers, kinship caregivers, adoptive parents and community members.

She began her career in early childhood education and transitioned into the human services field.  This experience provided an opportunity to work in positions as a licensor for childcare and foster care.  She came to the Alliance in 2014 and became a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner in 2019.

She received her Masters of Social Work (MSW) from UW-Seattle and completed the process to become and Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LISCW.)

Her ideal self-care consists of Forest Bathing with her Dog Nation while they get their zoomies out and traveling with overweight luggage to faraway places to swim with the fishes.