Main Contact/ Lead Instructor 
Stephanie Rodrigues - steph75@uw.edu

Stephanieʼs interest in child welfare began with the adoption of her two children. She left a career in genetic research to obtain her Masters of Social Work, graduating from the University of Washington in 2008. Stephanie participated in the CWTAP program and completed practicums at Northwest Adoption Exchange and Childrenʼs Administration. At Childrenʼs Administration, Stephanie worked for seven years as a Children and Family Services, Social Worker. She began working for Childrenʼs Administration in King County and later in Grays Harbor County, where she has been for the last five years. Stephanie is a native of Grays Harbor County and is passionate about her community and helping families and children succeed.

Co-Facilitator 
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.