Teresa Burke, Coordinator - Responsible for the oversight of the Polk County Decatergorization Cluster. Teresa’s background ranges widely, from Social Worker, Benefits Administration Account Manager, DOL National Emergency Grant Service Area Coordinator and Director of the Central Iowa Re-engagement Center. She is a Certified Job Developer and has experience with providing assistance to the jobless and those without a High School diploma in the central Iowa area. As the Decategorization Project Coordinator, she has oversight of all Decat monies and initiatives, including all contracts and the Community Partnership for the Protection of Children. Teresa is also certified as a Family Team Meeting Facilitator and has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Iowa State University.
Denise Moore, Des Moines Services Area Parent Partner Coordinator - Denise Moore is a master trainer for the “Building A Better Future” curriculum and trains Parent Partners, systems, and community members both across the state and nationally. She has worked with parents involved in the child welfare system for over three years. She assisted in the development of the “Working With Parents” curriculum for the Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association and is a trainer for the association’s “Breaking Barriers: Working Effectively with Birth Families” curriculum. She speaks locally, across the state of Iowa and nationally about the need for child welfare systems to work more effectively with birth parents. She was a faculty member on the Iowa team for the Casey Family Programs Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Reducing Racial Disproportionality and Disparate Outcomes for Children and Families of Color in the Child Welfare System. Moore has gained the admiration of parents, frontline workers and administrators alike as she helps to guide the child welfare system toward improved outcomes for children. She is currently working on her Bachelors of Science in Human Services at Upper Iowa University.
On January 20, 2011 Denise Moore was awarded the Ruth Massinga/Casey Excellence for Children Birth Parent of the Year for exceptional service and committment to Birth Parents.
Tessa Davis, Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC) Liaison - Tessa Davis is Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC) Liaison. She is currently an AmeriCorps volunteer for Prevent Child Abuse Iowa and is placed at Polk County Decategorization. As a Parent Partner, she has been working with families involved in the child welfare system since June 2011. She has volunteered for many community events and projects to assist families and help prevent child abuse in our community. She serves on many state-wide and local committees to address the issues of youth aging out of the foster care system, prevention of child abuse strategies, Model Court and building foster/birth parent relationships.
Rosalind Scoggins, Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC) Liaison - Rosalind Scoggins is a native of Detroit, Michigan and migrated to the city of Des Moines in 1993. Rosalind is also an AmeriCorps volunteer for Prevent Child Abuse Iowa who is on assignment at Polk County Decategorization as a Liaison for Community Partnership for Protecting Children and Community-Based Family Team Meetings. Rosalind is a committee member for the Minority Youth and Family Initiative that addresses disproportionality of children and families of color in the child welfare system. She is a mother of three who has held a certified nursing assistant certificate since 1994 and is currently studying for her Associates Degree in Criminal Justice through Penn Foster online courses. Rosalind has also been an active mentor with the Polk County Parent Partners Program since May of 2010.
Tonya Sloan, Administrative Assistant
