Policy and Practice April 2019

our do’ers profile

In Our Do’ers Profile, we highlight some of the hardworking and talented individuals in health and human services. This issue features Wanda Rogers, Director of the Hampton Department of Human Services.

Name: Wanda E. Rogers Title: Director, Hampton Department of Human Services Years of Service: I have served as the Director of the Hampton Department of Human Services for 10 years. This leadership role has allowed me to share my passion and dedicate my energy to promoting preventive strategies and creative interventions that continuously lead to thriving children and adults in our community. Together with a remarkable team of professionals, I have enjoyed a decade of learning from research, identifying issues, implementing sustainable prac- tices, and working with intentionality for superior results. Rewards of the Job: The 1990s brought a fresh perspective to the work we were doing in Hampton. We moved from a system of individual accountability and control, to one of teams, creativity, and shared responsi- bility. We initially found teamwork to be difficult and we hesitated to become interdependent. Gradually, with the coaching of dynamic leaders, we began to see the benefits of the team approach. The teamwork that is now a part of the workplace culture makes it my pleasure to envision and deliver high-quality responses to the chal- lenges faced by Hampton’s citizens. With insight, commitment, energy,

the community. We are celebrating a decade of positive outcomes for children utilizing community-based placements versus residential treat- ment facilities and group homes. Future Challenges for the Delivery of Public Human Services: Team Hampton desires to do extraordinary work in the future. Throughout the city we are having ongoing conversations about Building High-Performance Local Governments and continuously improving service delivery. We will all need to become engaged members of the team and work together on the best possible solutions to any chal- lenge we are facing. Little Known Facts About Me: There are three little known facts that come to mind… 1. I serve as the Children’s Preacher at my church 2. I have a pet hedgehog in my office. 3. I am a former dental assistant. Outside Interests: I have a strong interest in continuous learning, so I love to travel. I enjoy experiencing things that are unfamiliar and being exposed to new places. I am looking forward to my upcoming trip with my husband to Punta Cana. I have never been there but a little heat and humidity is sure to boost my Vitamin D level.

and intelligence the team continu- ously seeks an affirmative answer to the questions: Is anybody better off because of us? We cannot think of a nicer reward than positive outcomes for the individuals we serve. Accomplishments Most Proud Of: We recently reviewed an article written by Liz Schott entitled, “TANF at 22: Its Work Programs Do Little to Help Needy Parents Get Work.” The article stated that 22 years ago, on August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed a law creating the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and radically restruc- turing cash assistance for families with children living in poverty. The article further stated that TANF’s work programs have had little success in helping parents lift themselves out of poverty through work. This article was reviewed as Hampton celebrated a TANF Employment grant award. Our locality will utilize the grant funds to continue to address barriers to employ- ment and offer new wraparound services to individuals receiving TANF. We are extremely pleased to have received the grant, and the commit- ment of the partner agencies who will work with each customer is exhila- rating. We are expecting phenomenal outcomes. We also remain very pleased with the work we have done to ensure that children are safe, protected, and nurtured in their own homes and in

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