Foster & Kinship Care Staff

Shannon Reiff, Manager (Supervisor) of the Foster & Kinship Care Unit.

Hi! My name is Karen Sexton, and I'm employed as a Foster Care and Family Consultant and PRIDE co-trainer. My husband, Mike and I have been licensed as a foster care family with Larimer County for the past 2.5 years. I graduated in 1989 with a degree in Child Development and Family Relations with a minor in Sociology from South Dakota State University. I have worked with children and at-risk youth in various capacities, such as Child Care Center Director, Group Home Parent (serving teen moms and their babies), as well as support staff for a child placement agency.

My "children" consist of 3 cats, Bear, Jake, and Gracie, and 2 pups, Riley (Brittany) and Will (German Shorthair Pointer). My husband and I enjoy hiking and camping together. I enjoy reading, doing puzzles, and am learning how to knit! I look forward to getting to know you and helping support you in your foster care journey!

Hello, my name is Nancy Schaft, Foster Care and Family Consultant. I have worked for Children, Youth, and Family Services since February 1998. Prior to that, I worked for Family Extension as the Director of their Therapeutic Foster Care program. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have a professional background in working with high needs children, sexual abuse victims, and children who struggle with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I strongly believe in Family Options and believe that our foster families truly make a lifelong change in a family's life. My husband and I were foster parents with Larimer County from 1984-1987. We worked mostly with teenage girls coming out of residential and hospital facilities. We have two grown sons, and one granddaughter. We also have two dogs, Abbey and Brooke. I love animals and usually have a box of dog bones in my car to share with my dog friends. I love working with the foster families because they have such BIG hearts and really care about children. Our foster families have taken on the challenges of working with biological families, and many of them have continued to maintain contact even after the children return to their families.

Hi, my name is Katie Piccolo and I am one of the caseworkers on the kinship team. I grew up outside of Chicago and went away to college, for an undergraduate degree in Social Work in Michigan. My husband and I moved to Colorado in 2001 and cannot imagine living anywhere else. I worked in a residential treatment center for adolescents here in Fort Collins before starting with Larimer County Department of Human Services in 2005. When not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family, being outdoors and taking our dogs for walks. Before starting as a kinship caseworker I was an intake caseworker in Child Protection for about two and a half years. I am very excited to be part of such a great team and to have the opportunity to work with amazing families who are working so hard to create a safe and stable environment for children in a time of need.

Laura Mathews, Foster Care and Family Consultant for Larimer County...

Hello, I'm Kelly Jackson. I am a caseworker in the Kinship Unit. I have been working for the Larimer County Department of Human Services since August of 1997. I started as a counselor at a residential treatment center for youth and then became an Ongoing Child Protection Caseworker. I also worked as a caseworker in the Youth Services Unit before joining the Kinship Unit in August of 2002. I truly enjoy working with kin families and appreciate all of their hard work and dedication they have for the children in their care.

Hi, my name is Ruben Guerrero. I am married and have 3 children and 5 grandchildren. I work as the Kinship Certification Trainer. Prior to coming to the Larimer County Department of Human Services, I worked at Colorado State University with the Financial Aid Office as Coordinator of Outreach for Student Financial Services. I received my Bachelors Degree in Social Work from Colorado State University.

Amberly Fredrickson, Kinship caseworker.

Hello, I'm Carla Felts, Specialized Foster Care and Recruitment. I received my Bachelors of Social Work, with a Minor in Sociology (emphasis in Criminal Justice), from Colorado State University. I have been with the Larimer County Department of Human Services on and off for the past twelve years. I have served as a Child Protection Intake Caseworker, Ongoing Caseworker, Institutional Abuse Investigator, Child Protection Supervisor, and Family Options Meeting Facilitator/ Mediator. I have also worked at Lutheran Family Services as a Clinician, working with foster families and facilitating therapeutic visitations between children and birth families.

I had the privilege to grow up in a large family, sharing a home (and a single bathroom!) with 11 other brothers and sisters. I joined the Unites States Army when I was 17 and served in Desert Storm as a Combat Engineer. While in the Army, I met my husband John and we have been happily married since 1996. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with families (biological, foster, and adoptive) as each of their stories have helped so much to enrich my skills and expertise. It is my belief that there is so much we can learn from each others stories, if we just take the time to listen with our heads and with our hearts.

My name is Sheila Dye and I am a Foster Care and Family Consultant for Larimer County. I started with the foster care program in June of 2008, but I have been with the Department of Human Services for several years. I began at the Department as an intern while I was attending graduate school for social work at the University of Denver. In graduate school, I specialized in Child Welfare and Trauma Response and Recovery. I began my first internship with the Department as an Intake Child Protection Caseworker, and then obtained experience as an Ongoing Child Protection Caseworker. While completing my internship, I worked as a Case Aide in the Life Skills Unit supervising parent/child visits and teaching life skills and parenting skills. Once I finished graduate school, I began working as an Ongoing Child Protection Caseworker and worked with abused/neglected children, birth families, foster families and community service providers. I have now transferred to the Foster Care Unit and I look forward to this new adventure. My current job entails certifying foster families and offering ongoing support once they have children placed in their care. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and my dogs, camping and other outdoor activities!

Hi, I'm Nancy Courtney, one of the Kinship Caseworkers on the Kinship Team. My husband Scott and I have lived in Fort Collins since 1989 and have two grown children, Kerri and Jay. I enjoy reading, gardening, exercise and traveling with my husband. I joined the '2nd floor' work group in February 2004 after our Kinship Unit merged with the Foster Care Team. I have worked for the Larimer County Department of Human Services since November 1993 in several different positions in Adoption and Ongoing Child Protection. I have specifically worked with Kinship families since 1998. I believe in children living with family whenever possible. I have learned so much from the families I have worked with and I have a great deal of admiration for the many 'hats' caregivers wear. I continue to value the teamwork and Family Options philosophy that gives caregivers, whether related or unrelated, the information and support they need to provide safe and nurturing homes for children.

I am Michelle Chavez, the Department Specialist for the Foster Care and Kinship Care Units. I also support other units within the Department. I have worked for Larimer County since 1995. Most of my work with Larimer County has been supporting units. I have worked as the SSI Liaison and have done HUB intake, as well as working on other special projects as needed. Working with the Foster Care and Kinship Care Units has been an ongoing learning experience. I admire the work and dedication that our Larimer County foster and kinship families provide to the children in our community.

Alicia Anderson.