Carlissa Snowden-Gause has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management but has always had a passion for child safety and welfare. She signed on to be a host of CPS podcast when Michele Rodriguez approached her with the idea. She is a biological parent of two adult children. She spent ten years working in a school district as a communications specialist working closely with local schools and district offices relating to child welfare and education where her passion began to find feet. With a calling and a heart to help and serve, she became the foster and adoptive parent of eight children, ranging from toddlers to teens.
As a resource and biological parent, Carlissa offers a unique double-sided perspective and experience in the difference between being a biological parent vs. caring for children in the custody of child welfare and managing the relationship with those agencies, children, and their families. She currently works in a position where she can continue to support families in being the best resource for safety and wellness for the children they care for.
Michele Rodriguez has her bachelor’s degree in Social Work, and before working as a caseworker at the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P), completed the Baccalaureate Child Welfare Education Program. She has worked at, and been, a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and continues to work within the child protective services field.
Michele has recieved a Special Commisioner’s Award from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) for her work on transforming visitation rooms at a local DCP&P office, was awarded the CASA of Monmouth County Advocate of the Year award, and a Child Abuse Prevention award from Passaic County, Division of Youth and Family Services (currently known as DCP&P). Michele is an advocate for promoting the science of ACEs to move towards self-healing communities and lowering intergenerational trauma.