Sometimes being wrong is being right. Twenty-two years ago, Marcie Martinez started working for a child support company in Kansas but didn’t think she would stay in child support for long.
“I thought I would do it for a while and then get out,” she said. “I thought it would just be filing some paperwork, enforcing court orders, and there wasn’t going to be much more to it.”
She didn’t get out. Instead, on Monday, Marcie will begin her tenure as the Director of Child Support Services for Kansas’ Department for Children and Families, overseeing the statewide child support program.
Leaning In: Carla West and Tammy Pearson Recognize Value of Supporting Each Other
This March, YoungWilliams launched a campaign to celebrate its women leaders in honor of Women’s History Month. Becoming a leader doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Any good leader has a solid support network. Tammy Pearson, the Director of Operations for YoungWilliams’ North Carolina offices, and Carla West, Senior Director for Economic Security for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Social Services, have been “leaning into” each other long before Sheryl Sandberg popularized the term.
It wasn’t too long ago when we asked questions like, “what’s a podcast?” But now we ask questions more like, “what’s your favorite podcast?”
Our world has changed drastically, including how we consume information. Podcasts are a great way to learn on-demand. Podcasts exist for all kinds of subjects from news to sports to even child support.
YoungWilliams employees contribute regularly to the NCSEA On Location podcast. NCSEA On Location is an interview-based podcast and features human service professionals and stakeholders from different locations. Each episode features a host and one or more guests discussing various child support topics.
Recognizing Excellence: Parker Named YoungWilliams 2021 Attorney of the Year
Merritt Parker, an attorney with the Mississippi Child Support Project, is the 2021 YoungWilliams Attorney of the Year. Attorneys are selected based on their excellent customer service, knowledge of child support, willingness to assist others, and outstanding courtroom skills.
Expect the Unexpected: Lessons Learned as WICSEC President
Ellen Rutledge’s term as the President of the Western Intergovernmental Engagement Council (WICSEC) wasn’t at all what she expected. Instead of guiding the organization through its annual in-person training conference, she organized not one, but two, virtual conferences and spearheaded WICSEC’s efforts to bring meaningful and relevant training to the child support community throughout the pandemic.
Recognizing the Value of Differences: Bengston Elected NCSEA President
Lori Bengston understands the importance of bringing a variety of views to the child support table. “Differences make us stronger” is the theme for her term as President of the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA). Bengston, YoungWilliams’ Project Manager for the Nebraska Customer Service Center, was elected at NCSEA’s Leadership Symposium in August.
YoungWilliams Continues Partnership With New Hanover County
Quality services. The customer experience. Community investment. New Hanover County and YoungWilliams will continue their focus on these priorities as they enter into a fourth consecutive contract for YoungWilliams to provide child support services.
“I am excited about this continued partnership,” said Tammy Pearson, the North Carolina Operations Manager for YoungWilliams. “We value our relationship with the County and will continue building strong relationships with the families we serve.”
Child Support Awareness Month: YoungWilliams Celebrates The Child Support Program
Each August, YoungWilliams observes Child Support Awareness Month along with the child support community. President Bill Clinton established Child Support Awareness Month in 1995. It’s a time to honor parents for the important role they play in their children’s lives and spread the word about the child support program and the services it provides.
With 28 years of experience, YoungWilliams currently has the largest accumulated caseload of any private vendor in the nation, managing full-service child support offices in addition to customer service centers and payment processing center
New Partners: YoungWilliams Wins Contract in Craven County, NC
Craven County, North Carolina, has a new partner to assist its families with child support. YoungWilliams is thrilled to announce it will begin providing local services on July 1, 2021.
Tammy Pearson, YoungWilliams’ North Carolina Operations Manager, is hitting the ground running. “Craven County is a great fit for us,” she said. “I am excited to work with the employees and learn more about the office and its daily operations.”
A Tradition of Success: Omaha Child Support Services Turns 20
On April 1, 2021, the YoungWilliams Omaha child support office will celebrate twenty years of providing innovative child support services. In Federal Fiscal Year 2020, the office collected $63,729,347 for Nebraska families.
The Omaha office has about 35 percent of the Nebraska child support caseload. YoungWilliams understands how important child support is to families. It has a history of using innovative methods to get support to families as quickly as possible.
