Key Project Staff

American Humane Association

Donna Parrish, M.A., LPC

Donna Parrish has more than 16 years of experience in the human services field and is currently the director for the Colorado Disparities Resource Center (CDRC). Parrish recently served as the project manager for the Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Safety and Risk Assessments, which was a 33-month, national partnership project with the American Humane Association and Casey Family Programs. Prior to joining American Humane, Parrish served for five years as a clinical supervisor of a child protection treatment team in a Colorado county social service agency. The treatment team was composed of 12 licensed clinicians and provided short-term, child-centered, solution-focused therapy to constituents. Parrish has also served as a family therapist, mental health counselor and program director in various venues. In addition, she has served as a faculty member at both the University of Colorado at Denver Health and Sciences Center and the Denver Family Institute. As a faculty member, Parrish ensured that students were able to provide therapeutic interventions that were strengths-based and culturally appropriate. Her areas of expertise include clinical assessment and evaluation; child abuse prevention; safety, risk and family assessment; child protection therapy; cultural competence and responsiveness; and organizational and staff development. Further, Parrish has many years of experience as a state and national consultant and trainer, and strives to ensure that participants are able to transform their practices into culturally sound interventions.

John Fluke, Ph.D.

John Fluke has more than 29 years of experience in social service delivery system research in the area of child welfare and mental health services for children. In November 2008, Fluke became the founding director of American Humane’s Child Protection Research Center. He is nationally recognized as a researcher specializing in assessing and analyzing decision making in human services delivery systems. Fluke is also nationally known for his innovative and informative evaluation work in the areas of child welfare administrative data analysis, child welfare decision making, workload and costing, and performance and outcomes measurement for children and family services. He has been active in research and evaluation at all levels of government, in the private not-for-profit sector, and with national foundations and associations -- including work both in the United States and abroad.

Debra Mixon Mitchell, Ph.D.

Debra Mixon Mitchell completed her dissertation in human communication, studying the impact that intercultural communication may have on the disproportionalities/disparities reported for children of color in the child welfare system. She received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Colorado-Boulder and a master’s degree in human communication from the University of Denver. She has extensive experience in training content on child welfare and cultural diversity issues, taught courses at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, and worked at Adams County Department of Social Services for almost 20 years as a caseworker and supervisor.

Molly Jenkins, M.S.W.

Molly Jenkins is a program assistant in the Children’s Division of American Humane and a graduate of the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, where she concentrated on children and families, issues of privilege and anti-oppressive practice, and animal-assisted social work. As a graduate student, Jenkins demonstrated her strong commitment to social justice through her participation in a team that influenced the expansion of the university’s policy to include gender identity and gender expression as protected classes. She also served as co-president of the Queer Equality Alliance student group and received graduation recognition from the University of Denver’s Center for Multicultural Excellence. Her background includes work in veterinary care, the child welfare system and the nonprofit arena, including the HIV/AIDS- and violence-prevention fields. At American Humane, she has worked with the Colorado Disparities Resource Center, the National Center on Family Group Decision Making, the Restorative Justice for Youth Initiative, the Quality Improvement Center on Differential Response and the Human-Animal Bond Division.

Colorado Department of Human Services

George Kennedy

George Kennedy is deputy executive director for the Children, Youth and Families Division of the Colorado Department of Human Services. He has been involved in the juvenile justice and human services fields since 1972. He has served as a residential program administrator, juvenile diversion counselor, guardian ad litem and human services administrator over the course of his career. Prior to coming to State Services, Kennedy was the director of human services in Douglas County. He was a foster and adoptive parent from 1975 to 1996. Kennedy has served on a number of state/county committees in order to improve the provision of human services for the people of Colorado.

Sharen E. Ford, Ph.D.

Sharen Ford is the manager of permanency services for the Colorado Department of Human Services in the Division of Child Welfare Services. Ford has built a comprehensive work history there for 23 years that includes program and policy development and implementation, monitoring, serving as the division’s legislative liaison, and testifying before the State Board of Human Services and at the legislature. She oversees seven programmatic areas, including the Foster Care and Adoption Program, and supervises a team of professional staff. Dr. Ford serves as the co-chair for the Governor's Child Welfare Action Subcommittee on Cultural Competency.