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Olyvia started as a Family Resources Coordinator in June 2018. Olyvia grew up in her family's church and daycare program, and has helped with multiple programs within the facility. Before coming to Progress Center, Olyvia worked in an infant room and loved getting to cuddle with babies and enjoyed watching how much a baby can grow and learn in a year.
Outside of work, Olyvia loves to spend time with family and friends. Olyvia loves all things Disney and has been to Disneyland over 10 times. You can find Olyvia at home most days though, on the couch with a good book and eating an otter pop |
Jayne Baughman
Early Intervention Teacher Department Head 360-425-9810 ext. 222 jbaughman@theprogresscenter.org |
Jayne has served as an early intervention teacher at Progress Center for 16 years. She is the education department head and one of the evaluators for the program. Jayne works hard to make the evaluation process seamless for families and wants the families she meets to leave with a complete assessment of their child's developmental skills. Many caregivers have commented about the relief they felt knowing that help is on the way after the evaluation is completed.
Prior to working at Progress Center, Jayne worked in a self-contained special needs classroom for children ages 5-12 years with an autism spectrum diagnosis. She feels that this experience gives her the insight to help prepare children to transition into school district preschool programs. When Jayne is not at Progress Center she and her husband love to travel. They typically visit warm, tropical locations. This last summer, they were able to check off something on their bucket list when they took their grandchildren to Disneyland. It was an amazing trip that none of them will forget! |
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Betsy joined Progress Center in October 2014. She received her bachelor of science degree in Child Development and Family Dynamics in Pennsylvania. Before coming to Progress Center, Betsy worked as a therapeutic staff support for children living with varying diagnoses. She has worked in various preschool classrooms.
Betsy has been married for 19 years, and has a son and daughter. In her spare time, she most enjoys being with her family. Betsy and her family go camping, kayaking and do just about anything outdoors. They enjoy traveling to visit extended family in California and on the East Coast. |
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Ronda is an early intervention teacher. She joined the Progress Center staff over three years ago, after working with children at the Kelso School District for twenty-three years. Ronda spent the last three years at KSD working with the physical and occupational therapists as part of the motor team.
Ronda has three adult children and six grandchildren and delights in spending time with them. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, kayaking, and hiking. |
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Jordan began working as an Early Intervention Teacher at the Progress Center in August of 2018. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Children’s Studies from Eastern Washington University. Jordan has always been passionate about helping children with special needs. Prior to working at the Progress Center, Jordan was a paraeducator at Rainer Junior/Senior High School. She also worked with children with disabilities in a residential setting, through the CRIS Program in Longview.
Jordan is a life-long resident of Cowlitz County. She has been married for 12 years and has two children. Her son received services from the Progress Center, so she knows how beneficial Early Intervention can be. When not at work, Jordan enjoys reading, crafting, spending time with her family, and drinking copious amounts of coffee. |
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Andrea started in July of 2019 as a Family Resource Coordinator. Prior to The Progress Center she worked in the medical field as a patient representative and medical assistant for 15 years. She has always had a passion to be a resource for families in her community.
Andrea and her husband have two sons. In their free time they enjoy the outdoors, exploring new trails to hike, fishing, camping, going the beach, and having gatherings at their house with friends and family. Andrea's favorite place to visit is Alaska and her bucket list destination is Scotland. She also likes to paint and finding new crafts on Pinterest to do at home. |
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Julie moved to Kelso, Washington from the Puget Sound area with her husband and three children in 2008. Soon after, she decided to follow her passion to become a speech and language pathologist. Julie enrolled in college at Lower Columbia College as a not-so-young freshman. She transferred to the University of Washington to complete her Bachelor and Master degrees, Go Dawgs!!
Julie enjoys spending time with her family, knitting, and reading in her spare time. She has a love for learning new things, and thoroughly enjoys working with young children and families. |
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Heidi Furth joined Progress Center as an Occupational Therapist in 2019. She earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from the University of Puget Sound, after obtaining her biology degree from Pacific Lutheran University. Previously, Heidi has worked as an occupational therapist with students in two school districts, including Longview, Washington. She has also provided OT services to patients in home health and hospice, and also to individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury in a post-acute rehabilitation center. Heidi thoroughly enjoys working in early intervention, especially the teamwork with families, which she feels can truly impact children’s functional abilities and participation in their homes and communities.
Heidi has lived in Longview, WA four times in her life. Heidi married her high school sweetheart, and they have two adult children. She especially enjoys hiking, skiing, and going on adventures with friends, working in the yard and garden, and cooking and baking for friends and family. Heidi is also passionate about volunteering as a CASA, a court appointment special advocate for children, in the foster care system. Heidi enjoys traveling, especially to see friends and family in Iowa and Arizona. One of her happiest places in at the beach…any beach. Heidi adores all pets, and has a special affinity for black Labradors, and orange tabbies. In the future, Heidi hopes to travel to visit family in Norway, and return to Kauai with her family. |
Marie Geisler
Early Intervention Teacher Tracking Learning Children Coordinator 360-425-9810 ext. 205 mgeisler@theprogresscenter.org |
Marie Geisler is a veteran of working with children birth to five years old. Prior to working at Progress Center, she spent 20 years working in the Longview School District. Marie worked many years as a speech and language assistant. She joined the Progress Center staff on March 26, 2006.
Marie wears many hats at the Progress Center. She is an early intervention teacher, enjoying time spent in the homes that she visits to partner with families along their childs journey. Marie coordinates the Tracking Learning Children program, a developmental tracking program that serves Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Columbia counties. She facilitates the outreach program, and attends community activities to share resources and perform developmental screenings. Marie's calling to work in early childhood education began with her love for raising her two children, and providing foster care for a number of others. In the past, she has provided elder care for her grandmother in her home. Marie has a passion for teaching china painting, and she has traveled to Europe to enter global china shows. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her children and grandchildren, and looks forward to having more free time during retirement. |
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Gretchen joined Progress Center as an early intervention teacher in January 2020. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Whitman College. Prior to working at the Progress Center, Gretchen worked as a paraeducator at Robert Gray Elementary in Longview, where she specialized in reading intervention. Gretchen was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and is a relative new comer to Cowlitz County. She has two wonderful children. In her time off Gretchen likes enjoys gardening, quilting, and spending time with her very large extended family.
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Ailee has worked for the Progress Center as an early intervention teacher since June 2018. She has recently graduated from Western Washington University with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. Ailee has worked with children all throughout her life in sports, camps, daycares, and classrooms.
On her free time, Ailee and her husband like to be outside adventuring. Her favorite spots to explore would either be the beach or up in the mountains. Ailee also enjoys big road trips to new places, and new camp sites. She also loves to either be doing some sort of art project on her time off or strolling through the aisles of Target and Hobby Lobby. |
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Mary has worked as a family resources coordinator at Progress Center since November 2015. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Portland State University in 2011. Mary studied Spanish throughout high school and college, and enjoys working with Progress Center's Spanish- speaking families. One of Mary's children received early intervention services at Progress Center several years ago.
Mary and her husband find joy in spending time with their kids and traveling. They love experiencing new places, cultures, and foods, and sharing these experiences with their children. |
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Kara Harris draws from personal experience to guide her leadership at Progress Center. Kara joined the organization in 2004, after one of her children was diagnosed with a developmental disability and became a Progress Center client. Working with Progress Center staff to encourage her child’s development, she developed a love for early intervention and began working in the Hospital to Home program.
As a parent and former foster parent to children with special needs, Kara is passionate about the essential role of caregivers as members of a child’s early intervention team. She is dedicated to empowering families to advocate for their children. Kara worked as a home visitor, family resources coordinator, and program director at Progress Center before becoming executive director in November 2015. Kara has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services Management from the University of Phoenix, and will complete a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University in June 2019. Kara and her husband, Toby, have six children and two grandchildren. In her free time, she enjoys reading, visiting vintage shops, and spending time with her family. She is active in church and community groups, and has developed and facilitated support groups for foster and adoptive families. |
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Tia Heidler has worked as a family resources coordinator at Progress Center since July 2016. Tia has lived in Cowlitz County most of her life. She is married and has three sons. Tia enjoys coffee, food, attending sporting events and spending time with her family.
Tia has a son with special needs, whom is a past Progress Center client. She and her family are grateful for the services and support they received, which helped them during some of the most difficult times with their sweet boy. She enjoys her job and having the opportunity to help others experiencing similar challenges. |
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Nicki Jones has been a speech/language pathologist with the Progress Center since summer 2016. She began working in early intervention in Seattle in January 2015.
Nicki enjoys connecting with families and helping them meet the needs of their child. She has experience working with medically complex children with feeding, vision and hearing impairments, as well as speech and language delays. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and being active with her dog, Sofie. |
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Kristin Laulainen joined Progress Center as an early intervention teacher in 2016. She now serves as a Family Support Specialist and enjoys connecting families to services in our community. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from Warner Pacific University. Kristin has been married for 25 years to her husband, Ed. They have a son, Jack, and a daughter, Quinn. Kristin and her family love to travel. They also enjoy spending time with their four-legged love, Nasira. She is Jack’s skilled companion dog from CCI (Canine Companions for Independence). Kristin loves sharing her own experiences with autism and CCI. She is always open to questions.
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Cindy Mackey has worked at Progress Center since 1992, when her son was a "model" student in the preschool program. Cindy has three adult children and six grandchildren. She has worked under four Executive Directors since coming to Progress Center.
Cindy has helped choose new carpet and paint colors, and has moved a lot of furniture around. She has discovered that she knows more about computers than she ever thought she would! Cindy really enjoys her job and loves to meet all of the children and families that come to Progress Center. |
Mollie Mackey
Tracking Learning Children Assistant 360-425-9810 ext. 205 mmackey@theprogresscenter.org |
Mollie Rose Mackey came to Progress Center in July 2010, after working for the Kelso School District in the Food Service department for 17 years. Much of that time, she worked at Huntington Middle School as kitchen helper/cashier, while also cashiering for the breakfast programs at Catlin Elementary and Wallace Elementary. Before working for the school district, Mollie worked at Weyerhaeuser Company for 18 years in a variety of secretarial and accounting positions.
Mollie is a program assistant for the Tracking Learning Children program. She is proficient in managing the mailing system for the TLC program, and maintains an organized approach to her job responsibilities. Mollie has been married to her husband, Don, for 27 years. They have two sons and a daughter, and are especially fond of their 5 grandchildren. Mollie has a passion for flower gardening, spending endless hours tending to her Lilies. She also enjoys traveling, watching her husband play senior softball, spending time with grandchildren, and exploring antique shops to add to her collection of pedestal cake plates. |
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As an adoptive and biological mother of eleven and grandmother to ten, children have always been a major focus in Jeanmarie’s life.
Her first job at age 15, was teaching creative movement to pre-school age children, a job she retired from this past June. She has also worked as a Treehouse Educational Advocacy Peer Trainer, the Lead Mentor in the Parent Mentor Program, and as an assistant in the Adoption Unit of Children’s Administration, where she established the Office Moms & Dads program in Cowlitz County. Jeanmarie now enjoys supporting the Progress Center staff who so lovingly assisted many of the children entrusted to her care during thee fifteen years she cared directly for children in the foster care system. Jeanmarie and Gregory, her husband of 35 years, are currently the AdoptUSKids Washington State Media Spokesfamily, and are looking forward to finalizing the adoption of their last two children. |
Kate Perkins
Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant 360-425-9810 ext. 222 kperkins@theprogresscenter.org |
Kate Perkins has worked at Progress Center as a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA/L) since May 2016. Prior to her career as a COTA, she had many "kid-centric" jobs, such as working 20 years as a nanny, teaching after-school dance programs, and leading baby and toddler music classes.
Kate finds that spending her days with the birth to three crowd, and getting to know their wonderful families, is incredibly rewarding-and never boring! When she is not at work, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, participating in the arts, spending time in nature, and exploring this great, big, world! |
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Angie Pugh began working at Progress Center as a medical billing specialist in 2017 . Prior to that, she worked as a dental assistant and medical billing specialist for over ten years. In the past, Angie has worked as a controller in a credit union, a personal banker, in accounts receivable at a utility company, and as a PAR for local school districts. She works part-time at a local jewelry store for fun. Angie believes that she can achieve anything that she sets her mind to!
Angie enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She has been married to her husband, Les, for 35 years, and they have a son and a daughter. She recently became a grandmother to a darling little girl. Angie is looking forward to all the joys that this chapter in her life will bring. Angie's hobbies include traveling, cooking, baking and catering small events, clam digging, going to concerts, camping, and antique hunting. She aspires to live life to its fullest and is always up for an adventure. |
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Lori received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Washington in 1984. She has been a practicing physical therapist for 33 years. Lori has a wide variety of clinical experiences, and for the past 22 years has worked in pediatric physical therapy, serving children with special needs.
Lori enjoys working with children and their families as part of a team to problem solve, and to help the children gain the skills needed to move, seek and explore in their environments. Helping children and their families is rewarding and fulfilling and Lori feels blessed to work with the families she has met. In her free time, Lori loves to garden, hike, cross country ski, and travel. She is happily married to her husband Jeff, and enjoys family adventures with their three children and two dogs. Lori has traveled to a variety of places in the world, with her favorite being trekking in Nepal. There are numerous peaks in Washington and Oregon that Lori wants to hike as she continues to explore the beautiful outdoors. |
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Stacie has been working at Progress Center for nineteen years!! She spent the first nine years as an early intervention teacher, and has also worked as a family resources coordinator. Stacie is currently serving as an intake coordinator at the Progress Center.
Stacie has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Washington State University. It was there that she began providing one-on-one therapeutic intervention and home-based services with children 3-5 years old with Autism Spectrum Disorders, which led her to the field of education. Stacie grew up in the Longview area and attended local schools. She was happy to move back here following four years in Pullman, WA. Stacie is married to my husband, Raymond, and has two daughters, Madeleine (10) and Lucy (7). In her spare time, she enjoy playing soccer, reading, binge-watching Netflix, camping, attending my kids' activities, and spending time with her family. |
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Karen is a mother to three beautiful daughters. One of her children came to Progress Center when she was younger and that was Karen's first encounter with early intervention.
Karen has worked at Progress Center since November 2008. She is a full-time employee and she enjoys her job and the joy that it brings. Karen has lived in Cowlitz County her entire life. When she is not working she enjoys camping, spending time at the river, and all things related to her children. |
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Amanda Valentine is 28 years old. She was born and raised in the Longview/Kelso area. After high school, Amanda moved to California with her high-school sweetheart. She graduated in 2012 with an Associates degree in Early Childhood Education from Woodland Community College in Woodland, California.
Amanda worked with two and three-year olds at the Goddard School. When her husband joined the Army, they moved from California to Arkansas, and then to Tennessee. Finally, Amanda and her husband returned home to be near family. Amanda worked at Head Start in Vancouver until March 2017, when she came began work at Progress Center as an early intervention teacher. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her nephew, going to the beach, and going to the movies. |
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Stacey Verduzco is an early intervention teacher. She joined Progress Center in November of 2018. Stacey is originally from eastern Washington. She moved to North Carolina to be with her husband who was serving in the Marine Corps. She was a nanny for six years. She then moved to Longview, where she continued to worked with children at a daycare and kids clubs. Stacey and her husband enjoy exploring the outdoors, traveling, and cooking! She also loves spending time with their two dogs, cat and friends!
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Justina Wilson began working as an Early Intervention Teacher at the Progress Center in January of 2020. She received her National Child Development Associates and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Regent University. Justina has been teaching for over 20 years in Early childhood, Elementary and Secondary education. Justina has also been in administration in those grades as well.
Justina was born in Aberdeen, Washington, but raised in Naples, Florida. She retuned to Washington State in 2018 and fell in love with Longview. She is the mother of 5 and has 4 grandchildren. She is an artist, life coach and certified wedding and events coordinator. Her life's motto is "Making lives more beautiful". |