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.
Olyvia has a two year old son, who is the light of her life. All her free time goes to him, which is perfectly fine with her. |
Janey is joining the Progress Center after spending the last nine years working with students in an elementary setting. There she worked as a para educator as well as a substitute classroom teacher, primarily working with students within the Special Education Department. In 2018 she started on a long and bumpy road by returning to college while working full time and raising her own children. She found the drive and determination it would take to follow her dreams and complete her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Human Development in 2022. Janey is continuing with her studies as she works towards her Masters in Education, which she hopes to complete in early 2024.
In her spare time (which isn’t a lot), Janey enjoys hiking, cooking, reading, gardening, traveling, home improvement, and of course spending time with her family. |
Sheena Roche joined Progress Center in May 2023. She has worked in the Early Childhood Education for 15 years. Sheena has always had a passion for working with children and their families. She enjoys watching each child develop and grow on their own path.
Sheena has two girls, a bonus son, and too many pets to list. She enjoys seeking adventure with her children on the weekends. |
Ronda is an Early Intervention Teacher/TLC Coordinator. She joined the Progress Center staff in 2014, 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. |
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 has two sons. In her free time she enjoy's the outdoors, exploring new trails to hike, kayaking, camping, going the beach, and having gatherings at her house with friends and family. Andrea's favorite place to visit is Alaska and her bucket list destination is Scotland. |
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. |
|
Amie comes to The Progress Center with an Associate Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor Degree is Early Childhood Education Administration. I currently have over 25 years of experience working with children infant through school age in a variety of roles. She has been a Teacher, Mentor Teacher, Teacher Family Advocate and Site Supervisor/Director. Her passion is to support the whole family and helping parents feel confident in their role as their child's "#1 Teacher".
In her free time she likes to spend time outdoors especially at the beach and taking walks with her Yorkie "Dollie". |
Nicola joined the Progress Center in November 2023 as a Family Resources Coordinator. Before joining the Progress Center Nicola worked for ESD 112 supporting elementary-aged students with disabilities.
Nicola has lived in SW Washington her entire life. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, camping, paddle boarding, and traveling. |
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 a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. 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. |
Ruth joined the Progress Center in January of 2024 as a Family Resources Coordinator. Before joining the Progress Center, Ruth served in the United States Navy. She moved home to Oregon, with a passion in helping others, and began working with Adults with Developmental Disabilities/Support services, working for DHS serving the families in the community. She moved to Cowlitz County in 2022 and continues to want to help others within the community.
In her spare time, Ruth enjoys cooking, learning new things and exploring the outdoors year-round, all with her two dogs. |
Stephanie has been in early childhood education for 18 years. She has an AA in Elementary education and an AA in early childhood education. Before working at Progress Center, she held multiple positions as a lead teacher.
Stephanie has been married to her husband since December 2019. They don’t have any children; however, their dog Walter is their baby. Stephanie enjoys having holidays with her family, traveling, hiking, the water and really anything that allows her to be outside… Just not in the rain. |
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 31 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. |
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 the fifteen years she cared directly for children in the foster care system. Jeanmarie and Gregory, her husband of 38 years, are currently the AdoptUSKids Washington State Media Spokesfamily. |
Megan Schwengler joined Progress Center as a Physical Therapist in June of 2020. She earned her bachelor's degree in Exercise Science from Willamette University and then went on to receive her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Hampton University. Prior to The Progress Center, Megan worked in an outpatient clinic with 0–21-year-olds and has always enjoyed working with children and their families. Megan grew up in Clark County. She moved to Virginia and then Arizona to be with her husband who was serving in the Coast Guard.
Megan and her husband enjoy the outdoors including camping and riding four wheelers and watching sports together. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends and snuggling up at home watching a good movie or TV show. |
Stacie has been working at the Progress Center for 25 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 the Intake Coordinator at the Progress Center and also completes initial evaluations to determine a child's eligibility for early intervention services.
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 her four years in Pullman, WA. Stacie is married to her husband, Raymond, of 19 years and has two daughters, Madeleine and Lucy. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, binge-watching streaming shows, camping, kayaking, attending her girls' activities, and spending time with her family. Stacie is also a member of the Washington Officials Association and officiates local basketball, fastpitch, and football games. |
Karen Stacey
Lead Family Resources Coordinator/Program Director 360-425-9810 ext. 217 [email protected] |
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 an associates degree in Early Childhood Education from Lower Columbia College.
Karen has worked at Progress Center since November 2008. 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. Karen has a beautiful baby grandson whom she loves and adores more than life. |
Stacey Verduzco is a Early Support Specialist. 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! |
Lisa is an Early Support Specialist who joined Progress Center July of 2022. Lisa is bringing hands-on experience with infants and toddlers as a Lead Teacher at a local early learning center since 2017. She is continuing her education at Lower Columbia College with the focus on Early Childhood Education. Lisa continues her skill-building by attending workshops, online classes, and education summits. She enjoys meeting and connecting with children and their parents, giving options and ideas to inspire the family to engage in play as a way to meet milestones, and celebrate with the family as they reach their goals.
Lisa and her husband have three grown children and enjoy their free time being out in nature. Camping, walking with their two dogs, or hitting the road on their motorcycle are some of the activities that keep them busy. |
Alicia joined the progress center in January 2024 as a Family Resources Coordinator. Alicia brings a wealth of experience in assisting individuals and their families/caregivers receiving supportive services. Alicia moved to the Pacific Northwest 5 years ago after graduating with a BA in psychology from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
Alicia currently lives in Kelso with her husband. She is a proud mother of 2 and grandmother of 1 handsome and active grandson. Alicia enjoys going to concerts, perusing record stores, thrifting for vintage decor, and visiting family. |
Jueanne joined the Progress Center staff in August 2022 as an Office Assistant.
Born and raised in Michigan, she moved to Washington with her husband, David, in 1991. They are the parents of 6 children and grandparents of 6 (but hoping for more!). Jueanne has a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, and previously served as the founding director of Rising Star Productions Community Theater for 10 years. When not directing or acting, Jueanne enjoys dabbling in a variety of hobbies, but mostly she enjoys being "Grandma." |
Savannah has lived in Cowlitz County her entire life but has moved just over 20 different times since birth. She volunteered at the Progress Center before coming to work here and has always enjoyed working with kids. In her free time, Savannah enjoys playing with her Australian Shephard, Loki, going on spontaneous trips and drives, along with getting to relax at home with her fiancé, Paul, watching movies and eating way too many snacks. Savannah's favorite thing to do in life is to help people, wanting to do whatever it takes to put a smile on someone's face and brighten their day with some positivity.
|
Vicky was born and raised in a small country town outside of D.C. until she moved to Montana as a teenager, where she met her husband of 27 years. She moved to Washington in 2001, and children have been the center of her world ever since. While working at a daycare, she found a new love for working with children. Vicky and her husband became foster parents for over 10 years and were part of the parent mentoring program. During that time, they welcomed six more kids into their family, which originally consisted of four.
Vicky spent three years devoted to children's safety by supervising parent-child visits. She has a passion for teaching and safety and hopes to help and teach more families |
Ginger is a small-town girl, born & raised in Longview. She attended local schools as a young girl and went on to attend Lower Columbia College, where she received her Early Childhood Degree and continuing education. She has worked in various programs in Cowlitz County serving children & families for 30 years.
Ginger married her husband Ger in 1996. They have two boys, Macen & Zander. They have a crazy, fun cat named Jax and a turtle who lives outside & hibernates 6 months out of the year. As a family, they stay busy with sports, spectating/playing basketball and baseball. They also love to take their wave runners out in the summer. When vacationing, Bend, Oregon is a favorite get-a-way spot. Ginger enjoys kayaking, spin class and spending time with her family & friends. |
Shelby is the Assistant Preschool Teacher for Little Sprouts here at the Progress Center.
Shelby graduated from R.A. Long High School in 2021 and is continuing her education at LCC for early childhood education. Shelby has always had a passion for children and finds teaching to be one of the most rewarding jobs there is. Shelby’s favorite things to do are spend time with her friends and family, camping when the weather is nice, and traveling to new places. Shelby's absolute favorite thing in the world is being an auntie to the two cutest boys in the world (though she may be biased). |
Maria joined the Progress Center as a Family Resource Coordinator in July 2024.
Before joining Progress Center, Maria spent 14 years working as a Bilingual Family Liaison at Wallace Elementary within the Kelso School District and volunteered with other community agencies. Maria believes her calling has been to help bridge the gap of communication for families and their children. She describes this as the most rewarding experience of her life. Maria has 5 children and 3 grandchildren whom she adores. She also has a dog named Shredder and 2 cats. Maria enjoys cooking, dancing, traveling to new places and family gatherings. |