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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.
Olyvia has a one year old son, who is the light of her life. All her free time goes to him, which is perfectly fine with her. |
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Brenda joined the Progress Center in November 2021 as a Family Resources Coordinator. Before joining the Progress Center Brenda worked in the medical field as Medical Assistant and also worked with individuals with developmental disabilities as a caregiver.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her boyfriend and dog, painting, and loves playing tennis. Serving and helping others in the community is what Brenda enjoys the most about her job. |
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Leah has recently joined the Progress Center team. She has four children and two grandchildren. She has an associates in Early Elementary Education from Lower Columbia College and a bachelor's in Special Education from Western Governor's University. Leah has experience in working in a variety of early childhood settings throughout her life. In her free time, Leah likes to be on her farm, tending to her cows and pigs and can whip up a great meal in the kitchen. She is passionate about advocating for others and is excited to work with the birth to three crowd and their families. |
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Jordan Carlson began working as an Early Intervention Teacher at the Progress Center in 2018. She graduated from Eastern Washington University in 2017 with a Bachelor's in Children's Studies. She is currently pursuing her Master's in Special Education at WGU. Prior to coming to the Progress Center, Jordan worked as a paraeducator, an assistant preschool teacher, and as a Direct Support Professional in a group home for the developmentally disabled.
Jordan is a lifelong resident of Cowlitz County. She is married and has two amazing children. Her oldest child received services at the Progress Center, so she knows how important early intervention is. In her free time, Jordan enjoys reading, embroidering, and painting. |
Ronda Bowyer
Early Intervention Teacher/TLC Coordinator 360-425-9810 ext. 220 rbowyer@theprogresscenter.org |
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. |
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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 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. |
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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 serves as a board member for Cowlitz County Child Advocates, a program that helps abused and neglected children in our community. 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. |
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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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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. |
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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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Dawn Makin has been with the Progress Center since June 2021. She has previously worked in the medical industry for over 20 years in Medical Billing, registration, and in front office capacities. She has worked both in outpatient clinics as well as hospital environments.
Dawn attended high school in the area but moved away in her senior year. She stayed in touch with her high school best friend over the years and decided to move back to the Longview area after spending the last 4 years in Texas. She has made The Progress Center her work family and home since returning. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys crocheting, watching Netflix, and spending time with her dog, Bandit. Dawn is happy to be part of such a great team here at the Progress Center. |
Mollie Mackey
Tracking Learning Children Assistant 360-425-9810 ext. 220 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 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. |
Jeanmarie Moore
Administrative Assistant/Office Manager 360-425-9810 ext. 251 jmoore@theprogresscenter.org |
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. |
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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. |
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Stacie has been working at Progress Center for 24 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 and Lucy. In her spare time, she enjoy playing soccer, reading, binge-watching Netflix, camping, attending her 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 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. |
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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! |