Tricia Gonzalez, MPAis the CWDA Executive Liaison with the CWS-CARES (California Automated Response and Engagement System).  She works with the State, counties, and Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) to ensure that the needs of counties are represented in the development and maintenance of systems that support the work of county human services staff.   

Prior to joining CWDA, Tricia was the Deputy Director of the Child Welfare Branch of the Department of Social Services in Fresno County for over 6 years.  She has over 27 years of experience in DSS working in the areas of Pregnant and Parenting Teens, Long Term Foster Care, Quality Assurance, and Dependent-related Emergency Response.  She developed programs to improve outcomes for children ages 0-5 in collaboration with First Five Fresno County.  She also led the work with the Stuart Foundation’s Ready to Succeed and Education Equals to support the work of expanding the practice to meet the ongoing education and well-being needs of foster youth.  She is a leader in system change and integration work and seeks to collect accurate data that informs practice. 

tgonzalez@cwda.org