by Mekala Manus, Compliance Division Chief
Please join me in congratulating Diana Guerra on her
promotion to IHSS social worker supervisor! Diana will be leading the IHSS team at the Carmen
Lane, Santa Maria location. Diana bring a unique set of skills and experience to her new
position.
Diana received her Bachelors’
degree in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara and also holds an AA in Liberal Arts
and Social Sciences from Allan Hancock College.
Prior to beginning her career
with DSS in September 2004, Diana worked for the Public Health Department’s
Pharmacy and also worked several years in retail pharmacy as a Pharmacy
Technician (she still maintains her California Board of Pharmacy
Technician License to this day).
For her first
four years at DSS, she was an Eligibility Worker in the Medi-Cal program where
she effectively maintained a high ongoing caseload. Diana then briefly worked
in Adult Protective Services as a 1414 in 2007. In 2008, Diana promoted to
Social Worker in the IHSS program. During her time in IHSS, she further
strengthened her case management and customer service skills. Diana held
professional, yet trusting, working relationships with clients by assisting
them in obtaining resources and working closely with them to help them
understand this complex program. She assisted in training new staff and also
served as a mentor in assisting staff in transitioning to the CMIPS II
database. In December 2013, Diana promoted to Quality Assurance (QA) for the
IHSS program.
For the past three years Diana has worked closely with her QA
co-workers and the IHSS staff to build stronger lines of communication and
promote uniformity within the program. Diana actively participates in work
groups and provide ideas and input for improvement and resolution. In QA, she
had the opportunity to be creative in producing tools and workflows to assist
staff. In this leadership role, Diana regularly staffed cases with peers and
provided them with the support and resources needed to make informed decisions.
Diana regularly seek ways to improve and produce a better quality of work for
the IHSS program.
I will personally miss Diana as part of our excellent IHSS
Quality Assurance team, but I also know she has a great deal to offer in
her new position. I know Diana will carry with her an excellent work ethic,
strong program skills, and her unfailing commitment to staff and the clients we
serve.