Director/Ombudsman

Mary Meinig, Director of the Office of Family and Children's Ombudsman (OFCO) has served as an ombudsman with the office since it opened in 1997. Prior to joining OFCO, Ms. Meinig maintained a successful clinical and consulting practice specializing in treating abused and traumatized children and their families. Her previous experience includes working in special education, child protective services and children's residential treatment settings. Ms. Meinig is nationally known for her work developing Family Resolution Therapy, a protocol for the long term management of relationships in abusive families. She is frequently asked to present her work at national conferences, and has authored several professional publications on this topic. Ms. Meinig is a graduate of Central Washington University, and received a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers.

Ombudsman

Colleen Hinton is a social worker with extensive experience working with children and families. Prior to joining OFCO, Ms. Hinton performed clinical assessments of children in foster care. At the same time, she worked at Children’s Response Center (part of Harborview Center for Sexual Assault & Traumatic Stress), providing education and training on child maltreatment for professionals and the community in East King County. Prior to this work, Ms. Hinton helped to establish the clinical program at Children’s Advocacy Center of Manhattan in New York City, and worked as a therapist for the Homebuilders intensive family preservation program in King County. Ms. Hinton is a graduate of the University of Natal in South Africa, and received her MSW from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers. Ms. Hinton joined OFCO in January 2000.

Megan Palchak first came to OFCO in 2003 as an Information and Referral Specialist/Office Administrator. She left to pursue a Masters degree in Policy Studies from the University of Washington, and soon returned as a Research Analyst to assist with special projects. After graduate school, Ms. Palchak spent a year promoting equity in education as a Communications and Research Specialist at the Governor’s Office of the Education Ombudsman, the first state-level K-12 focused ombudsman in the nation. Prior to joining OFCO in 2003, Ms. Palchak worked to secure housing for youth exiting the foster care system. She also coordinated youth development programs in a low-income housing complex, in collaboration with local families, community professionals, educators, and youth.

Colleen Shea-Brown is a licensed attorney with experience representing parents and other relatives in dependency and termination of parental rights proceedings at Legal Services for New York’s Bronx office.  She received her law degree from New York University, where she participated in the school’s Family Defense Clinic.  Ms. Shea-Brown has also worked extensively with victims of domestic violence, advocated for women’s rights in India, and served as a residential counselor for a women’s shelter in Washington, D.C.  Following law school, Ms. Shea-Brown served as a clerk to the Honorable Gabriel W. Gorenstein in the Southern District of New York.

Linda Mason Wilgis is a former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington, where from 1991 to 2001 she gained extensive experience in dependency and guardianship cases involving both children and vulnerable adults. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, Ms. Mason Wilgis was in private practice with a Seattle firm. She is a graduate of Skidmore College and received her law degree from the University of Virginia. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Mason Wilgis served under Senator Henry M. Jackson as a professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Steven Wolfson is a social worker with extensive experience working with families and youth. Most recently, Mr. Wolfson served as a court appointed Guardian ad Litem, investigating and making recommendations to the court regarding child custody and visitation disputes. From 1990 to 2000, Mr. Wolfson served as Clinical Director at Kent Youth and Family Services. Mr. Wolfson is a graduate of Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts and University of Washington School of Social Work. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker.

Corey Fitzpatrick Wood is a licensed attorney with experience representing parents and in dependency proceedings as well as youth in truancy and at-risk youth proceedings. She received her law degree from University of Washington, where she participated in the school’s Children and Youth Advocacy Clinic. Ms. Wood has worked extensively with at-risk youth and currently serves as Board President for Street Youth Legal Advocates of Washington. Prior to law school, Ms. Wood worked for OFCO as the Information and Referral Specialist.

Special Projects and Database Coordinator

Rachel Pigott holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boston University. Before joining OFCO, she worked to improve attendance by working with families through the Boston Public Schools. She spent one year in the AmeriCorps working to strengthen families and to connect undergraduate students from Western Washington University to their community through coordinating service-learning projects. She was also a Program Specialist for the Boston Center for Adult Education.

Information Specialist/Office Administrator

Amy Johnson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Sociology from Pacific Lutheran University. Prior to joining OFCO she worked as a Ticket Sales Coordinator for the Seattle Mariners. She also served as a case aide for DSHS Division of Children and Family Services in 2004. While attending PLU she completed an internship with the Prison Pet Partnership Program within the Washington Correctional Center for Women.