Two finalists interview for social services director

By Anna Jauhola
Two local social workers interviewed last week for the Kittson County Social Services director position. The county commissioners interviewed Frances Pankratz and Brittany Swenson in an open meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, per open meeting laws as they were considered finalists for the position. The board will make a decision at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Current director Kathy Johnson is retiring.
Both women currently work for the social services department in different roles, and agreed separately that whoever fills the position will need to exhibit strong leadership and communication, as well as empathy and understanding.
Pankratz has served the county for 22 years as a social worker, first in the school system and then for the county overall. She currently works within five different programs – licensing, chemical dependency, adult mental health, case management waivers and care coordination for the Karlstad Nursing Home.
“I think that background gives me a wide variety of how the different programs in our agency work. I’m not just focused on one,” Pankratz said. “I feel I’m the best candidate because of that background and also my experience. I feel like I have the characteristics that make a good leader.”
Pankratz’s parents were foster parents and she helped raise her younger brother when their mother passed away. She feels this, and life experiences, have made her empathetic, but also able to carefully handle difficult situations.
She said communication is key in running the department, not only with the employees but with county administration and government. The most important department they work with is the sheriff’s office, and maintaining a good relationship with them would be a top priority. Second, is ensuring administration and the commission are well informed.
Educating the public about social services is an important aspect of the director’s job as well, she said.
“A lot of people give us more authority than we actually have,” Pankratz said. “We often get calls asking, ‘Why aren’t you doing this? Why aren’t you doing that?’ Helping looks different depending on the situation. Depending on what it is, it might not look like we’re helping, but there are other things going on in the background that the public isn’t privy to.”
The commission asked about handling two scenarios. If the department overspent money, Pankratz said she’d determine where that happened and how they could recover that money through a grant or shifting money from another account. She also would work with her department to prevent it from happening again.
If there were a major disagreement between employees that caused an agency-wide problem, Pankratz said communication would be her first inclination. She would investigate what happened, determine if policy was broken, shift workloads if that’s the case.
“I feel like conflict comes when we assume things and we don’t know what the other person’s doing,” she said. “So I’d want a meeting with both employees and the county administrator, and follow whatever grievance policy the county has, if it goes beyond that.”
Brittany Swenson has served the county for the last 12 years in two departments. She started in the sheriff’s office as a dispatcher jailer while she attended school for criminal justice.
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She changed her degree to sociology and after three and a half years, she took a position in social services as an income maintenance worker. After a retirement, Swenson became the developmental disabilities social worker, helping vulnerable adults. In this position, she works on various waivers, care coordination, adult care protection, commitments, guardianships and conservatorships.
When she started, a guardian told her that her job is to advocate for her clients.
“I really took that to heart after because, yes, that’s what we’re here for – to advocate for social justice for all of our individuals,” Swenson said.
Since she’s been with the county, helping others by being compassionate and respecting individuals have been the cornerstones of her advocacy.
If she were named director, Swenson said she’d double down on understanding the budget. She’d also ensure solid communication between employees
The board asked Swenson about two situations – overspending and employee conflict.
Swenson said if she learned her department overspent, the first thing she’d do is find out why and how it happened. Then she’d figure out how to replace that funding, if need be, or if it was on purpose.
“Sometimes with DHS, if we overspend money, that means the next year we get more money,” she said. “Maybe we wanted to spend a little more money to show we are using our full amount.”
To handle an employee conflict, she’d talk to each one separately to determine the issue and how to solve it. Then bring the entire department together to be transparent and ensure things run smoothly going forward.
Swenson repeatedly returned to communication and advocacy as keys for the success for whoever takes the director position. She said it’s important to listen to everyone, overcome differences and make sure the agency runs smoothly for the sake of those they serve.