December 2025

"Cyndi ensures students and teachers at Mount View Youth Services receive the right services at the right time by quality staff. She supports the staff and the ability for the team to provide the high quality educational opportunities that are ongoing on MV. Her onsite presence enhances the safe environment by providing clear guidance and leadership for all the day to day needs that arise."

Employee of the Month - November

Cyndi Kuhn, Curriculum and Instruction Director

Education

Sanctuary Spotlight

Social Responsibility: Cyndi has been pulling double duty and supporting Mount View committed educatio nas their pro team prinicial due to the vacancy in the position that has been going since the Summer. She has taken on supporting the teachers, the day to day logistics of runnig a school, graduation ceremony planning, and much much more. Cyndi has stepped up to support a significant business need for DYS education while continuing to complete her central office job requirements

Democracy: Cyndi consistently demonstrates reliability in her work. She has taken on the additional role of supporting an onsite education team to include the day to day questions as well as the big picture planning that is necessary for success. Cyndi has stepped up during a time of need in order to support the division and most importantly the students of DYS thus ensuring the students' education continues to be provided in a position school environment. Cyndi's Leadership has also been integral in supporting the social wellbeing of the onsite teachers

Open Communication: Cyndi has fostered positive relationships with the MV administrators in order to further the educational mission for our adjudicated youth. Additionally, Cyndi has worked hard to create communication process with the education staff promoting open communication and problem solving with positive intent among the team.

What's New?

Saying Goodbye to Matt Friesen,

State-wide CYDC Coordinator

Matt Friesen has been with the Division of Youth Services since 1996. Serving youth as a client manager/parole officer and supervisor in the Northeast region, Matt was hired as the SB94 State Coordinator in 2006. Matt has led CYDC through juvenile justice reform, many years’ worth of detention bed reductions, critical times to include COVID, and has advocated for youth every step of the way. Navigating through the juvenile justice system, Matt has worked long and often unknown hours behind the scenes to inform important legislative decisions, to include HB23-1307 and HB25-1146. Often breaking the ice with humor, Matt’s presence will be greatly missed all across the state. Matt describes the best part of his job as always advocating for each coordinator, screener, and CYDC local program. In recent years, Matt found himself surrounded by a CYDC state team. Balancing job duties and growing expectations, to include legislative reports, Matt has led the state CYDC office with respect and a fun yet commanding presence. Statewide, Matt’s accomplishments are many, but everyone would say the CYDC Conference is one of the most lasting.

As Matt moves on, he and his wife, Kelly, will continue with their many outdoor adventures, watching their six daughters thrive as young adults, playing with their granddaughter, and welcoming two more grandchildren shortly. Owning Stand Firm CrossFit in Granby, Matt plans to keep busy as a coach, plans to travel more, and will work for the Grand County Sheriff as a deputy.

One could say that Matt pioneered CYDC; many would call him a friend and ally. We all will remember Matt Friesen’s tenure as the CYDC Coordinator for years to come.

🔹Farewell Diane Skufca, Director of Youth Center Operations

Diane worked in the private sector of Colorado for many years before beginning her career with DYS. During her time here she has worked with our Youth Centers, Regions, Child Welfare and more providing outstanding quality of care to our youth. Diane's last day with Central Admin will be Tuesday 12/23/25. Thank you for everything you have done, Diane! You will be missed.

🔹New Emergency Alert System

The State of Colorado is transitioning to a new emergency notification system. This new system will give CDHS a more reliable tool for sending alerts about severe weather, security issues and other urgent updates.

What the New System Means for You

No action is required from you, but we want you to be aware of a few key changes:

You will now receive text alerts from 89361 instead of 69310.

During the transition to the new system, CDHS can only send Department-wide alerts. Because of this, you may receive additional alerts. We appreciate your patience during this transition. Once the transition is complete, our Emergency Support Team will be able to send customized alerts. We don’t know when the transition will be complete, but we will keep you updated.

You will continue to receive emergency-notification emails with the subject line “COStaff Alert Notification."

To make sure you receive emergency notifications, please keep your information up to date in the Employee Self-Service System.

Your safety is our top priority. Thank you for your patience while CDHS works closely with the Colorado Information Analysis Center and the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) to complete this transition.

If you have questions, email CDHS Emergency Services Manager Jaclyn Kurle (jaclyn.kurle@state.co.us)

Information Pulled from CDHS Connections Newsletter

🔹Sign Your 2025-26 Performance Plan

If you haven't already, log in to Cornerstone to sign your 2025-26 performance plan as soon as possible. This is an important tool for you and your supervisor to support your professional growth.

Questions? Email CDHS_PMP@state.co.us.

🔹CDHS Organizational Structure Update

Executive Director Michelle Barnes shared an update to CDHS's organizational structure on Thursday. Read the full email. Key changes are below.

24/7 Staff: Greater SET Representation, Simpler Reporting Structure

To better meet the needs of direct-care staff and make sure their voices are heard in decision making, the Senior Executive Team (SET) has two new members representing 24/7 facilities.

New SET members and roles: Leora Joseph is now the Senior Director of Civil and Forensic Mental Health, and Erin Wester is the Senior Director of Residential and Reintegration Services. Their Office Director roles will not be backfilled.

All 24/7 facilities will be grouped under these new SET members.

Division Shifts

The Division of Youth Services will move from the Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) to Residential and Reintegration Services, effective Dec. 1.

Effective Jan. 1:
- The Division of Aging and Adult Protective Services will move from the Office of Adult, Aging and Disability Services to OCYF, which will be renamed to reflect its expanded services.
- Disability Determination Services will move to the Office of Economic Security.
- The Colorado Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind, as well as the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council and Family Voice Council, will move to Community Partnerships.

There will be no changes to division leadership

These are major changes, and challenges come with any big shift. If you have questions or concerns, talk with your direct leadership. Thank you for everything you do to empower Coloradans to thrive.

Birthdays

December

🎂 Spiro Koinis - 12/10

🎂 Scott Cass - 12/10

🎂Kimberly RumleyCranwill- 12/11

🎂 Brynna Hetrick- 12/12

🎂 Michelle Duran- 12/15

🎂 Elizabeth Weltman 12/28

Years of Service

December

🌟Sandy Koves , Nurse - 20 years🌟

🌟Michelle Duran, Program Assistant - 20 years 🌟

For more information on the Years of Service program, visit the Employee Rewards and Recognition intranet page, where you will find a Years of Service program guide (PDF), or email CDHS_HumanResources@state.co.us.

DYSWINS 🙌

This section is for staff Kudos! 👍

No new kudos this month :( ...

Please use the form below to submit some Kudos to be featured in next ⬇️ month's Newsletter ⬇️

Sanctuary Commitment

Inspiration

December Theme

Text courtesy of Elisa C. Hicks - MSW, MA, CJSP

(former) NCCHC Coordinator, BHMS

There are a lot of ways to define "inspiration" and they are all inherently deeply personal. Therefore, here are some inspirational quotes that resonate with the work we all do to help some of the most vulnerable in our society.

"Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts." (Churchill)

"There is always light. If only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it." (Gorman)

"Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire."

"When you know better, do better." (Angelou)

Tomorrow is a new day

Making mistakes is part of life

Saying "no" is okay

Beauty and strength come from within

People - Centered Practices 👥

Practicing Empathy Increases Our Capacity for Growth and Change

By: Fitzgerald Clark

Thought for the month:

When working on strengthening our commitment to the Sanctuary principle of Growth and Change, building our capacity for empathy is an important tool for that growth. The practice of building empathy is very valuable for our personal growth and in our capacity to engage with others in meaningful and healthy relationships. We all see the world through the lens of our life experience. By definition, this is a very limited view of true reality.

The more we can train ourselves to understand the perspectives of others different from ourselves, the more meaningful our connections become. This broader perspective will naturally impact our own conceptions on what is possible and desirable. We will naturally evolve and develop a deeper understanding of others, ourselves and the world we share.

Practice asking yourselves this question:

How might someone with a different life experience, who grew up in a different place, have a different religion, or experienced a different culture see things differently?

Then ask them questions to better understand their perspective. Seeking to truly understand is the most important part of effective communication.

This practice will grow our knowledge, increase our empathy, and our capacity for growth and change in the process.

PCP December Awareness Calendar

December 2025 Awareness Calendar.pdf

Information pulled from PCP December 2025 Newsletter

In other news... 📰

CYDC Receives Proclamation

In November, the City and County of Denver City Council provided the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum with a proclamation honoring the 2nd Judicial District (JD) for their hard work and success. This proclamation follows the 2nd JD receiving the 2025 CYDC Team of the Year award at the 2025 CYDC Conference.

The team has been understaffed since 2024, but has succeeded at having a lower than six percent failure to appear rate and recidivism rate, surpassing their 10 percent goal.

Proclamations are issued by the Denver Mayor to honor, celebrate and create awareness.

2024-25 Food Service Managers of the Year

DYS is thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the Food Services team. The 2024-25 Food Service Manager's Awards recognize the individuals who have gone above and beyond in leadership, culinary excellence and teamwork.

Their commitment to quality and service is truly inspiring, and the Division is incredibly thankful to have such dedicated and passionate staff to provide for our youth.

Introducing Gemini 3 Pro for the Gemini app

Available Now

From the first time you use it, you’ll notice that responses are more helpful, delivering high-quality information in a more readable format. Gemini 3 introduces significant improvements to reasoning across text, images, audio and video. Whether you're analyzing data or brainstorming creative ideas, this new model can help you tackle your most ambitious projects.

New Integration Between Gmail and Google Chat

Winter 2025 extended rollout

With this new feature, you can easily share a conversation from your Gmail inbox to a Chat direct message or space.

Starting from a Gmail thread, you can initiate a chat with the existing email recipients, a subset, or a new group. The email is automatically forwarded, and recipients can open it directly from a link in Chat.
Two-way linking helps ensure that everyone has the full context they need for a productive discussion, reducing the need to jump between tabs.

Learning Resource

Thank You for a Quarter-Century of Service

Kristin Wallace, a client manager/parole officer in the Division of Youth Services' (DYS) Southern Region Office who recently accepted a program manager position, is celebrating 25 years of State service.

What are you most proud of from your time working for the State? I am most proud of the success of the youth and families I have walked alongside for the last 25 years. I have supported so many youth and families during some of their darkest hours, providing care, support and consistent limits, while ensuring the safety of the community. I love when they call me, years later, to update me on their lives! Even after all of these years, I still get energy and excitement from the youth and cheering for them as they meet their goals!

What is your favorite part of working for the State? It has been an honor to dedicate my career to the youth and families of Colorado! During these years, I have been part of so many changes, but the one that stands out the most is DYS's implementation of the Sanctuary model. This has been a huge project, and I am proud of all of us for learning and making the effort to embrace the Sanctuary commitments in our everyday work. I have also been privileged to work with so many talented staff, who have become some of my very best friends.

And here's what her supervisor, Nicole Lator, DYS client manager/parole officer supervisor and program manager, had to say about her:

Over the past 25 years, Kristin has provided consistency, empathy and trauma-informed support to countless youth across the Southern Region. She helps keep the Southern Region Office connected by creating opportunities to celebrate successes, process challenges and support one another, including recently opening her home for an SRO holiday gathering. Kristin has played an active role in the SRO’s Sanctuary certification and recertification efforts. She has shown dedication to youth, families and staff throughout her 25 years. We are so lucky to have her!

Foster to Adoption: A Journey of Love, Advocacy and Grace

Kelly and Kevin Kniss began their foster journey in 2004, inspired by their experience raising their biological child with significant medical needs. That sparked a lifelong passion for caring for children with complex medical conditions.

Today, the Kniss family includes two biological children, five adopted children and one informally adopted adult, eight children in all. Each child’s story is unique but one thing remains constant: Kelly and Kevin’s boundless love and commitment.

“When you take kids with special medical needs, there’s always way more under the surface that we don’t know about these kids than what’s on the surface,” Kelly explained. Read more about their life-changing journey on the CO4Kids blog.

GIS Day: Where Geography Meets Government

ICYMI: Gov. Polis proclaimed Nov. 19, 2025, as GIS Day!

GIS Day is a global celebration that highlights the evolution of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), illustrating their journey from paper maps to the digital frontier. For state employees, this day highlights GIS as an indispensable tool, integral to decision-making across agencies, from managing public health and emergency operations to guiding economic development.

By utilizing geospatial data, we can make more informed choices and serve Coloradans more effectively. Explore how GIS data, much of which Colorado makes open and accessible, enhances your specific role and contributes to a better-informed Colorado on the Colorado Geospatial Portal. See the proclamation (PDF).

History Colorado Launches ASL Digital Interpreter Pilot Program

Coloradans visiting 11 History Colorado museums and historic sites can now access free, on-demand American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services through a new state pilot program using Aira ASL.

OIT’s Technology Accessibility Program (TAP) is partnering with Aira ASL, a digital tool that enables deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals to communicate instantly with non-ASL users. It works by connecting a live professional ASL interpreter via a free app, which connects to the caller’s phone camera and audio.

Click the video below to see how ASL users visiting History Colorado can integrate the app into their visit.

Want to catch up on even more events? Checkout the links below for the full newsletters that these spotlight articles were pulled from!

DYS Minute
Tech Connect
Google News
CDHS Connections
People-Centered Practices Newsletter

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