Dorene has been with the Department of Social and Health Services since 1994. She began as a social worker and worked in CPS, Family Voluntary Services and Child and Family Welfare Services. She was a supervisor of an all-program office for nine years, where she initiated the quality assurance and continuous quality improvement processes. During that time, she also did project work as a project accreditation specialist for Headquarters and a project implementation manager for Region 2. Dorene has also participated in various statewide work groups. She became an area administrator in 2011, providing leadership for the Richland and Yakima offices. For over three years, she has been the deputy regional administrator for Region 1 South.
She has two college-age children, Alex and Hunter. For fun, she enjoys many of the outdoor activities Eastern Washington has to offer, such as mountain biking, hiking and backpacking. She is an avid reader.
Dorene holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in criminal justice from Washington State University and a Master’s in Social Work from Eastern Washington University.