Claudia was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and came to Washington State at the age of 4 with her parents and siblings. Her family worked primarily in agriculture tirelessly following the crop seasons within the state of Washington. Claudia’s parents encouraged and stressed the importance of education to her and her siblings in the hope of having better life circumstances. Claudia graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1991 and went onto to attend Central Washington University, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor’s in social service/Spanish in 1995 and returned to the community where she was raised.
She began her career in Children’s Administration in 1997 and has held a variety of positions i.e. intake worker, CPS investigator, CFWS worker, facilitator, supervisor Area Administrator and currently Deputy Regional Administrator. She participated in Child Welfare Training and Advancement Program (CWTAP) after completing her master’s in social work through Eastern Washington University in 2003.
Outside of work Claudia is married and has raised five children. She has nine grandchildren in various locations which she enjoys greatly. Claudia now has a calling for educating our future social workers by teaching at Heritage University. Claudia in her down time enjoys hiking and spending her time with loved ones.