{"id":22040,"date":"2026-10-20T17:28:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipsworks.org\/?page_id=22040"},"modified":"2026-10-20T17:49:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:49:47","slug":"get-to-know-the-training-team-california","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ipsworks.org\/index.php\/get-to-know-the-training-team-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Get to Know the Training Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our goal is to help California behavioral health systems and practitioners deliver effective care through training and implementation support for Individual Placement and Support (IPS), an evidence-based model of supported employment.<\/p>\n

Our trainers provide guidance, tools, and ongoing technical assistance to help teams put IPS into practice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Get to Know the Training and Technical Assistance Team<\/strong><\/h3><\/h2><\/span>
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Sarah Swanson, M.S., CRC<\/b><\/p>\n

Sarah Swanson is the Director of the IPS Employment Center and International IPS Learning Community. She has experience helping states and countries implement IPS, has been an IPS trainer, a Supported Employment Supervisor, and an Employment Specialist.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Crystal McMahon<\/b><\/p>\n

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Crystal McMahon has held a variety of IPS roles including Employment Specialist, Employment Program Supervisor, State Supported Employment Trainer, Instructor, and Research Associate for the Mental Health Treatment Study. She holds an MS in Psychology and was the Director of the Oregon Supported Employment Center for Excellence for 15 years. She taught courses on IPS Supported Employment at Portland State University and Dartmouth College. Ms. McMahon has a longstanding interest in the natural world and has helped conserve hundreds of acres of wildlife habitat.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Ruth Brock, M.S.<\/b><\/p>\n

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Ruth Brock joined the IPS Employment Center in 2020. Ruth provides IPS training, technical assistance, and fidelity reviews to states and countries in the IPS International Learning Community, as well as to other jurisdictions and contracts. Ruth educates leaders on infrastructure to implement IPS in a sustainable way. She serves as a seasoned vocational expert with decades of progressive multi-level responsibilities in service and program delivery for people with different abilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Christopher Dang<\/b><\/p>\n

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Christopher Dang is currently in graduate school and pursuing a Master’s in Social Work from University of the Pacific, with the ambitions to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Christopher is a Bay Area native, but relocated to Sacramento, CA in 2023. His prior work history has been in recruiting, human resources, and career counseling. In his most recent prior role, Christopher worked as an Employment Services Director at a mental health nonprofit agency. While in this position, he supported creating resources and coordinated IPS implementation at the agency. Outside of his professional work, Christopher is incredibly fond of bees and took a bee keeping courses for fun. He is hoping to take more classes and invest in a small plot of land to put the hobby into practice! Additionally, he is a proud dog parent of two (Chihuahua\/French Bulldog mix and Chihuahua\/Poodle Mix) and will obsess over his fur babies! He is also a budding plant parent, though still learning how to keep his plants happy and healthy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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\"\"<\/a>Amanda Downing<\/b><\/p>\n

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While pursuing a master\u2019s in special education, Amanda became drawn to supporting young adults with mental health challenges transitioning to employment. Amanda shifted gears and began working as an IPS Employment and Education Specialist working with TAY in a new program for first episode psychosis in Alameda County during the early days of IPS implementation in CA. Thus began her dedication towards the combination of wellness and work through supported employment. Over the years Amanda has worked as an IPS Supervisor and a Program Manager for a DoR cooperative converting to IPS, and an IPS trainer\/fidelity reviewer as needed for internal and external IPS implementation for various organizations supporting better outcomes for jobseekers in multiple counties. Since 2022 she has provided technical assistance and fidelity improvement experience to the IPS for Autism work at UC Davis\u2019 The Mind Institute under Dr. Marjorie Solomon.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>
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Jennie Keleher, MSW<\/b><\/p>\n

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Jennie Keleher is passionate about helping people achieve recovery through employment. In 2022, she joined the IPS Employment Center as an international IPS trainer and consultant. Jennie received her introduction to the IPS model in 1998, when participating in an early IPS research study and serving as team leader for an Assertive Community Treatment team implementing IPS. She was an IPS mentor\/trainer for over a decade in the Veterans Administration, providing training and support for IPS implementation with various populations. She has experience consulting with many community-based IPS programs, and is bilingual (English\/Spanish).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Sandra Langfitt-Reese<\/b><\/p>\n

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Sandra Reese first joined the Center in 2006 as a part-time contractor and became a full-time employee in 2010. Since 2006, Sandra has assisted with providing system conversion and capacity building in provision of integrated employment services with states, counties, and countries within the International IPS Learning Community. Sandra has worked as an IPS supervisor for 10 years, a statewide IPS trainer for the Oregon Supported Employment Center for Excellence and she worked in community mental health for over 25 years as the director of supported employment and education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

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Tania Morawiec, M.Ed., ACRE<\/b><\/div>\n
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Tania has an extensive background in workforce development, vocational rehabilitation, training, policy development and organizational change management. Prior to returning to IPS work with Columbia\u2019s Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, Tania served as the Deputy Director of the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the State of <\/b>Illinois Department of Human Service\u2019s Employment First Manager. Her experience with IPS began in 2007 as an IPS Employment Specialist\/Program Supervisor and grew to include roles as Illinois Lead IPS Trainer and Alameda County IPS Trainer. Additional roles and interests include consulting as a national SME for ODEP NEON work and disability advocacy work via the CA Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship, Disability Subcommittee, and Ability Central\u2019s Grant Advisory Group. She has served on the Illinois Employment and Economic Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Taskforce, the Illinois State Use Committee and the Illinois Autism Taskforce. Tania is certified in employment facilitation and is a recipient of the National Certificate of Achievement in Employment Services. She is well-versed in broad stakeholder engagement via community conversations and truly values the transformative power of meaningful work.<\/div>\n<\/div>
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