Our Team

Denise Orchard is an experienced social work professional with a robust background in direct child welfare practice, mental health, and education. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Psychology from Miami University, a Master of Social Work from the University of Cincinnati, is a certified LISW-S, and holds a certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from Cornell University.

Her career in direct child welfare practice spanned from 1994-2015, serving consecutively as a caseworker, forensic interviewer, adoption supervisor, and, for the final twelve years, as an administrator of the ongoing, intake, foster care, and adoption divisions. In her administrator role, she led the rollout and management of state and local initiatives, including permanency roundtables, revamping the adoption recruitment and matching process, and implementing Initiatives that supported foster youth academic stability and higher education. Denise continued her professional journey to support child welfare as the Director of the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program’s Southwest Ohio Regional Training Center. In addition, she has been a contracted mental health therapist since 2017 and an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati.  

In her current role as the Manager of the Training Delivery Team at Ohio’s University Consortium for Child and Adult Services (OUCCAS), Denise manages the division of contract trainers, coaches, and producers for the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program. Denise’s experience and expertise in child welfare include family engagement, interviewing, and decision-making processes. She also has expertise in leadership, leading through change, staff development, project management, collaboration, and DEI. Her expertise as a therapist is in the areas of depression, anxiety, and grief. She has presented at national conferences on educational stability for foster youth and DEI.