August 6th, 2026 Meet Our Regional Trainers
3 min read
As part of the legislation that led to the creation of the Minnesota Child Welfare Training Academy, it was also determined that regional learning centers were to be opened to decentralize training, each with its own dedicated trainer. As a result, in addition to the Twin Cities Metro Learning Center in Roseville, we also have centers in Detroit Lake, Duluth, Marshall, and Owatonna. In this article, learn more about this unique group of trainers that help deliver child welfare training in Greater Minnesota. We want to encourage supervisors and workers to connect with the regional trainer closest to your agency regularly. Regional Trainers will also be reaching out to counties within their region to possibly be included in your regional meetings or visit with your agency staff. Our goal is to understand more about county needs, learn about regional practice and build relationships so we can best provide training to your staff.
Northwest Learning Center
Located on the Detroit Lakes campus of Minnesota State Community and Technical College, this learning center is a collaboration with M State and Becker County Human Services. Nicole Davis is the regional trainer for this site, she worked for over 17 years with Cass County Health Human and Veteran Services. For the first 16 years she was a child protection social worker, and over that time worked in the areas of case management, permanency, and investigations/assessments. In her last year with Cass County her role was as team leader for the child protection unit. Nicole can be reached at davi4418@umn.edu.
Northeast Learning Center
This learning center is located in downtown Duluth, and is hosted by the Tribal Training and Certification Partnership (TTCP). This collaboration is one of our most significant partnerships, in that TTCP provides ICWA/MIFPA training for all Minnesota child protection workers at all of our learning centers. Regional trainer Addie Trettel, MSW, LICSW, represents this learning center, and has worked in the human services field for over 14 years in multiple roles including a supervised visitation worker, therapeutic visitation worker, child protection social worker, and a school social worker. Addie can be reached at smi02443@umn.edu.
Southwest Learning Center
Located on the Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) campus in Marshall, this center is led by trainer Lauren Rojas, who has previously been in child welfare work for 8 years. 3 years in the capacities of student support and youth resources within elementary schools and alternative learning programs and 5 years working in ICWA child protection for the Lower Sioux Indian Community and The Red Lake Nation doing ongoing case management, investigation, assessments with some foster care licensing and adult protection. Lauren can be reached at rojasl@umn.edu.
Southeast Learning Center
Last but not least, this learning center is located on the Owatonna Campus of Riverland Community College. Carrie Meiners, MS, is the regional trainer for this location, and has worked in the child welfare field for nineteen years. Previous to the Academy, she was employed at Winona County as an ongoing child protection case manager for ten years. Prior to that, she worked for a not-for-profit agency as a case manager and supervisor of various programs (Youth Home, Alternative Education, Supervised Visitation, Child Advocacy Center, etc.). Carrie has also been an Adjunct Faculty at Winona State University for the past six years. She can be reached at cmeiners@umn.edu.
Training Delivery Supervisor
The Training Academy’s regional trainers are supervised by Kristin Malin. She started as a front line child protection worker, transitioning to lead social worker and spending the seven years as a child protection supervisor in a joint powers agency. She also had the opportunity to facilitate Family Group Decision Making, was a forensic interviewer, and was a SSIS Coordinator for several years. Kristin can be contacted at kmalin@umn.edu.
Let Us Know How We Can Help!
Our regional learning centers and regional trainers have been selected and placed to help reduce travel time and give agency workers and supervisors access to helpful and knowledgeable resources. We hope you will find ways to connect with our regional trainers, and by building those relationships, allow the Training Academy to better serve and support the child welfare professionals of Minnesota.
As always, if you have questions or feedback, contact us anytime at info@mnchildwelfaretraining.com.