California’s Director of Child Support Services Receives National Award for Helping Create International Standards and Agreements

On August 2nd through 6th, the National Child Support Enforcement Association (NCSEA) held its annual Leadership Symposium where directors and other leaders in the child support community shared and celebrated best practices, partnerships and innovative thinking for the day-to-day management of the child support program.

DCSS Director Alisha Griffin

At this year’s event, the Kathy Duggan Memorial Award was presented to Alisha Griffin, Director of California’s Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). The award is given to those who have exhibited truly exceptional dedication and effort to promote the best interests of children and families served by the child support program.

The memorial award was created after former NCSEA Executive Director, Kathy Duggan, lost her battle to cancer in 1993. Duggan served as NCSEA’s Executive Director from 1987-1993 with a philosophical and exceptional devotion to the importance of child support.

Alisha Griffin’s similarly endless dedication to child support with over 18 years in the child support program exemplifies the qualities required of a recipient of the Kathy Duggan Memorial Award.

“Alisha’s efforts have been extremely meritorious and far beyond her normal calling,” Steven Golightly, current NCSEA President and Director of Los Angeles County Department of Child Support Services Division said as he presented the award. “Alisha merits this recognition as someone who also is dedicated to the ideals and principles of child support.”  

Alisha has been with the child support program for more than 18 years, previously serving in public and private family services, including child welfare, child protection, rehabilitation and therapeutic service systems. Before joining DCSS, Alisha served as Director of New Jersey’s Child Support Program. There, she focused on practice improvements, streamlining all collections and disbursement systems, improving fiscal management and revamping customer service by creating a “one-stop shop” for child support participants. 

DCSS Director Alisha Griffin and LACSSD Director Steven Golightly

“Director Griffin continuously encourages and challenges department staff and managers to re-evaluate and re-engineer our business processes, tools and organizational structure in order to better serve our child support and local child support agency customers,” said Mark Beckley, Chief Deputy Director of DCSS. "With Alisha’s strong leadership and her broad and deep knowledge of the child support program, California’s Child Support Program has a bright future ahead."

In addition to heading one of the largest child support programs in the United States, Alisha has represented the U.S. at The Hague Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. She helped formulate the United States’ position and worked to get the agreement, focused on creating uniform procedures for child support enforcement and cooperation among countries, passed by the U.S. Congress.

Because of her expertise she was invited to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at the Hague Convention and its benefits to U.S. children and families and recently presented at the University of Hong Kong.

While visiting with California county child support agencies and staff, Alisha has focused on quality customer service, the dedication of staff in the program and the importance of child support to families and children.

“Our goal is to change the focus of child support from punitive and solely about enforcement to an upfront customer focused family support program,” Alisha stated.

Alisha is often praised for her consistent commitment and openness to taking on challenges.

“I knew that we had a different kind of leader when Alisha traveled to Imperial County to address and meet with our staff, which had never occurred before,” said Gustavo Roman, Director of Imperial County Department of Child Support Services. “Through Alisha’s efforts in working with Mexican authorities such as the Mexican Consulate, the issue of Mexican residents’ inability to collect and cash their child support payments was satisfactorily resolved.

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By: Dana Simas

Communications Director

CA Dept. of Child Support Services