Sometimes a Great Podcast

SAGPodcast: An AS2, GenAI, and the Tool that Talks Back

Season 1, Episode 77 — May 20, 2026 Length: 24:22 This week, The Big Picture comes from District 7, where we sit down with Hayley Roe, an administrative specialist in the North Bend office, to talk about artificial intelligence, everyday problem solving, and what happens when a new tool starts making the to-do list feel a little less impossible. The conversation focuses on GenAI not as a replacement for people, but as a way to reduce repetitive work and make room for the judgment, creativity, and careful thinking that public service depends on. Hailey describes using tools like Copilot to help build interview schedules, clean up email templates, organize information, and make sense of complicated messages—always with redaction, review, and human expertise still firmly in place. Hailey explains how AI can turn a 15-minute scheduling task into something closer to 15 seconds, or help interpret a confusing email before a task gets stuck in a 24- to 48-hour delay. But the episode also makes clear that speed is not the whole story. AI makes mistakes. It can misunderstand dates, miss context, use language that does not match ODHS style, or generate something that needs a subject matter expert to catch and correct. The real shift is not that the tool does the work alone. It is that staff can use it to revise, rethink, clarify, and recover faster when something changes. A schedule can be adjusted. A confusing document can be questioned. A draft can be improved without rebuilding everything from scratch. In North Bend, the conversation is about technology, but the heart of it is still human: learning a new tool, staying accountable for the work, and finding ways to spend less time staring into the administrative void and more time serving people well. All while keeping people in focus in…The Big Picture. Credits Host: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe Contact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

Casters Podding, Ducks Flying, and Beavers Building

Season 1, Episode 76 — May 18, 2026 Length: 9:35 This week’s episode brings a full calendar and a little friendly rivalry, with the launch of the first Beaver Duck Innovation Classic leading the way. The focus is on practical ideas from ODHS staff—ways to reduce red tape, cut duplication, improve communication, make daily work more efficient, and better support the people we serve. The episode also checks in on SNAP time-limit notices, wellness tools, records retention, and appreciation for the Mental Health Matters ERG. Because whether the work is innovation, policy, records, mindfulness, or community support, the big picture is the same: clearer systems, stronger connections, and practical action that helps ODHS serve Oregon better. 4Minutes4U: (1:22) * Beaver Duck Innovation Classic Deadline: ODHS: (3:09) * TANF Policy Listening Session * Digital Accessibility and Plain Language Lunch and Learn * AANHPI Heritage Month celebration * From Fields to Future: Advancing Latinx Excellence * 2027 Estella Namahoe Naat’áanii Award nominations Fact of the Week: (5:53) * SNAP ABAWD counting month notices Dateline: ODHS: (7:22) * Mindful Minute GLAD technique * OTIS records retention schedule * Mental Health Matters ERG appreciation Writer’s Round-Up: (8:57)

SAGPodcast: Knowing Where to Look in Klamath Falls

Season 1, Episode75 — May 13, 2026Length: 25:18 This week, The Big Picture comesfrom Klamath Falls, where we sit down with Bethany Pillow, a public benefits specialist in District 11, to talk about eligibility work in a rural community. The conversation explores how the same job description can look very different depending on where the work happens. InKlamath County, transportation, job availability, changing program requirements, and limited access to services all shape the way people experience public benefits. A policy may be statewide, but its impact is local. Bethany describes the importance of community knowledge in eligibility work: knowing which partners to call, whichresources exist outside formal directories, and which supports may only be visible through word of mouth, Facebook pages, or relationships built over time. When someone is not eligible for ODHS benefits, that local knowledge can help make sure “no” is not the end of the conversation. The episode also reflects on the emotional weight of eligibility work—especially when people are losing benefitsor asking for help with deeply personal needs. In those moments, the connection between ODHS staff and community partners becomes essential. Gaps areidentified, networks respond, and sometimes new resources emerge because enough people notice the same need. In Klamath Falls, public service depends not only on policy, but on presence: listening closely, knowing the community,and helping people find support that may not be written down anywhere. Because sometimes the most important resource is the person who knows where to look—in the big picture.' CreditsHost: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, CommunicationsProduced by: Dr. Bethany Grace HoweContact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov

Podding for the Most ODHS People in the World

Season 1, Episode 74 — May 11, 2026Length: 9:04 This week’s episode leans into the quiet consistency that keeps everything moving—planning ahead, checking twice, and building systems that work not just once, but over time. With no major disruptions on the horizon, the focus turns to the habits and routines that create stability across the agency. From required trainings to emergency preparedness, the throughline is readiness: not just reacting to what happens, but preparing for what might. Whether it’s supporting neurodivergent staff during emergencies or staying current on evolving systems, the work reflects a steady commitment to doing things well before they’re urgent. And in a new recurring feature, we recognize “The Most ODHS People in the World”—those who embody coordination, follow-through, and quiet excellence. Because sometimes the strongest systems aren’t the loudest—they’re the ones that simply work. 4Minutes4U * Nothing this week Deadline: ODHS (1:49) * June 9: Emergency Preparedness for Neurodivergents Webinar * 2026 Required Training Campaign — Now Live * Reminder: May 19 & 21: Pride Conference — “Blueprints for a Queer Future” Fact of the Week (4:52) * SNAP verification changes delayed to allow for system updates. * SNAP interviews will resume June 1 as planned. Dateline: ODHS (5:58) * Wellness resources * Youth Experiencing Homelessness success story New this week: The Most ODHS Person in the World (8:13)

The Big Picture Pod: The Many Roles of Michelle Sumner in D6 and Douglas County

Season 1, Episode 73: May 6, 2026 Length: 29:22 This week, we’re in Roseburg in Douglas County’s District 6 with Michelle Sumner, a resource developer in Child Welfare—and the mayor of nearby Sutherlin. Her work sits at the intersection of formal systems and informal networks, where relationships often matter as much as resources. The role of resource developer reflects a gap between what systems can provide and what families actually need. Through partnerships, grants, and local knowledge, Michelle helps bridge that gap by connecting families to support that doesn’t always fit within traditional structures. In a place like Douglas County, those connections are not abstract—they’re built on trust, familiarity, and presence in the community. That same network extends into her role as mayor, where many of the same challenges: housing, transportation, and access to services, appear in a different form. Rather than separate spheres, the two roles overlap, reinforcing each other. Community leadership becomes a way to translate lived experience into action, whether that’s improving transit access or coordinating responses to homelessness. Across both roles, one pattern stands out: credibility shapes access. It’s about trust built over time. Through conversation, consistency, and shared investment in place, all of which opens doors that systems alone cannot. In Douglas County, public service isn’t confined to a single title. It moves through relationships, adapting to what communities need and what individuals can offer. Credits Host: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe, Communications Produced by: Dr. Bethany Grace Howe Contact: bethany.g.howe@odhs.oregon.gov