Ann Marie Swan joined the FYI team in April 2019 and facilities Nurturing Parenting Program, Nurturing Fathers and Guiding Good Choices classes. She offers individualized parenting coaching for families in child welfare, focusing on helping parents build stronger, deeper relationships with their children. She also leads a Communities That Care media work group to create a campaign that targets caregivers of middle- and high-schoolers so they have more tools to help keep their children safe and substance-free.           

               

Most of Ann Marie’s career has been spent as a daily journalist. She worked on news desks at the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo. She continues to freelance as a writer-editor.

               

Ann Marie found her way in to social work after working as a librarian and writing instructor at the Buena Vista Correctional Complex, where she offered resources to offenders. Here, offenders shared their stories. Ann Marie then realized she could apply what she learned in working with local families.

               

Ann Marie has an MFA in Writing from Pacific University, a post-graduate Journalism Certificate from the University of Hawaii and a BA in Anthropology from Louisiana State University.

               

Ann Marie is originally from New Orleans. She has lived in Salida since 2005. She loves practicing yoga, hiking, reading, gardening, hitting the hot springs and hanging out with her daughter. Ann Marie is honored to be part of the FYI team.

 

Contact Ann Marie at aswan@chaffeecounty.org.