Empowering Change: A Conversation with Director Christine Partlow on New Technology and Building Strong Relationships

TipCo Automated Systems is proud to partner with a group of visionary leaders in the health and human services (HHS) sector, particularly focusing on women who are spearheading change in their communities. These leaders recognize the pressing challenges faced by their county departments, including critical worker shortages and increasing demand for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Moreover, they identify the need for more efficient and supportive technology to address these issues effectively. 

Among these distinguished leaders stands Director Christine Partlow, an advocate for new technology and solutions to help the community. With a background in community action and technology, Director Partlow brings extensive knowledge and seasoned insights to her role at the helm of the Stearns County, Minnesota Department of Human Services Finance & Technology division. 

Interview with Director Christine Partlow

Join us as we delve into Director Partlow’s insights and experiences, exploring her unique journey to her leadership role in human services and the impact she strives to have on both her team and the Stearns County community.

What inspired you to pursue a career in social services, and what motivated you to take on leadership roles within your respective counties?

My path to a career in social services wasn’t necessarily direct—I worked for a CPA firm, Price-Cellular, and a Community Action agency where I finally found my niche. I took on more leadership roles and really enjoyed bringing in new technology and providing solutions to help our residents through difficult times. The Community Action promise, “Community action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other,” still guides my work today as it aligns with my personal values.  

What strategies have you employed to address challenges such as staffing shortages, budget constraints, or unexpected crises like the COVID-19 pandemic?

Overseeing back-office areas, like finance, technology, and front desk office support, you feel the pain of all the areas you support whenever these challenges arise. I believe that the key is to build strong relationships with the leaders around you, the supervisors on your own team, and your staff. None of us is as smart individually as all of us are together. When you have worked to build trust among the organization, you have space to openly share ideas and solutions for any challenge. It also broadens the support network.  For me, I am a get it done personality in stressful situations. Whether that’s stepping in to help launch EVA or determine logistics of standing up an online scheduling tool for COVID vaccines, I will be the one that makes sure we are ready to go when needed. 

With your extensive experience in the field, what do you consider to be the most pressing issue facing social services today, and how do you propose addressing it?

Human services in Minnesota are currently in a difficult conundrum. Many of the systems are antiquated. New employees have never worked in or even seen some systems until coming to work for us, and when you combine complicated policies and procedures with systems that are not intuitive, it makes it difficult for new employees to feel successful.  

Residents expect that county services are provided at the same level they receive for many other businesses — they want it to be available on their smartphone, 24/7/365, and with immediate approval or response. Think about how easy it is to order pizza online or do online banking. That’s what residents want.  

Counties do what they can to implement additional technologies to address that gap in expectation, but the looming cost shifts from the federal level, especially for SNAP, has created an environment where counties simply don’t have the additional funds to add technology.  

To overcome the challenges in social services today, we need strong leaders who are idea generators and don’t give up. They keep working on problems from every possible angle, but not as bulldogs. We also need leaders that respect and build relationships. We do better together, and that’s how we can solve our challenges. 

In what ways do you believe technology and innovation can further enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of social services delivery in your county?

Because we work in antiquated systems and are experiencing a staffing shortage, we need automation wherever possible. We’ve used BlueZone scripting extensively in our public assistance and child support areas for years and, through tracking, we know that it saved us over 10,000 staff hours in 2024 alone. We are constantly looking for other ideas to remove manual labor from work to be able to provide more value to our residents, which led us to TipCo and EVA to help automate additional aspects of our work. 

As you are one of the first leaders in the health and human services (HHS) realm to embrace AI, and what made you decide this was a solution for your agency and community?   

At the 2024 ISM conference I saw quite a few different uses for AI in the HHS realm that were super exciting and motivating. Integration between contact centers and case systems was particularly attractive to me because of my experience with contact center implementations and how attuned I am to overall customer service experiences. 

What specific challenges or opportunities within the realm of healthcare and human services (HHS) prompted you to consider integrating AI?

In Stearns County, there’s a dynamic where we cannot process applications at the speed clients expect to receive services. It’s made worse when clients call multiple times a day for updates on their case. This ties up staff on the phones and returning voicemails, keeping them from working on applications.  We needed something that could help handle the calls, freeing up staff to actually work the applications and changing the tide.  

What legacy do you hope to leave behind in terms of your impact on the community and the social services sector?

I have worked my entire career to support my love for horses, and my passion lies in bringing that opportunity to others. I’ve volunteered at a therapeutic riding facility, helped with youth clinics, and enjoy sharing my experiences with others, introducing them to all the amazing things you can do with horses. I truly believe horses build independent, resilient, and compassionate individuals, and my experiences honing this passion have helped my leadership throughout my career.   

To bring it back to what I hope the impact of my career is on the community and social services sector, I hope that I’ve instilled in others to do excellent work with compassion and heart.  

Conclusion

As we conclude our time with Director Christine Partlow, it’s clear that her leadership and interest in bringing technology to HHS has had an impact on agency staff and the community they serve. Her forward-thinking approach to making human services programs easier to access highlights her dedication to the community and her unique style of leadership.