Oklahoma Child Support Professional Named Most Outstanding

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- Chris King, child support specialist IV, Oklahoma Department of Human Services Ponca City Child Support Enforcement Division office, received the 2007 Excellence Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement from the National Child Support Enforcement Association.

The award honors an individual who has made significant contributions to child support enforcement and improved the lives of children through efforts to promote more effective services.

King, a nine-year child support veteran, received the award Aug. 8 in a special ceremony during the NCSEA annual conference in Orlando, Fla. She currently supervises seven staff, serves as the primary finance worker for her office and is an enforcement worker with a caseload of 400.

King was honored for her efforts in leading her staff through a difficult conversion from a district attorney's office to an OKDHS office. When the local district attorney terminated the contract to operate the office in September 2006, OKDHS CSED took over operation of the office directly. At that time, King was promoted from child support specialist II to child support specialist IV. Faced with a new attorney who was inexperienced in child support enforcement and with no office manager, King took over the administrative duties for the office.

In choosing her for this award, the NCSEA Selection Committee said, “Chris has fully committed herself to the child support program, consistently goes above and beyond what is expected and has made significant contributions to child support despite the very difficult circumstances her organization endured. Her efforts – like those of so many others – improved the lives of the children for which the serve – and the children are better because of her efforts.”

CSED Director Gary Dart presented King with a special plaque on behalf of CSED and said, “Chris honors us every day by her work.”

The City of Ponca City declared July 27 “Chris King Day.”

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