Rich Bowlen is Director, Protective Services at Northwoods, an Ohio-based technology company focused on helping state and county human services agencies do more with less. Rich leads the development of Northwoods’ technical and professional services offerings emphasizing Practice Management in the protective services arena. Rich joined Northwoods from Fairfield County Job and Family Services in Ohio, where he served as Child and Adult Protective Services Director. While at Fairfield County Child & Adult Protective Services, he spearheaded key initiatives such as securing a local levy, achieving accreditation and a complete reorganization and restructuring effort for the agency. He began working as a licensed, front line social worker in 1991 with Franklin County Children Services before serving as a Lay Guardian ad Litem for the Franklin County Public Defender’s Office on child abuse, neglect and dependency cases. His strong desire to improve the lives of children and strengthen families led him to Fairfield County Job & Family Services where he also served as a caseworker, foster care and adoption recruiter and Director of Operations. Rich has presented at numerous state and national conferences on topics such as Transformational Leadership, Change Management, Differential Response, Community Engagement, Strategic Planning and Technological Solutions in Child Welfare. Rich is known for his passion for serving abused, neglected and maltreated children and has dedicated his entire career to improving the lives of children in Ohio.