LAPP - Staff

Attorneys

Regina Deihl, Director, co-founded LAPP in 2003 and has served as its director since its inception. Regina manages LAPP’s publication and training programs, legislative and regulatory agenda, outreach to the caregiver community, and public speaking activities. She authored LAPP’s Legal Toolkit Series for California Caregivers and Their Partners and co-authored a national legal manual and curriculum on foster parent legal rights and responsibilities in collaboration with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, the Child Welfare League of America and the National Foster Parent Association. Under her leadership, LAPP successfully advocated for passage of six major California bills to improve the lives of foster children by enhancing the ability of their foster, kinship, and adoptive parents to care for them.

Prior to joining LAPP, Regina was a Juvenile Projects Attorney at the California Judicial Council, Administrative Office of the Courts, where she researched and co-authored the landmark study Caregivers and the Courts: Improving Court Decisions Affecting Children in Foster Care (2002). She was also responsible for the development of standard court forms by which foster and kinship parents can communicate with dependency court judges and for requesting "de facto" parent (party) status. She also conducted state audits of juvenile court files in counties throughout California to check compliance with the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA).

Regina graduated magna cum laude from Santa Clara University School of Law where she has served on the Public Interest Endowment Executive Board. She has extensive experience training foster and kinship parents and adoptive families throughout the nation and is currently fostering a child in California’s foster care system.

Lois Raap, Senior Attorney, leads LAPP’s education curriculum and training project and provides training on a host of foster care topics as part of LAPP’s ongoing training programs. During her tenure at LAPP, Lois has taught hundreds of foster and kinship caregivers, social workers, attorneys, and others practical methods of working with schools to ensure children have appropriate educational plans, how to arrange mental health services for children in foster care, and procedures for working effectively with courts to obtain appropriate court orders for children and families. Lois is also active in LAPP’s policy and advocacy work.

Prior to joining LAPP, Lois specialized in representing foster, kinship, and adoptive parents in California dependency cases, assisting families in working with school systems and developing appropriate IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) for children, and arranging mental health services for foster children diagnosed with RAD (reactive attachment disorder), PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), and other disorders. An experienced foster parent, Lois has cared for special needs foster children for over 30 years, including medically and emotionally fragile children, including children with AIDS, spina bifida, severe shaken baby syndrome, bone marrow transplants, seizure disorders and a host of emotional challenges.

Lois graduated from Northwestern California University School of Law, has a B.A. in education and holds a California teaching credential. In 2007, she was honored by Casey Family Programs for her community service and outstanding leadership as the Ruth Massinga Foster Parent of the Year.

Penny Blake, Senior Attorney, leads LAPP’s training program for lawyers. A frequent lecturer on the effective representation of children in foster care, Penny’s wealth of experience provides dependency attorneys with legal and practical expertise on the role of minor’s counsel.

Prior to joining LAPP, Penny supervised a team of eleven dependency attorneys for the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office where she worked from 1984 until her retirement in 2006. Before joining the District Attorney’s Office, Penny was a Juvenile Probation Officer serving children in the juvenile justice system. She is a graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law, holds a M.A. from Chapman College and a B.A. from San Jose State University.

San Mateo County Foster Caregiver Advocate

Peggy Rozhon, LAPP’s San Mateo County Foster Parent Advocate provides free, independent, confidential information, support and advocacy for foster parents experiencing difficulties navigating the local foster care system. Peggy assists caregivers with information on foster care laws, regulations, and policies about specific issues and interacts with Children and Family Services staff to resolve issues. Peggy accompanies foster parents to agency meetings on specific cases and represents the caregiver perspective at local meetings and groups.

Prior to coming to LAPP, Peggy had held a variety of positions that required excellent communication, negotiation and advocacy skills. She holds a degree in communications from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.