Published by The Maine Mirror — Independent Journalism • Public Records • Government Accountability

August 5, 2026

Five professional licensing complaints filed by Ryan Michaels against licensed social workers associated with Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) have been scheduled for presentation before the Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure.

Official Notice of Complaint Presentation letters issued by the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation’s Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation confirm that all five complaints will be presented during the Board’s meeting on August 14, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The complaints involve individuals serving in positions ranging from frontline casework to executive leadership within Maine’s child welfare system.

(Image: Official Notice of Complaint Presentation issued by the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation for Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20909 involving Bobbi Johnson. The notice schedules the complaint for presentation before the Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure on August 14, 2026.)

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Five Individual Complaints Scheduled for the Same Board Meeting

The notices identify the following individual complaints:

• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20907 — Christina Codere
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20908 — Amy Cilley
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20909 — Bobbi Johnson
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20910 — Chelcie Stewart
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20911 — Stephanie Gaddar

Each notice states that the complaint filed by Ryan Michaels will be presented before the Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure during its meeting on August 14, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Notably, the complaint numbers are sequential:

• 2025-SOC-20907
• 2025-SOC-20908
• 2025-SOC-20909
• 2025-SOC-20910
• 2025-SOC-20911

Although each complaint has its own complaint number and is directed to an individual licensee, every matter has been scheduled for presentation during the same Board meeting.

According to the notices, the Board’s Complaint Committee will summarize each complaint, review relevant documents with the Board, and make a recommendation regarding further action. The Board may act on those recommendations during the meeting.

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Complaints Span Multiple Levels of OCFS Leadership

The five complaints involve individuals serving at multiple levels within or connected to Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services.

Those individuals include:

• Chelcie Stewart — Frontline Caseworker
• Christina Codere — Supervisor
• Amy Cilley — Regional Supervisor
• Bobbi Johnson — Director of OCFS
• Stephanie Gaddar — Licensed Social Worker

Together, the complaints span nearly the entire supervisory chain, from frontline casework through executive leadership.

The scheduling of all five complaints represents a significant procedural milestone because every complaint filed by Michaels has now advanced to formal presentation before the Board.

The notices themselves do not constitute findings of misconduct or disciplinary action. Rather, they document that the complaints have reached the next stage of Maine’s professional licensing review process.

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What a Complaint Presentation Means

Each notice explains that the Board’s Complaint Committee will:

• Summarize the complaint for the Board;
• Review relevant documents;
• Make a recommendation regarding further action; and
• Allow the Board to act upon that recommendation.

The presentations will occur in open session, meaning the public may generally observe either in person or remotely through Zoom.

However, the notices also specify that the complainant, the licensees, and members of the public may observe only and do not participate during the presentations.

The notices do not indicate what recommendation will be made, nor do they represent findings that any allegations have been proven.

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Follow-Up Records Request

After receiving the five Notices of Complaint Presentation, Michaels submitted a follow-up request to Jessica D. Farnham of the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.

The request asked for copies of the original complaints associated with each complaint number in order to verify that the administrative record accurately reflected the materials originally submitted.

Specifically, Michaels requested copies associated with:

• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20907
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20908
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20909
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20910
• Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20911

The email also requested any complaint summaries, investigative materials, or other records available to him as the complainant.

(Image: Screenshot of Ryan Michaels’ August 5, 2026 email to Jessica D. Farnham requesting copies of the original complaints associated with Complaint Nos. 2025-SOC-20907 through 2025-SOC-20911.)

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Article Update

By the time this article was completed, Jessica D. Farnham had already responded to the records request and provided copies of the original complaints associated with each of the five complaint numbers.

The prompt response allowed Michaels to verify that the complaints correspond to the matters scheduled for presentation before the Board.

Credit should be given where it is due. The requested records were provided promptly, and that responsiveness deserves acknowledgment.

(Image: Screenshot of Jessica Farnham’s response providing copies of the original complaints associated with Complaint Nos. 2025-SOC-20907 through 2025-SOC-20911.)

Over the next five days, The Maine Mirror will publish a special investigative series examining each complaint individually. Rather than attempting to summarize every allegation in a single article, each installment will focus on one complaint, the underlying allegations, supporting documentation, and the public records associated with that matter.

The series will begin tomorrow with an in-depth examination of the complaint involving Bobbi Johnson, Director of Maine’s Office of Child and Family Services.

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Additional Notices

The notice involving Bobbi Johnson is reproduced near the beginning of this article because it concerns the agency’s Director. The remaining four Notices of Complaint Presentation are included below for readers wishing to review the official documents associated with each individual complaint.

Chelcie Stewart — Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20910

(Image: Official Notice of Complaint Presentation addressed to Chelcie Stewart, identifying Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20910 and scheduling the matter for presentation before the Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure on August 14, 2026.)

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Christina Codere — Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20907

(Image: Official Notice of Complaint Presentation addressed to Christina Codere, identifying Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20907 and scheduling the complaint for the August 14, 2026 Board meeting.)

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Amy Cilley — Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20908

(Image: Official Notice of Complaint Presentation addressed to Amy Cilley, identifying Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20908 and explaining that the Board’s Complaint Committee will review the complaint and make a recommendation to the Board.)

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Stephanie Gaddar — Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20911

(Image: Official Notice of Complaint Presentation addressed to Stephanie Gaddar, identifying Complaint No. 2025-SOC-20911 and scheduling the complaint for presentation before the Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure on August 14, 2026.)

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Looking Ahead

The Maine Board of Social Worker Licensure is scheduled to consider these complaint presentations during its meeting on August 14, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The Maine Mirror will continue following these proceedings, reviewing publicly available records, and reporting on any recommendations, Board actions, responses from the parties involved, and subsequent developments as they become available.

As always, these notices represent procedural steps within Maine’s professional licensing process. They do not constitute findings of misconduct or final disciplinary decisions.

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