Esa Ehmen-Krause was appointed Chief Probation Officer in Contra Costa County in 2020 and has more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector. She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Indiana University, and her Masters in Public Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from National University. Before joining the Contra Costa County Probation Department, Esa was an Assistant Chief in Alameda County, where she was responsible for the implementation of numerous comprehensive reform initiatives impacting juvenile field services and the facilities’ divisions, including the Transition Aged Youth program, and the Youth in Custody Practice Model. Prior to arriving in Alameda, Esa was an administrator with the Indiana Department of Correction, where she served as a Superintendent for the Division of Youth Services, overseeing Northeast Juvenile Correctional Facility in Fort Wayne, IN and South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility, in South Bend, IN. In this capacity, she was recognized for comprehensive population reduction strategies, achieving and maintaining American Correctional Association accreditation, and the development of transition and reentry services that were credited with significantly reducing the juvenile recidivism rate statewide. In addition, Esa has extensive experience in program design and evaluation, prevention services, and community mental health.