Chief Probation Officers of California

Deirdre Benedict is the Supervising Analyst for the Judicial Council of California’s Pretrial Unit in the Criminal Justice Services Office. Since joining the Council in 2000, she has worked on projects involving judicial education, court support, and policy development, including serving as lead staff to the Trial Court Presiding Judges Advisory Committee. Deirdre was a key staffer for the Chief Justice’s 2016 Pretrial Detention Reform Workgroup and later led the Pretrial Reform and Operations Workgroup (PROW).

Anders Benoit is a teacher at a Juvenile Court school in Shasta County, where they support youth through River’s Edge Academy. The program’s mission is to empower youth not only to become functional, contributing members of the community, but also to grow into leaders within their region. This fall, Anders will complete a Master’s in Restorative Practices with an emphasis on Relational Facilitation for Healing Trauma from the International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP).

Erin Burton is a Senior Deputy Probation Officer with the Sacramento County Probation Department and has over 17 years of experience working in Probation as a juvenile corrections officer as well as a field supervision officer. She graduated from California State University, Sacramento in 2007 with her Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and in 2012 with her Master of Arts Degree in Child Development. Erin is currently the Homeless Liaison Officer under the Adult Community Corrections Division and is assigned to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Team.

Cynthia Chase is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 25 years’ experience in juvenile and criminal legal system reform as a Social Worker, Probation Officer, Corrections Director of Programming, and the Executive Director of the original Gemma Program. Cynthia has been recognized as a dedicated leader and tireless advocate in her work at the intersection of justice and gender. As a subject matter expert, Cynthia has worked to improve systems and outcomes for marginalized individuals at the city, county, and state level.

Esa Ehmen-Krause was appointed Chief Probation Officer in Contra Costa County on March 16, 2020. Prior to joining the Contra Costa County Probation Department, she was Assistant Chief Probation Officer in Alameda County, where she was responsible for oversight of numerous comprehensive reform initiatives. Before arriving in California, Chief Ehmen-Krause was an administrator with the Indiana Department of Correction, where she served as an administrator for the Division of Youth Services.

Sarah Fletcher is part of the Santa Cruz County Probation Department Executive Team, bringing nearly 25 years of experience in criminal justice and public safety. She has held a range of roles in probation from line staff to more than 10 years as a Division Director, currently overseeing adult services. Sarah has led efforts to implement new case management systems, risk and needs assessment tools, and innovative programming focused on behavior change and accountability.

Debra Gehring is a Senior Probation Officer with Napa County Probation and has been a probation officer with the agency for 22 years.  She is currently assigned to the Juvenile Placement Unit and has auxiliary duties within the department which include certifying the Batterer Intervention Programs and managing the AB372 Domestic Violence Pilot Program.   She is currently on the CPOC Domestic Violence Advisory Committee and is a CPOC training facilitator for the Domestic Violence Core and Best Practices for Batterer Intervention Program Approval and Oversight.  Debra has

Nicole Green, MSW, ASW is a registered Associate Clinical Social Worker at The Gemma Project, specializing in providing trauma-responsive and gender-responsive therapy to formerly incarcerated women. Informed by her own lived experience with incarceration, Nicole brings a unique depth of understanding and empathy to her work. Her clinical practice includes facilitating therapeutic workshops, leading supportive group therapy sessions, and offering tailored individual therapy to address the complex behavioral health needs that can arise from incarceration and trauma.

The Honorable Denise Hippach is the Supervising Judicial Officer of the Santa Barbara Superior Court and the first African-American to serve as a Superior Court judge in Santa Barbara County. A graduate of the USC School of Law, she was admitted to the bar in 2003 and has since built a wide-ranging career in public service.

Chief Steve Jackson has over 27 years of experience in the field of community corrections. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work from Azusa Pacific University. Steve began his career in probation in 1998 in Stanislaus County. He promoted through the ranks and became the Assistant Chief Probation Officer in San Joaquin County in 2019.  Chief Jackson was appointed as the Chief Probation Officer for the San Joaquin County Probation Department in March 2020.

Chris is a seasoned veteran with over two decades of dedicated service in the criminal justice sector, working in positions including equivant Supervision and Pretrial COO, Customer Success Manager, Implementation Lead and previously as a practitioner in the field of Community Corrections.

Hollie MacDonald has a PhD in Public Policy and Public Administration with a concentration in Criminal Justice Policy and a M.S in Criminal Justice Studies. She is a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Longwood University and a Senior Research Consultant with Data in Action LLC, where she leads research and evaluation projects in the criminal justice, local government, and nonprofit sectors. She brings over a decade of experience in research methods, applied statistics, and data-informed policy evaluation.

Maria McKee is the Director of Grants, Analytics, and Planning at the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department (JPD), where she leads data-driven policy development and justice system transformation efforts grounded in advancing racial equity, community collaboration, and community safety.

Chief Tamika Nelson joined San Diego County Probation in January 2022 after serving as the Assistant Chief Probation Officer in San Joaquin County.  She brings 20 years of experience in the field, starting as a Probation Officer in 2001 while earning her Juris Doctorate from the Humphreys School of Law in Stockton.  In addition to her law degree, Ms. Nelson earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego.

Deputy Chansavang Oriyavong has served with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office since 2013. Prior to his law enforcement career, he served 4.5 years in the U.S. Army as an infantryman, completing two combat deployments to Iraq. His military background instilled a strong foundation of discipline, resilience, and teamwork. He began his law enforcement service at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center (RCCC) before transitioning to patrol, where he spent seven years primarily in north Sacramento County.

Sarah Pauter is the Executive Director of John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), where she leverages both personal and professional expertise to advance the organization’s mission of improving the lives of youth and young adults who have experienced foster care or homelessness.Before stepping into this role, Sarah served as a Senior Project Manager at JBAY, leading efforts to strengthen policies that support foster and homeless youth in higher education.

Anthony is an expert in positive psychology, the applied science of human happiness. Anthony is a professional speaker, facilitator and professional development coach working regularly with probation teams and has presented at conferences hosted by probation organizations such as APPA, CAPSA, CPOC, PBMA and has worked directly with multiple probation departments in California including Contra Costa, San Mateo and Kern and Tulare Counties. He is a certified STC provider with BSSC.

Lisa Randall is a Supervising Probation Officer for the San Francisco Juvenile Department and has served the City and County of San Francisco since 2011. SPO Randall currently oversees Placement, Secure Track, Prop 57, and ICJ and is passionate about assisting youth in finding their opportunity for change. The majority of SPO Randall’s career has been focused on working with high risk offenders and reentry. Prior to starting her career at San Francisco Juvenile Probation, SPO Randall worked in behavioral health, as an institutional counselor, and as a residential counselor.

Emotional Endurance Expert, Energy Shifter, Humorist. Laurie is on a mission to help people stop avoiding their stress and start regulating with intention. Laurie’s work is grounded in the belief that emotional regulation isn’t a soft skill, but a foundational skill. Most people have never been taught how to see, understand, or manage their emotional energy, and it’s costing them: their clarity, their relationships, their careers.

Tom Westfall is a seasoned technology leader with over 25 years of experience in software companies specializing in Community Supervision Case Management Systems. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in designing, architecting, and developing multiple market-leading solutions on a national scale.