Sonoma County names new chief probation officer

Sonoma County has named Vanessa Fuchs, a longtime member of the county’s Probation Department, as its new chief probation officer.

Fuchs, a 24-year veteran with the department, will be sworn into the position on Oct. 25, the county announced in a news release Friday. Fuchs will succeed Chief Probation Officer David Koch, who is retiring at the end of the month.

“We are fortunate to have such a leader in Vanessa Fuchs assume this position,” Supervisor Susan Gorin said in a release announcing Fuch’s appointment. “She has spent her career ensuring community safety, supporting crime victims while also helping offenders rehabilitate through the programs offered.”

Fuchs’ appointment is the first of several pending leadership changes within Sonoma County’s criminal justice arm.

Carla Rodriguez, a 25-year veteran with the county District Attorney’s Office, is set to become the new district attorney at the start of 2023 after running unopposed in the June primary. Assistant Sheriff Eddie Engram, a 20-year sheriff’s department veteran, also won election as sheriff in the June primary.

Fuchs has worked for the Probation Department since 1998, most recently as deputy chief probation officer. She will be tasked with leading an agency with a $92.4 million budget and 271 employees. Her annual salary will be $189,865.

Fuchs, 46, a Sonoma State University graduate, said that she did not start her career with the goal of becoming chief but discovered she could have greater impact the higher up she moved in the department.

“I’ve had great opportunities in this career,” Fuchs said in an interview Monday. “Each step that I take in promotions I have a bigger opportunity to impact the system.”

Over the course of her career, Fuchs became the department’s first female supervisor — and then director — of the Probation Camp, a 24-bed, short-term correctional treatment facility. She completed the American Probation Parole Association Leadership Academy and was part of the team that safely evacuated the county’s juvenile detention facility during the 2017 wildfires.

The Probation Department has two divisions, adult and juvenile, and is responsible for providing rehabilitation programs and services, as well as supporting victims of crime.

The department’s adult division includes adult probation services and supervised work crews program areas. Under its juvenile division, the department manages the county’s Juvenile Hall and several juvenile probation services.

As probation chief, Fuchs will be responsible for working with top judges in Sonoma County’s court system, the Board of Supervisors and various county departments.

Fuchs said she plans to continue the department’s work to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system, focus on data-driven decision-making and establish infrastructure to better support transitional age youth.

“The courts are heartened that the new Probation Chief has worked locally with our courts, so understands the local dynamics and functions of the judicial system, especially when working on rehabilitating the lives of youth in our community,” Judge Kenneth Gnoss, who presides over the juvenile court, said in the county’s release.

Koch said he is “delighted” by Fuchs’ selection and had recommended her for the position.

“It’s her experience; knowledge of the system,” Koch said. “Her great working relationships with justice partners, community based organizations and other county departments and she has the right values.”

Koch said those values included a belief that people can change and a commitment to staff development and fostering relationships with community partners.

The county launched a nationwide search for Koch’s replacement on Aug. 17, said Sylvia Lemus, a county spokesperson. The search process included a joint selection committee composed of three Superior Court Judges, two county supervisors, the county administrator and the court executive officer.

Koch, 67, has led the Probation Department since 2016. He said he decided to retire because it felt like a good time and he was ready to “turn over the reins.”

“The department is in very good shape financially, in terms of the quality of employees we have, services we provide and we have a very good reputation not only in the county generally but in the justice system specifically,” said Koch.

His retirement plans include spending time with his adult children and grandson in Oregon.

“I will miss Sonoma County, especially all the people who have become friends and colleagues here,” Koch said.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.