Bill Dickinson began his career with the Probation Department as an Extra-Help Group Counselor at the Youth Detention Center in 1994. He was appointed as a permanent Group Counselor soon thereafter and worked in that classification at both the Youth Detention Center and the Kern Crossroads Facility. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Communications from California State University Bakersfield in 1997.  In 1998, Bill was promoted to the Deputy Probation Officer classification where he worked in several assignments before promoting to Probation Supervisor in 2004.  As a supervisor, he would spend time leading the Youth Placement Supervision and Youth Reentry Supervision units.  Bill became a member of the management team in 2012, first serving as Assistant Probation Division Director of the Youth Detention Center before promoting to Probation Division Director in 2014.  As a Probation Division Director, he would have assignments in both the Youth Supervision division and at the Youth Detention Center until 2019 when he was promoted to Deputy Chief.  As Deputy Chief, he was responsible for executive-level management of the Youth Services Bureau.  Bill became Chief Probation Officer through an appointment by the Superior Court in August of 2023.

Mr. Royer received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from California State University, Bakersfield. He started his career with the Probation Department in 1996 as an Extra-Help Group Counselor at Juvenile Hall. Since that time, he has worked as a Deputy Probation Officer and Probation Supervisor in Adult Investigations, Juvenile Investigations, Adult Supervision, and Administrative Services. Mr. Royer worked in the Adult Services Division as the Assistant Division Director and the Division Director for 4 years before being promoted to Deputy Chief Probation Officer in 2017.

Victor Cotera earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Sociology, from California State University, Bakersfield in 2000. Later that year he started his career with the County of Kern as a social worker for the Department of Human Services. Victor began his career with the Probation Department in 2003 as a Deputy Probation Officer and has served in a variety of assignments including Custody Intake, Adult Investigations, Mandatory Supervision, and the Adult Programming Unit. In 2012, Victor was promoted to Probation Supervisor during which time he led the creation of the Adult Programs Center. In 2017, he was promoted to Probation Division Director overseeing Adult Services and later Adult Court Services. During his time as director, he managed the development and implementation of the Department’s pre-trial services. In 2022, he was promoted Deputy Chief Probation Officer over the Adult Services Bureau.

Elaine Moore began her career with the Probation Department as an Extra-Help Typist Clerk in 1996.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with a minor in Religious Studies, from CSU Bakersfield in 2001, and that same year, was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer. Elaine has held assignments in various areas of the Probation Department including Juvenile and Adult Court Investigations, the Youth Detention Center, Youth Supervision, and Administrative Services. In December 2015, Elaine was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director and assigned to Camp Erwin Owen.  In May 2019, Elaine was promoted to Probation Division Director and continued in her assignment to Camp Erwin Owen until December 2020, when she was assigned to the Youth Court and Programs division.  In August 2023, Elaine was promoted to Deputy Chief Probation Officer, and assigned to the Youth Services Bureau.

Rebecca Vaughan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Bakersfield. Her professional experience includes 30 years working in various business management, fiscal and administrative positions employed with the State of California, a large non-profit, the City of Bakersfield, and a community correctional facility. Ms. Vaughan started working for the Probation Department in 2011 serving in several different positions, most notably working on Assembly Bill 109-Prison Realignment which took effect in October 2011. She was promoted to Division Director – Fiscal, Research and Planning for the Probation Department in June 2015 overseeing a $109 million budget.

Jeremy Roberts earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Administration from California State University, Bakersfield. He began his probation career as a Group Counselor at Juvenile Hall in 1999. Jeremy has served the department in a variety of positions including Juvenile and Adult Investigations, the Kern Crossroads Facility, the Gang Intervention and Suppression team, Court and Community Schools, Placement, and the High-Risk Offender Unit. He was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director of the Youth Detention Center in 2015 and to Probation Division Director of AB109 Services in 2017.  He is currently the Probation Division Director at Camp Erwin Owen.

Mr. Mata received his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the California State University of Bakersfield in 2003. Later that same year, he began working for the Kern County Probation Department as Group Counselor at the Kern Crossroads Facility and then Camp Erwin Owen. In 2005, he was promoted to a Deputy Probation Officer and worked in several assignments, including Adult Supervision, Early Intervention, Juvenile Supervision and Post Release Community Supervision (AB109). In 2012, he was promoted to Probation Supervisor and was instrumental in creating and supervising the Mandatory Supervision Unit. In 2019, he was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director assigned to Camp Erwin Owen. In 2020, he was promoted to Probation Division Director at Camp Erwin Owen. In 2022, he was transferred to the AB109 Services Division. In 2023, he was transferred to the Youth Court and Programs Division.  Mr. Mata bleeds Dodger Blue and is highly motivated to “Just Win Baby!”

Laura Rivas received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Sociology from CSU Bakersfield in 2000. She began her career with the Probation Department as an Extra Help Deputy Probation Officer in 2000. She was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer in 2003. Mrs. Rivas has held various assignments in the department including Juvenile investigations, Juvenile Supervision-Aftercare, Gang Intervention and Suppression Team (G.I.S.T.), Adult AB 109 units, and the Professional Standards Unit. In 2019, Mrs. Rivas was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director and assigned to James G. Bowles Juvenile Hall. Mrs. Rivas was promoted to Probation Division Director in 2021.

Ryan Wegis began his career with the Probation Department as an Extra-Help Group Counselor at Camp Erwin Owen in 1997 and later became an Extra-Help Deputy Probation Officer in 1998. He was appointed as a permanent Group Counselor in 1999 and worked in that classification at Kern Crossroads Facility. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Psychology, from California State University Bakersfield in 1998. In 2000, Ryan was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer where he worked in Juvenile Investigations, Petition Desk and Juvenile Supervision. In 2008, he was promoted to Probation Supervisor where he began supervising an Adult Supervision unit and later supervised a Post Release Community Supervision unit in 2011. In 2018, Ryan was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director, assigned to the Youth Detention Center. In 2020, Ryan was promoted to Probation Division Director at the Youth Detention Center.

Frank A. Herrera III has loyally served the County of Kern in his work for the Probation Department for more than two decades. Frank is currently the Director of the Administrative Services Division. In this assignment, he is responsible for the managerial oversight of the department’s Professional Standards, Training, Range, Special Projects, and Human Resources Units. He has served the department and community in various roles and assignments including the Early Intervention Program, the Repeat Offender Prevention Program, and Youth Supervision. Additionally, Frank has previously served as a Duty Supervisor for James G. Bowles Youth Detention Center and Probation Supervisor of the Regional Supervision Unit. In this capacity, he supervised a group of Probation Officers responsible for the supervision and rehabilitation of youth in all outlying areas. Frank received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University, Bakersfield. Frank also earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from CSUB in 2004.

Frank comes from a decade’s long family legacy of public service to the community of Delano. He continues this public service legacy through his appointment as the Chairman of the Delano Planning Commission and his work to strengthen his community.

Jason graduated from California State University Bakersfield in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.  He started working for the County of Kern in 2000 as a social worker.  In 2001, he began his journey with the Probation Department.  Jason has primarily worked in adult court services but has experience in adult supervision and was previously the Assistant Director at the Crossroads and APEX Academy Facility.  In addition, Jason is an expert in dispositional law and trains the subject.  His trainings have been certified by the state Standard and Training for Corrections (STC) and the California State Bar.  Jason received his Juris Doctorate and became a member of the State Bar in 2020.  After briefly working as a prosecutor, Jason returned to the Probation Department in 2021 to follow his passion of helping criminally involved individuals find redirection.

Joel Walton graduated from California State University, Bakersfield in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy with a Pre-Law concentration.  He began his career at the Department of Human Services for five years as a Social Service Worker, where he worked in the Cal-WORKS program and the Independent Living Program (I.L.P).  He began working for Kern County Probation in 2005 as a Deputy Probation Officer in the Placement Unit.  He acted as the Probation liaison for the Multi-Agency Integrated Services Team (M.I.S.T.) through Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for several years.  In 2011, he was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer III and worked as a Duty Supervisor for Camp Erwin Owen.  In 2014, he transitioned to Juvenile Investigations where he prepared Court reports, acted as Court Hearing Officer (CHO), and worked a specialized caseload of juveniles found not competent to stand trial.  In 2018, he was promoted to Probation Supervisor in Administrative Services where he developed the department’s social media presence, spearheaded the Peer Support program, acted as Safety Officer, and worked in Internal Affairs investigations.  In 2021, he was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director of Administrative Services where he supervised Human Resources, Professional Standards, Juvenile Court Work Program, and Staff Development. In 2022, he was promoted to Probation Division Director over the Youth Supervision Division.

Brian Gaona graduated from California State University Bakersfield with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and minor in Sociology.  He has been a Probation Officer for over 19 years and worked in a variety of positions throughout the department.  He has worked in the institutions as a Group Counselor in then Juvenile Hall working with youth in the units and also spent some of his time completing janitorial services and warehouse duties for the department.  After promoting to Deputy Probation officer, he worked in a variety of assignments that included Juvenile and Adult Investigations and Juvenile and Adult Supervision.  He also worked in specialized roles in the Repeat Offender Prevention Program, Early Intervention Program, Truancy Reduction Program, Shafter Drug Court, Mandatory Supervision and spent the bulk of his career working in the supervision of youth sexual offenders.  Brian has also served as a departmental trainer as a Defensive Tactics Instructor, Blauer Spear System force instructor, Simmunitions Instructor and a Field Training Officer.  Brian promoted throughout the years and currently serves as the Division Director for AB 109 Services.

Mr. Meyer received a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Communications from CSU Bakersfield in 1996. He began his career with the Kern County Probation Department in 1995 as an Extra Help - Group Counselor at Juvenile Hall and was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer in 1998.  He has served in a variety of positions including Juvenile Hall, Custody Intake, Juvenile Supervision, Adult Investigations and Adult Supervision.   He acted as the Probation liaison for collaborative Courts through Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for several years and was assigned to specialized mental health caseloads in both juvenile and adult supervision.  He was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director of Administrative Services in 2022.

Brian Mara earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology from Florida State University. He started his career with the Kern County Probation Department in 2004 as an Extra-Help Group Counselor at Camp Erwin Owen. In 2005, he was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer and worked in a variety of assignments including Adult Supervision, High-Risk Offender Unit, Post Release Community Supervision, Mandatory Supervision, Adult Programming Unit, and the Professional Standards Unit. He was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director of the Kern Crossroads Facility in 2022.

Marc Herrera earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from California State University, Bakersfield in 2001.  He began his career with the Kern County Probation Department as an Extra-Help Probation Officer in 2002.  He was appointed as a permanent Probation Officer in 2003 and has worked numerous assignments throughout all divisions of the department including Juvenile Investigations, Juvenile Supervision, Adult High-Risk Supervision, Mandatory Supervision, and Adult Programming.  Marc has also served as a Duty Supervisor at James G. Bowles Juvenile Hall and Camp Erwin Owen.  Additionally, for over 5 years, Marc was the liaison for the department’s Day Reporting Center and is trained to facilitate numerous evidence-based programs (EBP), which has established him as an expert in EBP and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In 2018, he promoted to Probation Supervisor and supervised Juvenile Metro Supervision.  In 2022, Marc promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director and was assigned to the James G. Bowles Youth Detention Center. As a Northern California native, Marc is a die-hard San Francisco Giants and 49ers fan!

Jessica La Febre earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a Minor in Criminal Justice from CSU Bakersfield in 2004.  Later that year, she began her career with the Probation Department as an Extra-Help Deputy Probation Officer.  Jessica was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer in 2007.  Jessica has held various assignments in the Probation Department including Custody Intake, Juvenile Investigations, Adult Supervision, and she oversaw the operation of the Adult Programming Center.  In 2021, Jessica promoted to Probation Supervisor where she was instrumental in the creation and supervision of the Pre-Trial units.  In 2022, Jessica promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director and assigned to the Youth Detention Center.

Jason C. Hillis began his career with the Probation Department as an Extra-Help Group Counselor at the Youth Detention Center in 1997. He was appointed as a permanent Group Counselor soon thereafter and worked in that classification at both the Youth Detention Center and the Kern Crossroads Facility. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a minor in Physics and also has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from California State University Bakersfield.  In 1999, Jason was promoted to the Deputy Probation Officer classification where he worked in several assignments before promoting to Probation Supervisor in 2010.  As a supervisor, he would spend time leading in Juvenile Investigations, Youth Placement Supervision and Adult Investigations Units. In October 2023, he was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director at Camp Erwin Owen.

Melanie Monsibais Gradowitz began working for County of Kern in 1995 as an Extra-Help Detentions Deputy for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO). After two years with KCSO, she left the County to work for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) as a Correctional Officer. While working at the BOP, she went back to school and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice. In 2005, she returned to the County of Kern and began her career with the Probation Department as an Extra-Help Probation Officer. In 2007, she was hired as a Deputy Probation Officer and worked in various assignments, including Juvenile Investigations, Juvenile Supervision, the Gang Intervention and Suppression Team (G.I.S.T), Mandatory Supervision, the High-Risk Offender Unit and Staff Development. In 2022, she was promoted to Probation Supervisor and assigned to Adult Supervision.  During her time with the Department, she also served as a trainer in Defensive Tactics, Simunitions, Taser, Baton, Verbal De-escalation, and the Field Training Program. In 2024, Melanie was promoted to Assistant Probation Division Director and assigned to the Administrative Services Division.

Jesse Weinman earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems from California State University, Bakersfield. He then went on to earn a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Management and Leadership from the University of La Verne. He has worked for the Probation Department since November 2001, all in the Technology Services Unit. Most recently, Mr. Weinman was promoted to Technology Services Manager in October 2022, and oversees the Technology Services Unit for the Probation Department.