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. In 2026, she was promoted to Division Director of the Kern County Crossroads Facility.