A role that has been vacant for a long time will be filled starting in September, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says.
Sheriff Bill Brown has appointed Robert "Bob" Gonzales as the new Chief Administrative Officer for Support Services. He will begin the new position on Sept. 6.
Gonzales will be the first civilian to take on a chief's position with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office.
The sheriff's office says the CAO role is an executive leadership position. In the role, Gonzales will oversee the Support Services Branch, which includes the Financial Service and Operations Support Divisions. The sheriff's office website says that Support Services provides the resources for the their daily operations.
"Bob has an extraordinary background, is cheerful and energetic, and brings a wealth of executive leadership experience and knowledge to this new position," Sheriff Bill Brown said.
Gonzales became Human Resources Manager for the sheriff's office in Sept. 2019. He has worked in consulting, served as Interim Director of Public Safety at Mt. San Antonio Community College, and was the Chief of Police for the City of Santa Paula Police Department.
He has also served on the Santa Paula Elementary School District Board of Trustees, the Santa Paula Union High School District Board of Trustees, the Ventura County Community College Board of Trustees, and the Santa Paula City Council.
