The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors announced on Wednesday that it has selected Jana Petersen of Boulder County, Colorado as its next county executive officer.

Petersen, who will officially begin on Aug. 20, will replace retiring County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato.

Miyasato, who has been CEO since October 2013, announced in January that she intended to retire in July. She will continue working as CEO until Petersen starts, the county said this week.

Petersen is an outside choice for the board. She currently serves as the county administrator for Boulder County, Colorado, a role she began in January 2020. Boulder County has a population of 330,000 and includes 10 incorporated towns and cities, and a large, unincorporated area.

“It is an honor to be chosen by the Board of Supervisors. The County of Santa Barbara’s mission of ‘One County, One Future’ energizes my public service spirit,” Petersen said in a statement. “I am passionate about demonstrating the value of local government to the community, and I look forward to continuing to enhance the initiatives and priorities of the Board.”

She began her career with Boulder County in 1996 as a public information officer before joining the City of Boulder in different executive roles, including assistant city manager, according to Santa Barbara County.

Petersen returned to Boulder County in 2005, where she worked as the commissioner’s deputy before being promoted to administrative services director. She was later appointed as the county’s first county administrator.

Petersen holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver.

“During Petersen’s tenure as County Administrator, Boulder County reshaped services to be more accessible and virtual in the aftermath of the COVID‑19 pandemic. Under her leadership, the county team supported victims of the devastating Marshall Wildfire and wind event, earning praise from state and federal officials for the speed and effectiveness of recovery efforts. County staff also completed several critical infrastructure projects,” Santa Barbara County officials said in the announcement.

“The board is very pleased with the selection of Ms. Petersen as our new CEO,” said Bob Nelson, chair of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors. “She is a seasoned leader who has ably led her organization through many of the same challenges and opportunities that we have faced in recent years and will continue to face in the future.

“She is an excellent fit for our county and I’m confident that she will maintain and contribute to our county government’s reputation for innovation, service excellence, and fiscal accountability.”

Supervisors are scheduled to approve Petersen’s employment contract at the June 9 meeting.

Miyasato is one of the longest-tenured county executives in the state. She has transformed the office and been awarded more power than her predecessors.  

The Board of Supervisors has so much faith in her leadership that it has granted extra authority to the job – but only as long as she’s in it.