Stephanie Lewis Takes Helm at Probation Department

Stephanie Lewis, 52, a 30-year Probation Department veteran, has assumed the job of the county’s chief probation officer, replacing John Robinson, who has retired.

Lewis was appointed by the Board of Supervisors last year with the understanding that she would take over Robinson’s job when he retired to ease management transition. She will oversee an agency with 1,500 employees and $100-million budget. Her annual salary will be $127,800.

Lewis directed the agency’s juvenile institutions for the past nine years as chief deputy probation officer. Prior to that, she was director of Juvenile Hall and of the department’s adult and juvenile field supervision officer. She helped develop the agency’s gang violence suppression program.

During the yearlong transition, other changes included: the temporary promotion of Colleene Preciado, a Juvenile Hall director, to chief deputy probation officer; Chief Deputy Probation Officer Tom Wright has rotated from Special Services to assume responsibility for the department’s juvenile institutions; Monica Gallagher was temporarily promoted to director, joining Dallas Stahr, in charge of the 434-bed Juvenile Hall; Tom Hinkle was temporarily promoted to assistant division director to oversee the Juvenile Hall annex, a 40-bed institution in Santa Ana for high-risk juveniles; and Supervising Probation Officer Officer Rick Francis was promoted to assistant division director at Juvenile Hall.