The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors this week selected long-time county employee Nicole Coburn as its next presumptive executive director.  

The unanimous vote out of closed session Tuesday brings her one step closer to a formal appointment, which the supervisors will take up at their Oct. 21 meeting, according to county officials. 

Coburn has served as the assistant county executive since 2016 and was moved to the final appointment vote following a national selection process that included 139 candidates.

She has worked for the county for more than 12 years and led the creation of its first strategic plan, which helps guide growth and development decisions, among other things. 

She has also helped identify new funding sources for public services, including Measure S, which led to the modernization and construction of libraries throughout the county, and she “played a pivotal role in coordinating county response to disasters including the COVID-19 pandemic, the CZU Lightning Complex fires, and multiple winter storms,” according to county officials. 

Coburn will replace Carlos Palacios who is retiring on Dec. 5. 

“Nicole Coburn has demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, and a deep understanding of the values that define our community,” said Supervisor Felipe Hernandez.

Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.