The city of Novato has named Martinez Police Capt. Beth Johnson as its next chief of police, the first woman to be appointed to the position, the city announced.

The city said Johnson was chosen after a national search for her skills as a “proven leader” and collaborative approach to policing.

Johnson is a Bay Area native who grew up in Lafayette and has been in law enforcement for 28 years, going from dispatcher in Arcata on up to acting police chief in Martinez. She has a Master’s in business administration with a concentration in public administration, a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice management, and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker’s School of Management, Claremont Graduate University and the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute.

The new chief said she felt “fortunate and humbled” to have been chosen and that she hopes to focus on a culture of inclusion within the department but also the greater community.

Johnson is a mother of four and her husband is a lieutenant with the Benicia Police Department, the city of Novato said.

She will replace former Chief Matthew McCaffrey, who retired last December. Her first day will be July 5 and she will earn an annual salary of $226,596, the city said.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.