PORT ANGELES — Detention Manager Jody Jacobsen will take the helm at Clallam County’s Juvenile and Family Services as its current director, Pete Peterson, plans to retire at the end of June.
It’s a bittersweet moment, she said.
Jacobsen, who was born in Port Angeles and graduated from Port Angeles High School and Peninsula College, has eyed Peterson’s position for the past few years but is sad to see him go.
“Everyone who works here has worked with Pete — we’ve had no other boss,” she said. “He’s been such a mentor to so many of us along the way, it’s sad to have him go and to think he won’t be here, but we’re also very excited for him.”
Jacobsen’s first official day as the director of Juvenile and Family Services will be Friday. She’ll work alongside Peterson throughout June as she learns the ropes.
Jacobsen’s journey to the top of Juvenile Services can be described as “local girl does good,” said Clallam County Administrator Jim Jones.
Jones said the county followed its hiring procedure after the announcement that Peterson, 63, would retire, looking across the state for candidates to fill the position. As the hiring committee interviewed candidates, it became clear Jacobsen would be the one who filled the spot, he said.
“Her story is just incredible,” Jones told the Clallam County Commissioners during their meeting Tuesday. “It just blew me away.”
The Port Angeles native has worked with Juvenile and Family Services since 1996 and has been its detention manager for the past 15 years.
Jacobsen said that she realized while she was at Peninsula College and then later at the University of Washington that she had a knack for classes related to sociology and juveniles services.
After graduating from UW with a degree in sociology and criminal justice, Jacobsen returned to Port Angeles and tried several times for positions with Juvenile and Family Services but wasn’t called back until she applied a fourth time for a data coordinator position.
“I came in at the bottom tier, but I loved it,” she said. “I got to work with our diversion program with minor first-time offenders.”
Over time she worked in other positions and with other programs until she became the detention manager, where she has worked under Peterson for 15 years.
In about 2008 Jacobsen, then a mother of two young boys, began taking online courses with the University of Nevada to earn a master’s degree — knowing she would apply for the Peterson’s position when he left.
“I just plugged away at those classes one at a time, taking the summers off to spend with my kids,” she said. “I did my thesis and graduated in 2013.”
Peterson said having Jacobsen take over when he left had been his plan and that he wasn’t surprised the hiring committee selected her.
“She has all the experience and qualifications and when the county interviewed her, she impressed them too,” Peterson said.
Peterson has worked in juvenile service for the past 40 years, 29 of which he has spent as the director of Clallam County Juvenile and Family Services.
During that time Peterson oversaw the consolidation of Juvenile Services into one building.
“We had office space in other parts of town, rented space, we had an office at the main courthouse and we had juvenile court upstairs at the courthouse,” he said. “We were split between three or four different places.”
When Juvenile and Family Services moved into its new building about 20 years ago it became a certified treatment facility. It expanded to create a behavioral health unit and has credentialed staff on site.
“It’s amazing what a quality facility can do to open the doors for unified programming,” Peterson said.
He said Tuesday “it hasn’t quite sunk in yet” that he is actually retiring at the end of June.
Peterson said he’ll spend the first part of his retirement recovering from a knee surgery. After that, he has no plans, he said.
Peterson and his wife, who is also looking toward her retirement, might stay in Port Angeles or go elsewhere, he said. They haven’t decided.
He said he’s excited to see where Jacobsen takes Juvenile and Family Services and is proud of the work that it does currently.
“My compliments to the county administration over the years for giving us as much support as they could between many different county commissioners and judges that have supported what we try to do,” he said.
“I can say I believe we’re one of the best at providing services in the state and that’s because of the staff, county and community.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
