Boulder County admin leaving for gov leadership role in Santa Barbara

BOULDER — Jana Petersen, Boulder County’s longtime administrator, is stepping down in August to take a role as CEO of Santa Barbara County, California’s government. 

Peterson, whose last day will be Aug. 11, has been Boulder County’s top unelected official since 2020. She has held numerous roles with the county and the City of Boulder over the past two decades, from Boulder County’s public information officer to Boulder’s assistant city manager.

“Boulder County has been my home for nearly three decades,” Petersen said in a prepared statement. “Everything I’ve learned in my public service career has come from the people and places here. It’s bittersweet for that to end, because I love this community. At the same time, I’m looking forward to learning and leading in a new community when I move to Santa Barbara later this summer.”

Boulder County’s Board of Commissioners will soon begin a recruitment effort for Petersen’s successor and plans to name an interim administrator in advance of her departure.

In Santa Barbara, Petersen will take over from outgoing county executive Mona Miyasato, according to the Santa Barbara News-Press, which notes that Santa Barbara County, with a population of about 440,000, has more than 100,000 more residents than Boulder County.

The coastal California county, like Boulder County, is facing the prospect of layoffs and program cuts, the News-Press reports. 

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