Tamika Nelson

Board Member
Tamika Nelson was appointed Chief Probation Officer for the County of San Diego in January 2022 with over 20 years’ experience in the Probation profession. She made history by becoming the first female Chief Probation Officer for the County of San Diego Probation Department in its 100-year history. She leads a highly skilled profession committed to protecting public safety by coaching clients to restore their lives, families, and communities in which they live. She leads more than one thousand San Diegans serving our neighbors by providing services to clients while balancing support and accountability. She is passionate about family and education and brings those values to the County of San Diego to support the department and community in transitioning clients successfully into the community.

In her role, she focuses on pushing probation towards the future by using data to drive decisions in the implementation of evidenced-based approaches in serving clients and the community. Prior to being appointed Chief Probation Officer for the County of San Diego, Tamika Nelson made history in San Joaquin County, by becoming the first African American woman Assistant Chief Probation Officer in its history. Throughout her career she has been strategic, collaborative, dynamic, and driven while never losing sight of a mission and purpose in serving the community. Her career in Probation has allowed her to gain knowledge and expertise across many facets of matters impacting public safety including legislation, policies and procedures, risk management, research, community supervision, human resources, training, advocacy, collaboration, and innovations in safety. She taught Probation principles, safety principles and techniques, and justice concepts in public safety academies and institutes for several years. She is a Senate appointee to the California Rehabilitation Oversight Board.

Tamika Nelson earned her BA at University of California, San Diego in Political Science, and her Juris Doctorate from Humphreys School of Law.