In 2025, the massive bureaucracy of San Diego County has seen a number of leadership shakeups, from its elections and personnel offices to its mental health and legal teams.
But new leaders are coming to some major offices, and more are expected in the weeks and months ahead.
The county said Monday that it’s tapped a trio of longtime officials to lead three parts of the bureaucracy — its Behavioral Health Services department, the County Technology Office and the Registrar of Voters.
Longtime San Diego County elections official Shawn Brom will take over leading his office from current Registrar Cynthia Paes, who is set to retire in February. His first day will be Jan. 9; he will overlap with Paes for a few weeks as part of the transition process.
Brom has held a succession of positions in the county elections office and currently serves as assistant registrar. In a statement, the county touted his experience managing complex elections systems and navigating rules for administering state and federal elections.
Within the county’s health agency, Nadia Privara Brahms has been named director of behavioral health services effective Jan. 9, leading an office with a $1.3 billion budget and about 1,300 staffers.
Privara Brahms has worked for the county for 20 years, and in her career in behavioral health services there, she developed the office’s modeling to identify future needs for mental health treatment. She also helped launch its new ELEVATE job training program, a $75 million investment to improve local behavioral health staffing.
Privara Brahms has served as the department’s acting director since longtime leader Luke Bergmann left in April.
Another two-decade county employee, Eric Shiotsugu, has now become the county’s top technology official, months after he took on the job in an acting capacity.
Since August, Shiotsugu has served as acting chief information officer, leading the creation of the county’s AI best practices. He has worked for the county for two decades, including leading large tech projects for the auditor and controller.
Elsewhere in county government, several other major jobs are either vacant or being performed by temporary appointees.
The Board of Supervisors is still hiring a new county counsel, after pushing out Claudia Silva in July. David Smith, the county’s former chief information officer, is now doing that job on an interim basis.
Another key vacancy is the deputy chief administrative officer for the Health and Human Services Agency, which contains departments like Behavioral Health Services, homelessness programs and other social services.
The county is in the process of hiring for that job, which Kimberly Giardina left last month after about a year. Officials are also working to hire a new human resources director to succeed Susan Brazeau, who retires in March.